Louis Feraud

Though the French couture designer is billed as author, his text is a minor contribution to this large-format collection of photos (by various photographers) of Feraud fashions for women. (There are also watercolor sketches by the designer's assistants.) The clothesprimarily evening wearare full of rich colors, densely patterned, often with a free-form, painterly quality; some shots are set against a patterned background, accentuating the lushness. Feraud describes the growth of his career (he made his name when Brigitte Bardot, at the height of her fame, created a sensation with one of his dresses), the type of model he prefers, the process of assembling a collection for presentation, the backstage atmosphere at a show, etc. The accessory nature of the text is emphasized by the fact that it sometimes jumps 10, 20, even 40 pages with no indication of where the reader is to turnnor are there folio numbers on most pages. The striking photos, both studio and runway shots, are mostly in color. (April 3)