Any fashion nerd worth their Tabi boots will know that, if you really want to increase your sartorial IQ, you can’t subsist on a diet of TikTok trend forecasts alone. While social media has certainly made learning about fashion more accessible than ever, sometimes you can’t beat curling up with a good old-fashioned book (remember them!).
Besides, reading is currently fashion’s favourite pastime, as designers from Kim Jones to Proenza Schouler tap into literary interests on the runway. Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift to please your picky fashion friend, want to learn more about sustainability, or get juicy insider gossip from a contemporary fashion memoir, we’ve compiled 12 fashion books that are as essential as the latest Coperni Swipe bag.
The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake
In 1970s Paris, two feuding designers set the tone for a decade of disco and excess. When 21-year-old Karl Lagerfeld met 18-year-old Yves Saint Laurent at a contest for young designers in 1954, neither of them knew the extent to which they would go on to shape fashion history. They got on well at first, but their friendship didn’t last nearly as long as their decades-long personal and professional rivalry which Alicia Drake documents in The Beautiful Fall. It’s a portrait of 70s decadence with all the juiciness of a gossip memoir, backed up with a thorough fashion history that unveils the real lives of these 20th century titans.
To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out The World? By Lucy Siegle
These days, there are so many books, articles and documentaries about sustainable fashion, it can be hard to know where to start. Published in 2009, Lucy Siegle’s To Die For was one of the first comprehensive, in-depth guides to fashion’s ethical and environmental issues. Its vast subject matter ranges from how dye is polluting the world’s rivers, to the struggles of underpaid garment workers; making it the perfect starter text for anyone who wants to learn more about fashion’s darker side.
Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington
Grace Coddington is known for having been Anna Wintour’s right-hand woman at Vogue until 2016, but her impact on fashion is deeper than that. This intimate memoir takes you from her childhood growing up in rural Wales, to her modelling days during London’s swinging sixties, and eventually her long tenure at Vogue and appearance in 2009 doc, The September Issue. Here, Grace applies the same eye for detail she used to create her incredible fashion shoots, telling the story of her life in such vivid description you’ll wish you were there with her.
The Most Beautiful Job In The World by Giulia Mensitieri
The creation of fashion is the creation of a dream. This is the basis of Giulia Mensitieri’s in-depth investigation of the industry. In interviewing and observing stylists, photographers, models, and designers, she exposes the overworked and underpaid conditions that are rife across the industry. It’s a biting critique of capitalism and the sacrifices made in pursuit of success.
Gods and Kings by Dana Thomas
In 1996, two British designers stormed two of Paris’ most established couture houses, ripping up the conservative fashion rulebook as they went. When John Galliano started at Dior and Alexander McQueen went to Givenchy, it was described as a British invasion. The pair shot to international stardom, but with the perks came immense pressure. Dana Thomas’s biography reads like an archetypal tale of flying too close to the sun, while acknowledging the commercial pressure put on designers to produce collection after collection at ever-increasing speed. And look, we’re on the cover!
I Love To Hate Fashion by Loïc Prigent
If you’ve ever walked past 180 The Strand during LFW, you’ve probably overheard some ridiculous statements. In 2014, fashion photographer Loïc Prigent started writing down the most hilarious, frivolous and downright insane quotes uttered behind-the-scenes at fashion week. The laugh-out-loud collection gets to the heart of all the things we love, and indeed love to hate, about fashion.
The Chiffon Trenches by André Leon Talley
André Leon Talley passed away at the start of this year, but not before bestowing us with The Chiffon Trenches, his fiery memoir on the highs and lows of a life in fashion. It’s a revealing exposé of the upper echelons during the halcyon days of fashion media budgets — from all expenses paid stays at The Ritz, to Karl Lagerfeld throwing luxury shirts at Talley like a scene from The Great Gatsby. But it wasn’t all Chanel and champagne. Talley also reveals the discrimination he faced as a plus-sized Black man in fashion, and how fickle friendships can be when you’re mixing with people at the top of the industry.
Fashion Climbing by Bill Cunningham
For decades, Bill Cunningham and his camera were as synonymous with New York City as the Statue of Liberty or the Met. Before the era of influencers and street style bloggers, Cunningham would cycle round snapping the city’s best-dressed. An effervescent reflection on a life dedicated to people-watching, Fashion Climbing is a wholesome story of fighting to do what you love and making it in the big city.
D.V. by Diana Vreeland
Legendary editor Diana Vreeland’s autobiography shimmers with the wit of literary greats. Filled with pithy epigrams and charming insouciance, D.V. reflects on Vreeland’s years helming Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as her contributions to the Costume Institute at the Met. The text explodes with excitement and enthusiasm as Vreeland tells the story of her remarkable life at a mile a minute, leaving no doubt about her lasting impact on the industry.
Anna: A Biography by Amy Odell
Despite starring in The September Issue and numerous videos for Vogue — not forgetting her fictional portrayal in The Devil Wears Prada — Anna Wintour remains an enigma. Everyone wants to know who she really is behind the bobbed hair and sunglasses, and well, Amy Odell’s book is probably the closest we’ll get. Balanced and intensely researched, it relies on in-depth interviews with some of Anna’s closest friends and collaborators in an attempt to look beneath her public image.
The Battle of Versailles by Robin Givhan
No matter the innovation of London or the quality of Milanese craftsmanship, we’re often led to believe that, when it comes to fashion, nobody can beat the French. But on one fabulous night at the Palace of Versailles in November 1973, against all odds, American designers came out victorious. In The Battle of Versailles, fashion commentator Robin Givhan explores how one event changed the course of fashion history, birthing American fashion as a force in its own right.
The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown
The Vanity Fair Diaries is Tina Brown’s stylish and dynamic account of eight fast-paced years as one of New York’s most powerful editors. It lays bare the excess of the 80s and the cutthroat nature of the media. Intriguing and intimate in equal measure, Tina explores the impossible choices, rushed deadlines and gnawing guilt that comes with being a woman who seemingly “has it all”.
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