Some of our favourite fashion books (Image: Sophie Putze.)
Fashion being the visual medium that it is translates beautifully to books. Whether it’s memoirs about the wearer’s well-travelled attire, or a photographic collection of a designer’s work. They make wonderful coffee table companions too. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite fashion reads; from memoirs, through to some tomes of visual inspiration. There’s something for every literary fashion lover.
Alexa Chung is arguably one of the coolest women on the planet. The fact she has her own bible of sorts is to be expected. It is part scrapbook, part journal. In it Alexa shares her muses, Patti Smith and Jane Birkin among others, as well as sartorial tales and her thoughts on a range of topics. She also teaches us how to rock her effortless, undone style with ease. This one’s for the Alexa fans and the cool girls among us.
If you haven’t seen the Advanced Style documentary before, do yourself a favour and watch it. It’s fantastic. If books are more your thing, the Advanced Style photo books are beautiful sources of inspiration. These ladies are so full of life and clearly love to dress up. If you’re a fan of dressing with a bit more eccentricity or want a book that will make you smile, this one for you.
Man Repeller is my go-to fashion blog. There’s just something about Leandra and her writing that ‘gets’ me. Her memoirs don’t disappoint. They’re hilarious and full of entertaining anecdotes about outfits and the events that go alongside them. I loved the chapter on her internship at Valentino in particular. If you love Leandra’s writing as much as I do, you need to give this a read.
This one’s not a fashion book per se but we had to include it anyway. Brooke Hauser’s book follows the path of Helen Gurley Brown, author of Sex and the Single Girl and the lady who took over Cosmopolitan magazine and turned it around. Her work was defying the norms at the time, that of the woman as a homemaker and housewife and really shook the magazine world up. According to the reviews, this will appeal to fans of Mad Men but also memoir enthusiasts alike.
Another magazine-themed book with a fashion twist. This time Cosmopilitan.com’s editor Amy Odell pens her tales from inside the fashion world. She talks about her experiences as an editor, what fashion weeks are really like and just what goes down in an Anna Wintour job interview. If you liked The Devil Wears Prada or 13 Going on 30, you will enjoy this one.
Have you read any great fashion books? Tweet us your favourites to @FashioNZ or leave us a comment on Facebook.
– By Sophie Putze from Nana Wintour.