Dress to impress

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Mar 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Osher	02 Mar 2004
If you wanted a deck that was just stunningly beautiful, complex, and rich (but not necessarily easy to read) which one would you choose? Giger?

Kissa	02 Mar 2004
Haindl. The first german edition. Big cards.

Dark_angel	02 Mar 2004
The Amber, which is all of those things, and easy to read! Or the Vertigo.

HudsonGray	02 Mar 2004
Definately the Vertigo!

Red Emma	02 Mar 2004
Shape Shifter! No doubt about it!

Cerulean	02 Mar 2004
at the moment for me. A one card draw takes a day or two to absorb. 1. Celesta Porta/Tarocchi de Stella (Taviglione). Could be the dialect it was written in, or just my slowness with an Italian English dictionary. 2. Tarocchi di Matteo Boiardo. The Tuscan dialect it is based on is a few centuries outdated. But I like the learning.

lunakasha	02 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Happiness If you wanted a deck that was just stunningly beautiful, complex, and rich (but not necessarily easy to read) which one would you choose? Giger? Happiness, Please tell me you were only joking about the Giger.....ugh!!! Definitely not for me, but I guess there are people who like it, so to each his/her own, right? :P Right now the one that I want more than any other, which is to me stunningly beautiful, with vibrant, liquid color and richly detailed...the Gilded Tarot!!! I will not be satisfied until I have this deck in my hands...and from what I hear, the Special Edition is VERY impressive to behold! Of course I agree that the Amber and Vertigo decks would be lovely choices....if I ever win the lottery, I will make it my life's mission to own them all!!!! And then I will be on the lookout for all of the Folchi decks....lovely indeed! :D Luna (yes, she's a dreamer!) :laugh:

crystal cove	02 Mar 2004
At the moment the deck that comes to mind is the Tarot de la Felicite. I agree with lunakasha that the Folchis are fabulous. I'd put any Folchi deck in the same category.

Centaur	02 Mar 2004
I think I would choose the Vertigo... it is darkly beautiful. ;) C

Umbrae	03 Mar 2004
Das Tarokspiel aus Bologna - or Giger, depends if you want dark or antique...now if you want fluffy, try Tarot du Chat. Wild and bizzare (and pretty dark), but more bizzare is the Tarocco Dell'Orror...but you mentioned Giger, so you must be considering a Majors only...how about Fantastic Shoes...or the Ambre...uh...how much money do you wnat to spend and what do you really want? Oh...and don't forget...rich, affordable...perhaps dark - and at times light...Taort of Prague

Demonesse	03 Mar 2004
Gilded, Nefertari or Visconti Sforza.

Strange2	03 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Happiness If you wanted a deck that was just stunningly beautiful, complex, and rich (but not necessarily easy to read) which one would you choose? The Margarete Petersen Tarot fits this description perfectly. The minors are particularly beautiful yet mysterious.

snuffy	03 Mar 2004
*insert devious grin here* you know, kat black's golden tarot sure sounds like it fits the description! (but then again, i have golden tarot fever, so i'm tending to be reminded of it (and how we don't have it yet!) everywhere :))

blue_fusion	03 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by twenty~one At the moment the deck that comes to mind is the Tarot de la Felicite. I agree with lunakasha that the Folchis are fabulous. I'd put any Folchi deck in the same category. add another folchi fan here! go felicita! unfotunately, the last i came across onna these online, it amounted to more than $700. oh the agony! (of not being able to afford it) :c

Gardener	03 Mar 2004
I too have recently been bit by the Folchi bug - so far I've only seen them online, but I do have (oh the guilt!) two on order. But of decks I've seen in person, I agree that the Margarete Petersen is the one - gorgeous, lush, mysterious indeed.

Osher	03 Mar 2004
I think inserting the Giger was a mistake, but not totally. What I meant is that the artwork is eyecatching and, in it's own way, stunning, but not beautiful. I guess what I mean is, a deck that, for pure beauty, is stunning, forgetting the Tarot side. However, some interesting idea. I remember when the Golden Tarot was first going to come out and being really excited at the first version, but disappointed enough not to buy it because the final version was too RWS like.

