Straight up, this list is by no means in any particular order, nor is it even a dent into the vast array of books about fashion. Whether you're looking to cuddle up with an herbal tea and a good book on a cold winter's day or looking to learn an extra thing or two about this beautiful world of fashion in which we reside, you're sure to enjoy this sol bunch of fantastic reads from and about some of Haute couture to start. From autobiographies of famous designers, style analyses, and historical perspectives, these books will give you an in-depth look into the world of fashion.
Once you've ingested one or a few of these, take your well-educated self down to True Fashionistas, the best designer consignment store, and use your updated wealth of fashion knowledge to score some new designer looks.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS - Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel by Eric Boman (2007)
Over 90 lavish color photographs display a variety of Iris Apfel's stunning ensembles on wryly placed mannequins, some of which proudly display her signature oversized eyeglasses. Her True Fashionista combination of Dior haute couture with thrift store finds, Dolce & Gabbana lizard trousers with ecclesiastical looks from the nineteenth century, and pink Lanvin with ropes of Navajo turquoise are typical examples of how creative her style is. Apfel's various pieces very well could have been created to her specifications in a small studio or purchased from a Parisian couture house or local thrift store. An article penned by Apfel outlining her lifelong love affair with fashion is included in the book, along with an introduction by Harold Koda, a former director of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS - D.V. by Diana Vreeland (2011)
A woman whose love and genius for style helped define the world of high fashion for fifty years, Diana Vreeland—the fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar and editor-in-chief of Vogue—was brilliant, humorous, charming, and demanding. Some of the most well-known and well-known people of the 20th century were among her diverse group of friends, including Coco Chanel, Isak Dinesen, Clark Gable, Swifty Lazar, royalty, and Hollywood movie stars. Live Ms. Vreeland's vibrant life through her eyes in this fascinating biography, then shop her fave designers at True Fashionistas consignment store Naples.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS - Karl Lagerfeld – A Life in Fashion by Alfons Kaiser (2022)
Journalist Alfons Kaiser, a personal acquaintance of Lagerfeld's, shares with readers the public and private life of the enigmatic fashion designer. Kaiser explores the many eras of Lagerfeld's life: from the young outsider in the north German flatlands to the up-and-coming Paris fashion mainstay, the tireless draftsman and photographer, the passionate book collector and workaholic devoted to his True Fashionista craft. Readers discover the man behind the persona: the precocious boy who preferred to draw in the attic than play with his peers; the son who quarreled with his parents yet stayed close to them; Yves Saint Laurent's competitor, a brother, uncle, and friend. Get insight on the entire life of one of fashion's brightest.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS - Sneaker Law, All You Need to Know About the Sneaker Business by Kenneth Anand and Jared Goldstein (2020)
Sneaker Law has been referred to as the business and legal bible for the sneaker industry. This thorough tome covers reselling, design, counterfeits, the law of sneakers, licensing, collaborations, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, branding, and more. Sneaker Law is the first and only book that teaches "all you need to know about the sneaker business." Whether you are a designer, lawyer, student, reseller, retailer, manufacturer, distributor, YouTuber, or True Fashionista sneaker nerd, Sneaker Law contains all you need to know to navigate the $80 billion global sneaker market. It's also a gorgeous coffee table piece. Beautifully bound in sneaker quality leatherette containing almost 400 full-color art paper pages, red foil emboss and deboss cover art, and a True Fashionista red shoelace bookmark, Sneaker Law is not only THE sneaker bible, but it's also a work of art. Speaking of sneakers, score your designer sneaker faves at True Fashionistas, Naples' best consignment store.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS – "EMPIRE OF COTTON: A GLOBAL HISTORY" BY SVEN BECKERT (2015)
This Bankcroft Prize-winning book is a wide-ranging discussion of the geopolitical and historical influence of True Fashionista cotton and fashion on the world we see today. Through a history of mercantilism, colonialism, capitalism, and the records of both India and the Americas, Beckert masterfully discusses the complex legacy of cotton in our modern world. From the beginning, cotton production was a constant struggle between enslaved people and planters, merchants and politicians, workers, and factory owners. In a remarkably brief period, European entrepreneurs and powerful politicians recast the world's most significant manufacturing industry, combining imperial expansion and slave labor with new machines and wage workers to make and remake global capitalism.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS - Little Black Dress by André Leon Talley (2013)
