This month id savours the ‘Made in Italy’ lifestyle of Alessi and delves into the dramatic life of Donatella Versace.

THE DREAM FACTORY: ALESSI SINCE 1921 By Alberto Alessi Rizzoli

To understand Italian culture one need not look any further than Italian design. Alessi, the inimitable Italian design company, is perhaps the finest example of how humour, intellect and collaboration can forge a company that withstands the test of time. Alberto Alessi’s exciting new tome offers an elucidation of his family’s past and its cultural cachet.

Organised in seven main chronological sections, its 256 pages are filled with lush colour and black-and-white photographs of family, factories, products, designers, artists, blueprints and other cultural artefacts that define the family legacy. It’s a virtual who’s who of the world’s top designers, past and present.

What truly defines this volume is its intermingling of inviting historical and biographical narratives and astute philosophical essays. From transgressive objects to phenomenology, its unapologetic intellectual approach is as refreshing as Alessi’s belief that the company’s “role is to engage in a continuous mediation between the most advanced and inspired expressions of international creativity in product design….and the public’s desires and dreams, on the other…” Essential for the libraries of creative thinkers and design-lovers.

VERSACE By Donatella Versace Contributions by Maria Luisa Frisa and Stefano Tonchi Rizzoli

Judging by the reception of the new Palazzo Versace Dubai, the reign of the queen of one of Italy’s most iconic fashion and lifestyle houses is still in overdrive. This breath-taking new volume reveals how Donatella Versace expanded her inherited legendary empire, founded in decadence and a lust for life.

Starting with Donatella’s generous dedication to Prince, the massive 336-page volume is divided into seven chapters that boast 250 stunning black-and-white and colour photos of celebrities, models and those who basked in all their Warholian splendour, taken by legendary photographers Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel and Mario Testino – and many others.

Yet the images aren’t the only stars of the show, as the book’s essays offer insightful views behind the house’s gilded veil. Frisa’s ‘Contemporary Wunderkammer’ is particularly relevant as it explores how Versace’s home collection is grounded in the imagination, mythology and private collecting; essential to the lifestyle of the woman who said: “I am Italian, I love pasta and glamour.” Ideal for lovers of fashion, design and a way of life rooted in the exuberance of Italy.