Hal Rubenstein’s New Book Is a Delicious Read for Pop Culture Fiends & Hopeless Romantics

If you’re a fashion and pop culture junkie, or a cinematic daydreamer who often relates real life experiences to those witnessed on film, you’ll love this dreamy new tome by fashion industry icon Hal Rubenstein. The Looks of Love: 50 Moments in Fashion That Inspired Romance, is like VH1′s Pop Up Video in book form, providing little known details and the author’s first hand insights behind everything from Courtney Love’s initial wardrobe choices (she handmade all of those baby doll dresses, btw) to Dior’s elaborate haute couture shows in Paris to how to replicate that iconic gray off-the-shoulder sweatshirt worn by Jennifer Beale in Flashdance.

“I don’t think the idea was never not with me,” Rubenstein tells Yahoo Style upon explaining the impetus behind the book. “I have always been fascinated by how powerfully certain pop-cultural images insinuate themselves into our emotional behavior.” Enlisting pals such as Calvin Klein, Debra Messing, John Galliano, and Michael Kors to chime into the conversation, Rubenstein offers a enlightening and gossipy read, a touchstone for anyone who lived through these moments (or wishes that they had).

As for his favorite moments? “I won’t ever forget the hysteria of John Galliano freaking everyone out at Versailles with his Amazonian warrior collection for Dior inspired by The Matrix,” he says. “I had the pleasure of introducing my friend Versace to South Beach. However, I do have a perverse adoration of Flashdance, the movie I hold responsible for allowing everyone at the airport to look as if they just got out of yoga class and basketball practice.”

Here, we provide are a handful of excerpts from the book.

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