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Books · Fashion & style

Books on Fashion & Style

Thirty books on fashion: its history, great designers, memoirs from the front row, sharp criticism, and the style guides and photography that shaped how we dress.

30 books

  1. 1
    The Fashion Book by Phaidon Editors
    History

    The Fashion Book

    Phaidon Editors · 1998

    An A–Z of 500 designers, photographers and figures who shaped modern fashion.

    Phaidon Press Limited · 1998

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  2. 2
    History

    Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century

    The Kyoto Costume Institute · 2002

    A richly illustrated survey drawn from the Kyoto Costume Institute’s collection.

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  3. 3
    The Language of Clothes by Alison Lurie
    Criticism

    The Language of Clothes

    Alison Lurie · 1981

    How clothing works as a language of status, sex and identity.

    Heinemann · 1981

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  4. 4
    Criticism

    Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity

    Elizabeth Wilson · 1985

    A cultural study of fashion as a key part of modern city life.

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  5. 5
    Criticism

    The Fashion System

    Roland Barthes · 1967

    A semiotic analysis of how fashion magazines give meaning to clothes.

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  6. 6
    Designers

    Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life

    Justine Picardie · 2010

    An illustrated biography of Gabrielle Chanel and the myths she created.

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  7. 7
    Dior by Dior by Christian Dior
    Memoir

    Dior by Dior

    Christian Dior · 1956

    The couturier’s own account of creating the House of Dior.

    Weidenfeld And Nicholson · 1957

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  8. 8
    Memoir

    Grace: A Memoir

    Grace Coddington · 2012

    The former model and Vogue creative director on a life in fashion.

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  9. 9
    D.V. by Diana Vreeland
    Memoir

    D.V.

    Diana Vreeland · 1984

    The legendary fashion editor’s exuberant, anecdotal memoir.

    Da Capo Press · 1984

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  10. 10
    Why Fashion Matters by Frances Corner
    Criticism

    Why Fashion Matters

    Frances Corner · 2014

    Short essays on fashion’s cultural, economic and social importance.

    Thames & Hudson · 2014

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  11. 11
    Criticism

    Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster

    Dana Thomas · 2007

    How global luxury brands traded craftsmanship for mass-market profit.

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  12. 12
    The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake
    Designers

    The Beautiful Fall

    Alicia Drake · 2006

    The rivalry of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent in 1970s Paris.

    Little, Brown and Co. · 2006

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  13. 13
    History

    In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World’s Most Famous Fashion Magazine

    Alberto Oliva and Norberto Angeletti · 2006

    An illustrated history of Vogue and its influence on fashion.

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  14. 14
    Parisian Chic by Inès de la Fressange and Sophie Gachet
    Style guide

    Parisian Chic

    Inès de la Fressange and Sophie Gachet · 2010

    A Parisian style icon’s guide to dressing and living with French flair.

    Flammarion-Pere Castor · 2011

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  15. 15
    The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia
    Style guide

    The Little Black Book of Style

    Nina Garcia · 2007

    A fashion editor’s illustrated guide to building personal style.

    HarperCollins Publishers · 2007

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  16. 16
    The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman
    Photography

    The Sartorialist

    Scott Schuman · 2009

    Influential street-style photographs of stylish people around the world.

    Penguin Books · 2009

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  17. 17
    History

    Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present

    Alison Matthews David · 2015

    The dangers of dress through history, from arsenic dyes to flammable crinolines.

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  18. 18
    Criticism

    Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

    Elizabeth L. Cline · 2012

    An investigation into the true cost of cheap, fast fashion.

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  19. 19
    History

    Worn: A People’s History of Clothing

    Sofi Thanhauser · 2022

    The global history of textiles and the people who make them.

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  20. 20
    History

    Threads of Life

    Clare Hunter · 2019

    A history of the world told through needlework and embroidery.

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  21. 21
    Vivienne Westwood by Vivienne Westwood and Ian Kelly
    Memoir

    Vivienne Westwood

    Vivienne Westwood and Ian Kelly · 2014

    The designer’s life, from punk with Malcolm McLaren to a global fashion house.

    HarperCollins Publishers Limited · 1998

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  22. 22
    Yves Saint Laurent by Alice Rawsthorn
    Designers

    Yves Saint Laurent

    Alice Rawsthorn · 1996

    A biography of the designer and the business built around him.

    Harpercollins Publisher · 1996

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  23. 23
    Photography

    Take Ivy

    Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu, Hajime Hasegawa and Teruyoshi Hayashida · 1965

    Photographs of Ivy League students that came to define preppy style.

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  24. 24
    Criticism

    Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes

    Shahidha Bari · 2019

    A philosopher explores what clothes reveal about who we are.

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  25. 25
    Designers

    Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion

    Lesley Ellis Miller · 2017

    The V&A’s study of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s craftsmanship and influence.

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  26. 26
    History

    Fashion: The Whole Story

    Marnie Fogg (ed.) · 2013

    A visual history of fashion from ancient times to the present.

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  27. 27
    Shocking Life by Elsa Schiaparelli
    Memoir

    Shocking Life

    Elsa Schiaparelli · 1954

    The surrealist couturier’s memoir of her life and work.

    Victoria & Albert Museum · 1954

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  28. 28
    The Englishman’s Suit by Hardy Amies
    Style guide

    The Englishman’s Suit

    Hardy Amies · 1994

    The royal dressmaker’s guide to the history and etiquette of tailoring.

    Quartet · 1994

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  29. 29
    Sex and Suits by Anne Hollander
    Criticism

    Sex and Suits

    Anne Hollander · 1994

    How the tailored suit came to shape modern dress for men and women.

    Bloomsbury Publishing Plc · 1994

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  30. 30
    Memoir

    Fashion Climbing

    Bill Cunningham · 2018

    The street photographer’s memoir of his early life in New York fashion.

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An editorial selection by Culture Atlas. An editorial selection. Years are first publication, in the original language for translated books. Amazon buttons open a search on Amazon UK, where several editions and translations are usually available. Availability varies by country. Favourite counts and comments are visible to other visitors. Sign in to keep your favourites in My Atlas.