A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed; Now in trade paperback: beautifully written, impeccably researched, and widely acclaimed The House of Gucci will captivate readers with its page-turning account of high fashion, high finance, and heart-rending personal tragedy. The House of Gucci tells the remarkable story of the power of the Gucci Dynasty and their famed luxury goods house. While the business was achieving unprecedented success, the family found itself shrouded in personal tragedy. This book chronicles the story throughout the controversial figure of Maurizio Gucci, the last of the Gucci family to run the Gucci Corporation.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"Glamour, greed, sex, style, and very, very good leather goods -- what more can you ask for (besides a 30 percent discount)?" --Michael Gross, author of "Model
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title."Fashion has never been so dramatic -- and dangerous. The saga of three generations of the Gucci family opens with an execution-style murder in Milan and penetrates the world of one of the hottest fashion labels of our time. Fashion insider Sara Forden spins the tale of how a bunch of greedy, bickering Guccis lost control of the empire that made GG synonymous with loafers." --Teri Agins, fashion writer, "Wall Street Journal, and author of "The End of Fashion
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
At 8:30 A.M. on Monday, March 27, 1995, Giuseppe Onorato was sweeping up the leaves that had blown into the entryway of the building where he worked. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
At 8:30 A.M. on Monday, March 27, 1995, Giuseppe Onorato was sweeping up the leaves that had blown into the entryway of the building where he worked. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
even if you don't care about fashion or even if business bores you, you will enjoy this book. there's plenty of action, intrigue and even murder as three generations of guccis battle over their company. the writing is always clear and well paced . the research is all well documented. whether your preference in book vears more towards fiction or towards history, you won't be ableto put this book down .
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By B. Mason
Format:Paperback
As a fine read this works well. It also serves splendid insights into the family and motives behind a huge fashion empire. As a blueprint for success the candour and research give valuable hints of the twists and turns the Gucci empire took to reach its prominence today.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
48 reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
tour de force
11 Aug 2001
By Ping Lim
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This book is surprisingly entertaining & yet informative at the same time. Here, we read about Gucci's humble beginning (against the myth of the family beginning as saddle makers), the personalities in the family (namely, Aldo & Rodolfo & subsequently, moving on to the younger generations, Maurizio, Paolo), the ongoing battles ensued among themselves for business control, the loyalty of Gucci employees, the estrangment of the employees against the new team brought in by Maurizio to turn Gucci around, the murder of Maurizio Gucci, the trial which brought his estranged wife, Patrizia Gucci & her accomplice to jail, Maurizio's vision which involved Investcorp which subsequently made Gucci into a corporate name, the significance of American outsiders such as Dawn Mello, Domenico de Sole, Tom Ford which spearheaded Gucci into a new direction altogether (from bag & leather products into ready to wear apparels) & indirectly, tranformed the fashion industry forever by inspiring other fashion houses to do the same ie. listed in the sharemarket to fend off competitors and to survive in the game & attainment of synergy thru multi brands under the same umbrella, the fighting off hostile takeover bid by LMVD led by Arnault thru marriage with Pinault. The book is written in a way that we feel as if we are in the thick of incidents. B&W pictures provided were handy. There is never a dull moment in this book. Highly recommended and great effort for the first time author.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating, if not disturbing, chronicle
1 Aug 2004
By Chris Salzer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The House of Gucci asserts itself as a singular dichotomy of both highly bizarre personal tales of the self-destructive Gucci family as well as the equally strange goings-on of the business side of things as well. It reads not unlike an incredibly enthralling novel of deceit, selfishness, lust, greed, and underhanded connivances quite unlike any other.
What makes this even more compelling is the incredible fact that it really happened. It begins with a somewhat banal and inauspicious start as the author recounts the beginning of Gucci with its assiduous founder, Guccio Gucci. As the family history unfolds, however, we find ourselves grossly immersed in the almost unbelievable sordid tales of the inimitable Gucci clan going from Guccio's three sons and how the most industrious of them, Aldo, built the Gucci empire almost single-handedly from a local phenomenon selling primarily handbags and loafers to worldwide acclaim selling a veritable cornucopia of luxury merchandise. And that is, for all intents and purposes, where the meat of the infinitely bizarre story begins with the 3rd generation Gucci, Maurizio, whose cold-blooded murder is eerily recounted on the 1st page of the book.
Overall, I recommend this quasi-novel of nonfiction to anyone who enjoys a riveting yarn that reads like a murder mystery. Invariably, it also makes for a great read for anyone in management on how to run, as well as how NOT to run, a business.
What makes this even more compelling is the incredible fact that it really happened. It begins with a somewhat banal and inauspicious start as the author recounts the beginning of Gucci with its assiduous founder, Guccio Gucci. As the family history unfolds, however, we find ourselves grossly immersed in the almost unbelievable sordid tales of the inimitable Gucci clan going from Guccio's three sons and how the most industrious of them, Aldo, built the Gucci empire almost single-handedly from a local phenomenon selling primarily handbags and loafers to worldwide acclaim selling a veritable cornucopia of luxury merchandise. And that is, for all intents and purposes, where the meat of the infinitely bizarre story begins with the 3rd generation Gucci, Maurizio, whose cold-blooded murder is eerily recounted on the 1st page of the book.
Overall, I recommend this quasi-novel of nonfiction to anyone who enjoys a riveting yarn that reads like a murder mystery. Invariably, it also makes for a great read for anyone in management on how to run, as well as how NOT to run, a business.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Just a Business Book
7 April 2002
By John G. Hilliard
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book is a surprising fast paced book that reads more like an unauthorized tell all scandal book then one dealing with the business world. It is just a fun book to read. There is a good amount of history that does not take away from the story (as sometimes to much dull history can). The author got the mix right. It also gave me a lot of insight into the fashion world that I really was not looking for, but was interesting all the same. Keep in mind that part of the focus of this book is the business that has been built up; it is not just details of the family. A good effort by the author and one worth reading if you are interested in the topic.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 48 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Art, Architecture & Photography
- Books > Biography > True Crime > Murder
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Biographies & Histories > Biographies & Memoirs
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Economics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Production, Manufacturing & Operational > Manufacturing
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
