Was 2012 the year of the fashion book? Tons of great ones came out, from an editor-focused
Vogue
photography book to a juicy Diana Vreeland biography. And then
countless iconic fashion figures, from Kate Moss to Alber Elbaz have
been remembered and immortalized in tomes.
Meaning: Trying to figure out what to get your fashion-loving loved one just got a lot easier. As a follow up to
last year’s fashion book gift guide,
we rounded up the best fashion books from 2012, jotted down a little
description and pointed you in the right direction of where to buy.
You’re welcome! And happy holidays.
Published to coincide with the most recent exhibit at the FIT
Museum (which runs through January 5), this image-heavy coffee table
book traces the evolution of the “Ivy League look” from menswear in the
early 20th century through today. It’s not the first book to cover Ivy
League style, but it may be the most in-depth.
This book is filled with beautiful, iconic photographs of every
celebrity and society figure you can think of–actually not everyone,
mostly just the ones you actually like–going back 40 years at
W.
Memorable quotes from old stories and essays by Lynn Hirschberg and
Marian McEvoy make this a very enjoyable book. Plus, the cover is
gorgeous.
This substantial coffee table book, which coincides with an
HBO documentary, showcases the work of eight of
Vogue‘s
most legendary fashion editors, pairing beautiful photographs (by the
world’s most renowned fashion photogs) with illuminating interviews with
each editor.
This book profiles over 80 fashion “role models,” as they call them, aka
girls whose style we all want to emulate, ranging from Brigitte Bardot
to Chloe Sevigny. A book like this only works if it’s done well and we
think this one is.
This new in-depth biography traces not only Vreeland’s career as an
influential fashion editor, but also her early life as an unhappy child,
but ultimately imaginative, fearless and hard-working young lady. For
someone looking for a good, interesting and inspiring read rather than
just a pretty photography book.
We know,
we can’t stop talking
about this autobiography about our favorite editor–maybe person–ever.
From her modeling career to her interactions with Anna Wintour to her
cats, this is filled with lovely and revealing anecdotes.
What’s great about this book is it’s not just traditional, boring rich
people weddings. There are shoeless models and drunk celebs who get
people like Cecil Beaton and Mario Testino to shoot their weddings. It’s
a truly enjoyable read and a must-have for anyone with weddings on the
brain.
Antonio Lopez was one of the most iconic and influential fashion
illustrators of all time. This monograph, filled with both his most
memorable and never-before-seen illustrations, will instantly transport
you to the seemingly more colorful times of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Every time you see a celebrity in some fabulous vintage gown, Decades
boutique owner and vintage fashion expert Cameron Silver probably had
something to do with it. This hefty and gorgeous coffee table book has
Silver’s flashy personality all over it and contains inspiring
photographs of iconic women of decades past, interviews with celebrities
and Silver’s own words of sartorial wisdom. Want to become an expert on
vintage fashion? Read this.
A charming and delightful anthology of personal recollections about this
New York institution, this book will make you fall in love with
Bergdorf’s if you haven’t already.
There is much to be said about the life and the work of legendary
designer Alexander McQueen. In this book, author Judith Watt breaks down
his collections, from his graduate collection at Central Saint Martins
to his final Plato’s Atlantis, and reveals the often-personal
inspiration behind his work.
Is there anyone more deserving of a photography book than Kate Moss? We
aren’t exaggerating when we say we could spend hours, maybe days,
looking at pictures of her. Our only concerns about this book are having
to decide which cover to get and not getting anything else done due to
spending all our time looking at it.
Lauren Conrad has become a style icon for thousands of young
women following her stints on reality TV, and not without reason: the
girl does her research! Thankfully, she’s sharing her findings with us
in Lauren Conrad Beauty.
With photographs by Karl Lagerfeld and styling by Carine Roitfeld, it’s
pretty much impossible to go wrong. Add a Chanel tweed jacket, and it’s a
home run. See the little black jacket styled inventively on the biggest
stars of fashion, music, and film.
Ari Seth Cohen chronicles the over-60 fashion set regularly on his blog
Advanced Style, helping to bring this often-ignored group of fashion forward folk into the limelight–a place they obviously deserve to be!
Advanced Style goes beyond the blog to give interviews, stories, and advice from some of his subjects.
The accompaniment to the Met exhibit of the same name,
Schiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations
brings together the iconic works of these two designers. Texts and
photos attempt to parallel the creations of the designers whose works
are separated by several decades.
Opening Ceremony is also celebrating their 10th anniversary, and what
better way to commemorate than a book? Full of original photography,
‘zines, and artwork by some of OC’s coolest friends, this is the perfect
ode to one of fashion’s favorite stores.
For 17 years,
Vice‘s editors have been
churning out hilariously captioned photographs of real people-stylish
and non, deeming each one a “do” or a “don’t.” You will definitely
laugh at loud at this book, which is filled with a very different (and
arguably more interesting) brand of street style that came before the
Scott Schumans and Tommy Tons of today.
Didn’t make it to this year’s “Louis Vuitton/Marc Jacobs” exhibition in
Paris? No worries, just add this tome to your wishlist. Tracing the
history of Louis Vuitton from the early trunk making days to the high
fashion collaborations between Marc Jacobs and artists like Stephen
Sprouse, this book is a must for any fan of the brand.
We’ve already given you a
sneak peek of this menswear devoted book and attempted to catch you up with the
jargon. Now give the gift of steez to the men in your life. It’s an instacop, brah.
While
In Your Face, the Mario Testino exhibition at the MFA in Boston,
will be open through February 3, you can bring all the images home with
this book. It’s full of stunning photographs that span Testino’s
impressive career.
You might not be familiar with Bob Recine, but you’ve definitely seen
his hair creations on his high profile clients like Lady Gaga.
Bob Recine: Alchemy of Beauty assembles sketches, paintings, and collages by the artist and combines them with previously-unseen editorials of his work.
Makeup queen Bobbi Brown has been teaching women how to look their best for years. With
Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful, she makes over dozens of women based on what beauty means to them. It’s the perfect gift for any beauty guru in your life.
This is Scott Schuman’s second book of photos from his wildly popular
blog The Sartorialist. It contains nearly 40 exclusive images and comes
in this special limited hardback edition with a slipcover.
Definitely one of the pricier tomes on the list,
Alber Elbaz Lanvin
fetes Elbaz’s 10th anniversary with the historic French brand. It
documents one collection from start to finish in a way that has never
been seen before.
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