Beautiful People by Simon Doonan
In his wickedly funny memoir reminiscent of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs, Simon Doonan revisits the landscape of his youth and displays the irresistible charm that earned him his dedicated audience.Long before he became a celebrity in his own right--as a bestselling author, the style arbiter of VH1 and America's Next Top Model, and the marketing genius behind Barneys New York--Simon Doonan was a "scabby knee'd troll" in Reading, England. In Beautiful People, Doonan returns to the working-class neighborhood of his youth, and chronicles the misadventures of the Doonan clan in all their wacky glory. He describes being surrounded by his unforgettable family: his mother Betty, whose gravity-defying, peroxide hairdo signified her natural glamour; his father Terry, an amateur vintner who turned parsnips into the legendary Chateau Doonan; his grandfather D.C., a hard-drinking betting man who plotted to win his fortune by turning Simon into a jockey; and his grandma Narg and schizophrenic Uncle Ken, both of whom lived upstairs.
Fearing he would fall victim to the insanity that runs in his family, or worse, the banality of suburban life, Doonan decamps with his flamboyant best friend Biddie to London, where they hope to find the "Beautiful People," that elusive clan who luxuriate on floor pillows and amuse each other with bon mots. Throughout the memoir--in essays about family holidays, the tart who lived next door, his first job, and more--Doonan continues his bumbling pursuit of the fabulous life, only to learn, in the end, that perhaps the Beautiful People were the ones he left behind.
Wacky Chicks, Confessions of a Window Dresser, and Gorgeous People, which was adapted for television in the UK, are among Simon Doonan's works. He was born in London and worked on Savile Row before becoming the creative director of Barneys New York, where he produced iconic window displays for almost two decades. He has appeared on Gossip Girl, Iron Chef America, America's Next Top Model, and other shows, and was previously a columnist for The New York Observer. He is now a contributor to Slate.com and has appeared on Gossip Girl, Iron Chef America, America's Next Top Model, and other shows. Doonan and his husband, Jonathan Adler, live in New York.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780743267052 |
| ISBN 10 | 0743267052 |
| Title | Beautiful People |
| Author | Simon Doonan |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year published | 2009-04-14 |
| Number of pages | 304 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |