I’ve never worn a Pierre Cardin piece, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the man behind the French fashion empire. And here’s a book — Pierre Cardin: 60 Years of Innovation ($75) by Jean-Pascal Hesse — to help educate. It highlights the Italian-born French designer’s work, all 60 fabulous years of it. Cardin, now 87, is praised for proving that fashion can be an art and a successful business. Fun fact: Cardin created the bubble dress in 1954.

The Cardin fashion house will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2010, an occasion that calls for a retrospective of the work of its founder, designer Pierre Cardin. Born in 1922 in Sant’Andrea de Barbarana, Venice province, Pierre Cardin immigrated to Paris in 1924 with his parents, who were thrown into poverty by World War I. After working briefly with Elsa Schiaparelli, Cardin joined Dior in 1946 and opened his own couture house in 1950.

Buy It: Pierre Cardin
Cost: $75.00