Eisenberg Originals: The Golden Years of Fashion, Jewelry, and Fragrance, 1920s-1950s, from Sharon Schwartz & Laura Sutton

Good afternoon, beauties! Today, I’m going to dig things up and show you a side of this panda that you haven’t seen in a GOOD while: non-fiction panda! =D Yes, you read it correctly. In March, I did my official debut on Edelweiss and I fell in love with the books of Schiffer Publishing. Most of their catalogue at Edelweiss is ready to read and they specialize in non-fiction. As a lover of Fashion, Arts and such, I devoured book after book and now I’m here to start talking about them 😉 My first one was Eisenberg Originals: The Golden Years of Fashion, Jewelry, and Fragrance, 1920s-1950s, from Sharon Schwartz & Laura Sutton.

I received my copy from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review and this is the time. Here we go!

Eisenberg was one of the first American design houses, and the jewelry that bears its mark is among the finest costume pieces ever created. Yet there is surprisingly little written about the company, and almost nothing about the other products it marketed. In more than 400 photographs, this book chronicles Eisenberg’s beginnings in clothing fashion and follows the trajectory of its revered jewelry line, as well as documenting its often overlooked fragrances and cosmetics. With stories of the people and companies that were integral to this label’s success, this book shows that, in its golden years, the company’s creations deserved the place they held in only the finest stores.

Me after finishing this book:

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader =)

This book was unbelievable good. My dissertation at the end of my Journalism graduation made me research a lot about Fashion, History, Marketing and society dress codes in general over the centuries and I became an addicted panda, haha! Before this book I had never heard of Eisenberg Originals and oh boy! I was missing out SO MUCH! They were such an important part of the Fashion History of the USA, especially in Chicago, and their clothes and jewelry are just jaw dropping. Schwartz and Sutton did a fabulous field job, locating collectors, artifacts, pictures, documents, everything regarding the Eisenberg Originals story. I couldn’t give this book less than 5 stars, it’s not only a book: it’s a work of art.

It was highly interesting to follow the origins of such an important brand, the marketing strategies, the fashion choices and how society drama followed them behind the curtains. Schwartz and Sutton didn’t waste many time or words telling us the story, just giving us a few pages at a time with an overview and resting our brains with pictures and details about Eisenberg Originals masterpieces. While I did miss a little more formally written information during the texts, the jewels, clothes and marketing material they found and showed us between those more than made up for it with me, haha!

In case Fashion and Art are not really your style [you see what I did there], I’d highly recommend this book anyway, as I’m sure the hardcover edition would make the most wonderful table book. I’ve been already researching my local bookstores and hoping to see it live and in the paper – it won’t be cheap, but it will last and make my shelves so much prettier ❤

Eisenberg Originals official cover

 

So, my review cover is different from the cover shown at Edelweiss and I honestly can’t say which one I like the best. While my review copy has a more colorful cover, rich in details and luxury with the main fashion sketch as a centerpiece, the ‘official’ cover has this air of a beautiful decadency, showing all sides of the Eisenberg Originals endeavors and accurately reflecting how all the luxury and exclusivity fell into oblivion after it was sold and renamed. Ugh, such a difficult decision!

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Overall, if you like non-fiction fashion books, the particulars about jewel making in the 20^th century and marketing history, you MUST pick up this one!

Thank you so much for reading this review! Also, thanks so much to Schiffer Publishing and Edelweiss for my review copy =D

Sharon Schwartz and Laura Sutton have been involved in the antique, vintage, and collecting worlds for decades. Longtime friends, they have spent years researching the heyday of the magnificent American design house of Eisenberg.

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Hope you guys liked this one, because I still have another four non-fiction read books to go, haha!

With love,