Another Thursday - another Style Source Faves segment.  And today, I'm going to do something I've never done before.

I'm recommending a book that I haven't read - haven't even flipped through the pages.

"Egads," you say.  "How could you do that to us?  And why should we trust you on this one?"

Legitimate points; but you see, this particular book hasn't been released for publication yet.  You can go to Amazon.com and pre-order, but no copies are floating around to look at right now.

But here's the deal: it's all about the homes and gardens of the late, great fashion designer, Yves St. Laurent, and his long time partner.  And the book:  The Private World of Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Berge.

I fell in love with Yves St. Laurent designs when I was in college.  (No, I definitely was not wearing them - WAY too expensive.)  But one of my roommates was a fashion major, and she had subscriptions to Vogue, Women's Wear Daily, etc.

And this was the era of Studio 54 in NYC, with its uber-glam crowd including Bianca Jagger.  I still remember photos of the ex Mrs. Mick Jagger dressed in fabulous Yves St. Laurent corset dresses.  OMG - she was stunning, and sophisticated, beyond belief.  I knew then that anyone who could create those incredible clothes, had to be living large - and living among exquisite beauty.

Years later, I was in the beautiful gardens of Villa Majorelle - St. Laurent's home in Marrakech.  The beauty was unsurprising; after all, look who the owner was.

The book covers the eight homes St. Laurent and Berge shared.  In the words of the  Editortial Review: the homes contained incomparable collections of furniture and art - French decor, important paintings by modern and Romantic artists, masterpieces of furniture, sculpture and silver ranging from the Renaissance to Art Deco era.

Ah, it's good to live large - good to have such an incredible eye - good to have such exquisite taste.