The next instalment in my Top 5 lists, this time its Fashion books.
The Fashion Book
This book is not a coffee table tome, however what it lacks in size and glossy images it makes up for in information. This book is the fashion world encyclopaedia, it is reprinted regularly to update the information (mine is not the most up to date edition). You can either use it as a reference book, or learn your self some facts and read it cover to cover, either way it's a great book to have in your arsenal. So good that I have more than one copy...
Get it here
Vogue The Editors Eye
Nowadays Vogue is not the only Fashion magazine, however the book charts a period where Vogue produced some of the most provocative and stunning fashion imagery. The book documents the careers of some of Vogue's most successful fashion editors such as Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Polly Mellen and Tonne Goodman to name a few. It focuses on the importance of fashion imagery, quite rightly pointing out how important fashion is to document social history. Again this book also has beautiful full page images that are simply breath taking. This book went along with a documentary that is also well worth watching.
Get it here
Gloss, The Works of Chris Von Wagenheim
Now a brief history lesson here, in the mid 1970s fashion photography took a darker twist with heightened interest in sexualised female subjects, at the helm of this movement was Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton and the much lesser known Chris Von Wagenheim. This book celebrates the work of Von Wagenhiem, it has passages of information and beautiful full page images. This is a must if you wish to broaden your references. I'm only slighly obsessed...
Get it here
Grace: 30 Years of Fashion at Vogue
This is one of my most treasured books, and really the one I recommend the most, if you are new to fashion, as the images have such power. I have a real soft spot for the work of Grace Coddington, and this book documents her glorious work in beautiful full page images. You can really sense from the images how much of herself she puts into her work. It is a must see book. Coincidentally the Image you see of Kate Moss and Puff Daddy comes from a 1999 issue of US. Vogue shot in Paris. It's also shown a little bit in this great documentary too.
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Alexander McQueen
I was lucky enough to be one of the 480,000 people who saw Savage Beauty at the V&A in 2015 and oh my gosh it was good, an incredibly moving exhibition. This book was produced to go along side the exhibition providing the history the late great designer. With some of the other books on this list you may just flick through now and then, with this book I have read it cover to cover countless times. I cannot recommend this enough.
Get it here
Thus concludes this top 5, I will mention here that these books are a little pricey so maybe another alternative is to check out your local library. Or maybe add them to a wish list for potential gifting ideas...
Until next time my darlings...