A selectively curated overview of the little black dress in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, organized by late Vogue contributing editor and fashion icon André Leon Talley. Little Black Dress was published to celebrate an exhibition at the SCAD Museum of Art (Savannah College of Art and Design) in the André Leon Talley Gallery. Featuring a carefully selected group of approximately sixty dresses from several of the most eminent fashion houses, the book is a celebratory tribute to the iconic little black dress (née LBD) and its deeply resonant cultural and social significance in the modern era.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS – Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity by Elizabeth Wilson (2020 EDITION)
When this book was initially published in 1985, novelist and feminist Angela Carter described it as "the best I have read on the subject, bar none." Elizabeth Wilson traces fashion's social and cultural history and its complex relationship to modern times. He served as an introductory text to understand the phenomenon of fashion in our modern world. The theoretical side of style is often either overlooked or mythologized, marginalizing it entirely. The theories of fashion as a psychological and sociological phenomenon are massively important to understanding the dark side of fashion behaviors like overconsumption, exclusion, neocolonialism, and loss of life in the supply chain. Wilson investigates the power of fashion to mark out identity. This updated edition of her book follows recent developments to bring the story of True Fashionista dressing up to date, like exploring the massively popular grunge look inspired by bands like Nirvana that's making a comeback now, the 'boho chic' of the mid 90's, retro-dressing and the meanings of dress from the veil to Beck's pink-varnished toenails.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS – The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden (2021)
You saw the Ridley Scott movie starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, now read the book that inspired it. The Gucci story is one of glitz, glamour, and intrigue—a chronicle of the rise, near fall, and subsequent resurgence of a fashion dynasty. On the morning of March 27, 1995, four quick shots rang out on a Milan street. Maurizio Gucci, the heir to the fabulous fashion dynasty, had been ambushed and slain on the steps to his office by an unknown gunman. Two years later, Milan's chief of police entered the sumptuous palazzo of Maurizio's ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani—nicknamed "the Black Widow" by the press—and arrested her for the murder. Did Patrizia kill her ex-husband because his spending was wildly out of control? Did she do it because he was preparing to marry his mistress? May Patrizia didn't do it at all? Beautifully written, impeccably researched, and widely acclaimed, The House of Gucci is a page-turning account of high fashion, high finance, and heartrending personal tragedy. Does the movie hold up to the book? Find out for yourself.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS – Inside Haute Couture: Behind the Scenes at the Paris Ateliers by Désirée Sadek (2016)
We love our True Fashionista French designers! From Maison Chanel on rue Cambon to Jean Paul Gaultier on rue Saint-Martin, the history of French fashion is often closely tied to those of Parisian addresses. With exclusive photographs by Guillaume de Laubier, Inside Haute Couture offers a private tour of 10 meccas of French fashion. From the splendor of VIP reception rooms to the privacy of sewing ateliers, the daily lives of the most renowned figures in haute couture are showcased alongside skilled artisans and their stunning creations. This book is an unprecedented journey into a world often closed to the public against a backdrop of exceptional architectural heritage.
10 IMPORTANT FASHION BOOKS -- Fashion, New Edition: The Definitive Visual Guide (Smithsonian) (2019)
Perhaps the most coffee table-ish book on this list, this one has been hailed as the definitive guide to fashion history! From Ancient Egypt and Marie Antoinette to Alexander McQueen and Chanel, this visually stunning fashion design book charts the evolution of clothing and shows how every generation reinvents fashion. Covering in exquisite detail the most critical periods in manner from ancient times to the present day, this guide showcases the styles and works of trailblazing True Fashionista designers, describing how they have influenced the clothes we wear. Also, beautiful double-page images from fashion archives show how people have embraced fashion in every era and how they place style in its cultural context. The reader also gets many original fashion plates, archive images, and commissioned photography. From the fashion student to the True Fashionista, you'll treasure this indispensable work of reference.
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