I love getting lost and going down a warp hole when I read a fashion book. They make me feel creative and inspired after I read them and it reminds me why I love fashion so much in the first place.
I’ve rounded up some of my favorite fashion books and new ones to add to my own reading list just for you guys to get a little inspired during this lock down.
Let me know in the comments what you think about these books if you decide to pick one up!
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
My favorite movie of all time. Shockingly, I haven't read the book but it is on my quarantine list for sure! A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses. Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job a million girls would die for. Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of "Runway "magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts "Prada!
Source: https://amzn.to/3cbTqAyConfessions of A Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous flat in Londons trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the seasons must-haves. The only trouble is, she cant actually afford itnot any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesnt pay much at all.
Source: https://amzn.to/2W4NhAqDressed in Dreams: A Black Girl's Love Letter to the Power of Fashion by Tanisha C. Ford
I've been waiting for a book like this my entire life! This is honestly the first time I'm seeing a book that shares a black women's perspective of being on a style journey. From sneakers to leather jackets, a bold, witty, and deeply personal dive into Black America's closet In this highly engaging book, fashionista and pop culture expert Tanisha C. Ford investigates Afros and dashikis, go-go boots and hotpants of the sixties, hip hop's baggy jeans and bamboo earrings, and the #BlackLivesMatter-inspired hoodies of today.
Source: https://amzn.to/2SF7xpY.In Vogue by Norberto Angeletti
In Vogue is a fascinating look at the history of the world's most influential magazine. The complete compendium is illustrated with hundreds of covers and archival interiors of past Vogue editions, featuring the work of some of the twentieth century's most respected artists, cover illustrators, and photographersfrom Edward Steichen, Toni Frissell, and Erwin Blumenfeld.
Source: https://amzn.to/35BQVF4Things A Woman Should Know About Style by Karen Homer
Firm but always fair, Karen Homer lays down the law to ensure that you never commit another fashion faux pas. Discover why you can never have too many white T-shirts, how to choose the right shoes and lingerie, and when to say “no” to this season’s fashion trends. Packed with tips and timeless rules and enhanced with classic photos of style icons, this chic little volume will never let you down. Karen Homer, a fashion journalist, has worked for many of Britain’s leading publications, including Elle, The Times, and Vogue.
Source: https://amzn.to/2L0GjpT100 Years of Fashion Illustration
A visual feast of 400 dazzling images, this is a comprehensive survey of the genre over the last century. The book also offers an overview of the development of fashion, as seen through the eyes of the greatest illustrators of the day. Early in the century fashion illustration reflected new, liberating currents in art and culture, such as the exoticism of the Ballets Russes, while the postwar period saw inspiration from the great Parisian couturiers. After the dominance of the celebrity fashion photographer in the '60s, a new generation of illustrators emerged, embracing the medium of the computer, while many returned to more traditional techniques
Source: https://amzn.to/3c9rUU3The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia
From Nina Garcia—fashion judge on Bravo’s hit Project Runway and author of Style Strategy and The One Hundred—comes her wildly popular New York Times bestseller The Little Black Book of Style. Here, in one indispensible volume, are Nina’s ultimate rules of style to help you uncover your own signature look.
Source: https://amzn.to/2A4pS9JThe Sartorialist by Scott Schuman
Scott Schuman just wanted to take photographs of people that he met on the streets of New York who he felt looked great. His now-famous and much-loved blog, thesartorialist.com, is his showcase for the wonderful and varied sartorial tastes of real people across the globe. This book is a beautiful anthology of Scott?s favorite images, accompanied by his insightful commentary. It includes photographs of well-known fashion figures alongside people encountered on the street whose personal style and taste demand a closer look.
Source: https://amzn.to/2xE5cEBTeen Vogue Handbook
This was my ultimate go-to guide in high school when I was navigating my way to college and figuring out what direction in fashion I wanted to take. A must-read for anybody interested in fashion. From aspiring designers, stylists, editors, and photographers to fashion obsessives who want behindthe- scenes secrets about industry stars and tips on how to live a creative life.
