Travel & Pictorial

California Elegance: Portraits From the Final Frontier

An intimate look at the extraordinary figures and natural beauty of California, the world's pacesetter for the twenty-first century, in all its diversity.

Through the photographs by Aranda and a combination of profiles and stories by Suppes, a lifelong Californian, the pair depict the unique personalities and natural beauty of the state, as well as its significant sites. Profiles and portraits include Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, politicians Willie Brown and Jackie Speier, actor Kirsten Dunst, Glide Memorial Church pastor Cecil Williams, fashion designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy and Johnston Hartig, Queen Sugar author Natalie Baszile, young NASA scientists, social activists, farmers, firefighters, and award-winning astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz.

From San Francisco's most significant players to the innovation hub of Silicon Valley and the creative buzz of Hollywood, California Elegance brings you the very best of the Golden State. The changing landscapes of San Francisco, the redwood forests of Humboldt, the sands of Death Valley, the wonders of Yosemite, the slopes of Lake Tahoe, the bustle of Silicon Valley, the glamour of Hollywood and so much more are chronicled by Frederic Aranda and Christine Suppes.

About The Author

Frederic Aranda is an international portrait photographer with clients including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Patek Philippe, The Sunday Times, Departures, Harrods, Van Cleef and Arpels and Cartier. Christine Suppes is the author of Electric Fashion, which chronicled her thirty years collecting haute couture.

  • Publish Date: February 23, 2021
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Category: Photography - Subjects & Themes - Regional
  • Publisher: Mondadori
  • Trim Size: 9-4/9 x 11
  • Pages: 432
  • US Price: $80.00
  • CDN Price: $110.00
  • ISBN: 978-88-918298-0-1

Reviews

"A celebration of the state as much as its rich and diverse people. From it natural beauty to such pacesetters as Governor Gavin Newsom, politicians Willie Brown and Jackie Speier, and actor Kirsten Dunst, this hefty tome is packed with all the things that make California, despite the fires, earthquakes and entrapping freeways, the stuff of dreams." —INDULGEMAGAZINE.COM

"[Suppes and Aranda] say that what most attracted them to the subject was the diversity of the state — geographically, culturally and in terms of the population. For both, elegance in California is also about the bounty the state has to offer because of its multiplicities." —SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"Christine Suppes and Frederic Aranda spotlight the Golden State’s diversity and sublime beauty in their stunning new coffee table book, California Elegance." —HAUTE LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO