Join Luke Nguyen as he travels the length and breadth of the French culinary landscape to discover its food, culture and people.

From boulangerie-filled boulevards in Paris to rolling fields and grand châteaus in the Loire Valley, Luke Nguyen’s France takes you on a gastronomic tour through the very heart and soul of French cooking.

Luke embarks on a personal journey to learn the secrets of classic French dishes and how these recipes have influenced Vietnamese cuisine. Along the way, he catches up with long-distance relatives and meets locals who (if he’s lucky) disclose decades-old secret family recipes. In return, Luke shares his knowledge of Vietnamese cooking and adds his own unique flourishes to some of these classic dishes. Filled with beautiful food and landscape photography, Luke Nguyen’s France is the ultimate companion to French cuisine and beyond.

Luke Nguyen is one of Australia’s best loved chefs. He is the owner of Sydney’s acclaimed Red Lantern restaurants, and is a regular presenter on SBS where his television shows have taken him all over the world. His recent series, Luke Nguyen’s France, is the companion TV show to this book.

Luke is also the author of five previous cookbooks: Secrets of the Red Lantern, Indochine, The Songs of Sapa, China to Vietnam and The Food of Vietnam, the ultimate companion to authentic Vietnamese cooking. Luke currently splits his time between Australia and Vietnam, where he has recently opened his own cooking school – Grain – in Ho Chi Minh City.

Join internationally renowned fashion illustrator Megan Hess as she explores the timeless beauty and glamour of ten of France's best-loved designers in a stylish celebration of one of the world’s favourite fashion destinations.

From the courts of Versailles to the cobbled streets of Paris, French fashion has always been the epitome of elegance. Whether it's Dior's New Look, Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking jacket or Chanel's little black dress, the masters of French fashion understand that clothing is more than a craft: it’s an art form.

Megan Hess’s love for French style sparked her career in fashion illustration. In these pages, she unspools the threads of ten legendary designers – Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Givenchy, Chloé, Balmain, Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Celine – to discover the origins of haute couture, prêt-à-porter and everything chic.

Accompanied by Megan’s exquisite illustrations of current and archival collections, Elegance: The Beauty of French Fashion tells the story of how France’s iconic fashion houses have influenced the very fabric of design.