Cocobird55	03 Mar 2004
The Voyager deck was the first one that popped into my head. And after that, the Rohrig. I love looking at both of these decks, but find them hard to read with. Sue

Gardener	03 Mar 2004
Cocobird, I know what you mean about the Rhorig. The artwork is so beautiful, and the large cards really fill the eye, but when I lay them out for a spread, I am too distracted. Usually by all the naked parts! Very sexy, and I usually don't see a divinatory story, just yummy hedonistic pictures. Does this make me shallow?

laura_borealis	03 Mar 2004
Oh, why do I read these threads? I just end up wanting, wanting. I have put a $45 deck on my Amazon wish list. How will I ever attain Buddha-like detachment if I always desire more tarot decks? :P

Umbrae	04 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Happiness I think inserting the Giger was a mistake... ...Dude...you have to try to read with the Giger... Some folks think it's dark, confusing the reading with the art - which is stunning in it's beauty - but it's really not a dark deck at all...to read with it is wonderful...opens new avenues of positive interpretations... Quote: Originally posted by laura_borealis ...I have put a $45 deck on my Amazon wish list. I don't know why I read these threads...people doing business with a 17.45 BILLION dollar 'Gee whiz we sure care about you' company...they pay their executives MILLIONS...I think I'm gonna cry...(lol)

lunakasha	04 Mar 2004
In terms of sheer *beauty* and luxuriousness....a deck that if you saw it from across the room, you would be intrigued and enchanted....I have to mention the Mantegna here. Remember, I am not saying that the artwork itself, or the "tarot structure" (it has 50 cards and is not a "traditional" tarot) of the Mantegna surpasses, say the Folchis or Margarete Petersen...or even the Giger ;) BUT......it is a very special and unusual deck....it is the only silver-embossed deck that I am aware of, and it is absolutely lovely to look at! I would compare it to the Nefertari or Visconti Gold, except in silver rather than gold..... :D Luna

Lady Eclipse	04 Mar 2004
I have to agree about the Folchi's. They are truly stunning. Since I own at least one copy of every deck he's made that I'm aware of, I don't consider them hard to read with. However, his Tarocco dei Giardini di Priapo is definitely not something for the faint of heart due to the graphic nudity and sexual situations depicted. His Tarocco delle Felicita is my personal favorite with the Omaggio a Erte running a close second. I do agree that they can get rather pricey and for that reason, I consider them to be more of investment decks rather than reading decks. The deck I'd have to vote for as most beautiful but hard to read is the Ananda since the original book is in German. I know there's now an English version but right now, I only have the German so my husband has to translate the book for me. Joy to you, Maralee

Jeanette	04 Mar 2004
Well, if this thread also includes decks that you wouldn't necessarily read with, and might be classified as "stunning" (or shocking?) I think I'd like any of the erotic decks. They just seem like they would be so much fun to look at! I don't think I'd ever take them out to read with (I'd probably just get sidetracked) and I know I don't want my son & his friends looking at subject matter considered pornographic (he can when he's older). Erotic decks just seem like they'd be uplifting!

laura_borealis	04 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae I don't know why I read these threads...people doing business with a 17.45 BILLION dollar 'Gee whiz we sure care about you' company...they pay their executives MILLIONS...I think I'm gonna cry...(lol) Smarty-pants. ;) I use the Amazon wish list as a list of "things I might want to buy later," basically a tool to stave off impulse buying. For me it works directly opposite to how Amazon wants it to work. Right after found that deck on Amazon I found it somewhere else for about 15 dollars less. And I would probably see if a particular locally-owned bookstore which stocks a lot of tarot has it or can get it, before I buy. But -- I'm keeping it on my Amazon list so I remember. I'll most likely talk myself out of it, anyway. I've half done that already. (This is not to say I never buy things from Amazon. I support local businesses but sometimes I can get a good deal from Amazon. Plus I like getting packages! :) )

Majecot	04 Mar 2004
Definately Rohrig! I love the oversized cards and it is my favorite reading deck.

The Dress to impress thread was originally posted on 02 Mar 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.