Josephine Baker adored him. Cher would have loved him. Liberace would have hired him. He was George Barbier, the creator of flamboyant, glittering, over-the-top costumes for flamboyant, glittering, over-the-top people. Barbier's designs were visual glories, often adorned with paste jewelry, flowing t

Art nouveau fashion, Decorative, Excessive, Fantastic, Glamour, Overflowing

A young woman struts down the Champs Elysee's in a gray wool suit tightly fitted to her slim body. The suit is decorated with large white butterflies that seem to flutter around her, giving her a special air of artistic sophistication. On her head another butterfly alights in the form of a small, ext

Clever, Distorted, Fantastic, Lush, Opulent, Surrealist fashion

At the end of the nineteenth century, there was probably no greater way to gain international recognition as an artist -- or anything else for that matter -- than to be associated with the brilliant actress Sarah Bernhardt. Czechoslovakian painter Alphonse Mucha would get just that opportunity. As a

Art nouveau design, Decorative, Ethereal, Fantastic, Lyrical, Mythic, Serene

Murakami's fiction, often criticized for being "pop" literature by Japan's literary establishment, is humorous and surreal, and at the same time reflects an essential alienation, loneliness, and longing for love in a way that has touched readers in the US and Europe, as well as in East Asia. In addit

Fantastic, Fantasy, Pop, Surreal