Source: https://amzn.to/3c6QiFSThe Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane Von Furstenbuerg
One of my all time favorite designers! This was such an awesome read. It's like Sex and the City meets the Princess Diaries! https://amzn.to/3bbXCPg
Source: One of the most influential, admired, and innovative women of our time: fashion designer, philanthropist, wife, mother, and grandmother, Diane von Furstenberg offers a book about becoming the woman she wanted to be. Diane von Furstenberg started out with a suitcase full of jersey dresses and an idea of who she wanted to be- "in her words, the kind of woman who is independent and who doesn't rely on a man to pay her bills." She has since become that woman, establishing herself as a global brand and a major force in the fashion industry, all the while raising a family and maintaining "my children are my greatest creation."Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Inès de La Fressange, Sophie Gachet
Celebrity model Inès de la Fressange shares the well-kept secrets of how Parisian women maintain effortless glamour and a timeless allure. Inès de la Fressange—France’s icon of chic—shares her personal tips for living with style and charm, gleaned from decades in the fashion industry. She offers specific pointers on how to dress like a Parisian, including how to mix affordable basics with high-fashion touches, and how to accessorize. Her step-by-step do’s and don’ts are accompanied by fashion photography, and the book is personalized with her charming drawings.
Source: https://amzn.to/2SAbNY3Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington
Evoking the time when models had to tote their own bags and props to shoots, Grace describes her early career as a model, working with such world-class photographers as David Bailey and Norman Parkinson, before she stepped behind the camera to become a fashion editor at British Vogue in the late 1960s. Delightfully underscored by Grace’s pen-and-ink illustrations, Grace will introduce readers to the colorful designers, hairstylists, makeup artists, photographers, models, and celebrities with whom Grace has created her signature images. Grace reveals her private world with equal candor—the car accident that almost derailed her modeling career, her two marriages, the untimely death of her sister, Rosemary, her friendship with Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis, and her thirty-year romance with Didier Malige. Finally, Grace describes her abiding relationship with Anna Wintour, and the evolving mastery by which she has come to define the height of fashion.
Source: https://amzn.to/2WbCbK9The Truth About Style by Stacy London
Stacy was one of my idols growing up watching What Not to Wear inspired me to start wardrobe styling! In The Truth About Style, London shares her own often painful history and her philosophy of the healing power of personal style—illustrating it with a series of detailed “start-overs” with eight real women, demonstrating how personal style helps them overcome the emotional obstacles we all face.
Source: https://amzn.to/3b5atmhMan Repeller: Seeking Love, Finding Overalls by Leandra Medine
Slipping into drop-crotch shorts and a boxed sequin blazer in the dressing room of Topshop in downtown Manhattan, a brokenhearted Leandra had an epiphany. Looking in the mirror, she suddenly realized she didn't have a boyfriend because of the way she dressed. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that such outfits said a lot about her life-romantic and otherwise. Showcasing the singular voice that has won Leandra millions of fans, this book is a collection of awkwardly funny experiences, a sweet love story, and above all, a reminder to celebrate and embrace a world made for women, by women.
Source: https://amzn.to/3dm2RgGFashionable Selby by Todd Selby
The next installment in the bestselling “Selby” series, Fashionable Selby explores the kaleidoscopic world of fashion, featuring profiles of today’s most interesting designers, stylists, haberdashers, models, shoemakers, and more. The subjects include a mix of the avant-garde, the traditional, the must-haves, and the totally unexpected. Chapters on individual artists bring readers inside their studios, workshops, and homes, and include Selby’s signature photographs and watercolors of not only the artists and their environments, but also the things that inspire them, the materials they use, their creative process, the people who work alongside them, and the final pieces.
Source: https://amzn.to/3diHcGj20821251
Women in Clothes is a book unlike any other. It is essentially a conversation among hundreds of women of all nationalitiesfamous, anonymous, religious, secular, married, single, young, oldon the subject of clothing, and how the garments we put on every day define and shape our lives.
Source: https://amzn.to/2W4OXtALove Style Life by Garance Dore
Garance Doré, the voice and vision behind her eponymous blog, has captivated millions of readers worldwide with her fresh and appealing approach to style through storytelling. This gorgeously illustrated book takes readers on a unique narrative journey that blends Garance’s inimitable photography and illustrations with the candid, hard-won wisdom drawn from her life and her travels.
Source: https://amzn.to/2xE6krPThe Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
Centered on two dynamic, complicated, and compelling protagonists—Truman Capote and Babe Paley—this book is steeped in the glamour and perfumed and smoky atmosphere of New York’s high society. Babe Paley—known for her high-profile marriage to CBS founder William Paley and her ranking in the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame—was one of the reigning monarchs of New York’s high society in the 1950s. Replete with gossip, scandal, betrayal, and a vibrant cast of real-life supporting characters, readers will be seduced by this startling new look at the infamous society swans.
Source: https://amzn.to/2SAbNY3Tom Ford by Graydon Carter
This book is a complete catalogue of Ford's design work for both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent from 1994 to 2004. It chronicles not only Ford's clothing and accessories designs for both houses, but also explores Ford's grand vision for the complete design of a brand, including architecture, store design, and advertising.
Source: https://amzn.to/2Wv1khI