Lee McQueen once said: “Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.”
The most escapist act of all? Opening up a brand-new fashion book and uncovering page-upon-page of sartorial splendour.
Fashion books offer valuable insights into the lives of pioneering fashion figures and collections that have gone before. From the romping, shipwrecked runways of Vivienne Westwood to China’s Neolithic sites where silk production has been discovered, the world of fashion boundlessly stretches across both the globe and time. There’s a lot to catch up on.
Fashion affects us all. We express our identity, individuality and personality through our garments. Every single morning that we get dressed, we make a choice - what drives this decision? The issue of style confronts us on a daily basis, even more so with the ongoing environmental crisis from the highly polluting clothing industry.
But how exactly does the fashion industry contribute to environmental damage? Who is Karl Lagerfeld and why did he always wear sunglasses? What makes a trend?
Fashion books hold all the answers to these very valid questions. There are inordinate amounts of fashion books to discover both online and in-store, leaving many novices swirling in confusion as to where to start.
As with all forms of literature, fashion books range in expertise and function. Many exist to aesthetically adorn a coffee table, ready for the occasional leisurely flick-through. Thames & Hudson candy-coloured runway collections spring to mind. The encyclopedic editions detail every haute couture collection of each brand, along with ready-to-wear lines and hundreds of runway images from across the decades.
Forensic fashion academia sits at the other end of the scale, headed up by contemporary writers such as Robin Givhan, Dana Thomas and Cally Blackman who unpick fashion history, critique industry actions and scrutinise fashion’s sociological role. However, many of these works are still widely accessible to all, it’s just a case of knowing where to begin.
Essentially, selecting a book to devour depends on what you want to learn about the wonderful and marvellously muddied world of fashion. Uncover the controversial careers of designers such as Christian Dior, John Galliano and Coco Chanel. Delve into trends stemming from outside of the Western sphere. Learn about the relationship between fashion and status via the study of sumptuary laws, couture production and trickle-down theories. The fashion world is truly your oyster.
To extend a helping hand, we’ve rounded up the best fashion books for beginners. Browse the edit below and enhance your style vocabulary one page at a time.
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Why Fashion Matters by Frances Corner
Why does fashion matter? It’s just clothes, right? Frances Corner says otherwise. The author of this gem of a book (who just so happens to be the Head of the London College of Fashion) offers 101 intriguing entries about the intricacies and contradictions of the fashion system for beginners to chew on.
Spanning topics from tech to fast fashion, Corner unpicks an array of relevant issues that the fashion industry constantly faces. Entries such as ‘Karl Lagerfeld and High-Tech Fur’ and ‘The White Shirt’ to ‘The One Trillion Dollar Business’ scrutinise the ins and outs of the fashion world using hard-hitting facts and theories.
Buy now £9.95, Waterstones
Fashion That Changed the World by Jennifer Croll
Deemed a ‘primer for the history of fashion’ by The New York Times, Fashion That Changed the World by Jennifer Croll is a must-have for budding fashionistas. Croll answers a range of questions regarding fashion’s place in general culture. When did celebrities enter the fashion sphere? Is fashion an art? What was Lady Gaga’s meat dress all about?
Handily, the book is arranged by topics, making it easily digestible for inquisitive readers. Themes include fashion in film, war and sports plus queer fashion - to name a few of Croll’s eclectic subject matters that offer historical snapshots of why we wear the clothes we do.
Buy now £1.02, Amazon
The Lives of 50 Fashion Legends by Fashionary
Who was Tom Ford? Are Gianni and Donatella Versace related? Why is John Galliano back in the news? Fashionary’s visual book offers the reader a step-by-step guide to fashion’s most celebrated designers. Discover how they forged their glittering careers, how they championed trends and the adversities they may have faced (trust us - there are many).
Playful graphics accompany the easy read, depicting fifty of the most famous fashion designers to grace the runway.
Buy now £13.99, Amazon
Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano by Dana Thomas
Dana Thomas’ page-turner Gods and Kings details the rollercoaster lives of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano parallel to one another. The book is ideal for those wanting to learn more about the Central Saint Martins students who went on to represent the very best of innovative British Fashion.
Thomas unpicks the complexities of the characters more so than their actual collections, yet does so using riveting accounts of the designers and their dramatic streaks. Follow the pair from London's Eighties club scene to the old-world glamour of Parisian couture and let Thomas guide you through their colourful careers.
Buy now £11.64, Amazon
Vivienne Westwood Catwalk: The Complete Collections by Alexander Fury
No fashion follower’s abode is complete without at least one of Thames & Hudson's fashion anthologies. Fashion journalist Alexander Fury details the epic career of Vivienne Westwood in this tartan-clad edition, the sixth of eight, from her prestigious place in punk to her radical left-wing politics.
The heavyweight number celebrates forty years of Westwood’s catwalk collections, from her first runway rodeo in 1981 to her collaborative design efforts with her husband Andreas Kronthaler. Their main message? To destroy conformity.
After Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Prada, this book is the sixth new volume in the best-selling Catwalk series.
Buy now £39.90, Amazon
Vogue on: Alexander McQueen (Vogue on Designers) by Chloe Fox
The Vogue on Designers series offers a range of collectables to proudly display around the house. The series of fashion books curated and produced by British Vogue tell the stories of iconic designers alongside famous imagery and illustrations from the Vogue archive to marvel at.
Each edition focuses on a certain designer and features formerly published Vogue features about the figure. As Vogue owns the rights to the stunning imagery included, with shots taken by the likes of Cecil Beaton and Mario Testino, readers are in for a visual treat. This McQueen edition compiles all the necessary information about the London native, from his iconoclastic career to his personal life and untimely death.
Buy now £10.15, Amazon
Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes by Dana Thomas
Bestselling author and veteran journalist Dana Thomas leads us through the overwhelming jungle of misinformation and lies with a sharpened machete in a scathing, compelling and meticulously researched series of revelations about the nature of the garment industry and its exploitation of both human beings and the planet.
Divided into three parts, Thomas begins with the price of ‘furious fashion’ before moving on to what exactly led us to this point. Part three offers a sense of hope, focusing on trailblazing designers, activists, tech entrepreneurs, visionaries and manufacturers seeking to turn the fashion industry on its head.
Buy now £9.99, Waterstones
Style and Substance: Why What We Wear Matters by Bay Garnett
Fashion journalist and thrift pioneer Bay Garnett draws upon her expansive network of stars and fashion's crème de la crème in her book Style and Substance: Why What We Wear Matters. Rachel Weisz, Jarvis Cocker, Mary Angelou, Sienna Miller and many more offer up their fashion expertise in the effortless read, which emphasizes the idea of fashion as self-expression.
Featuring over sixty pieces on subjects from thrifting to modest dressing, this eclectic written gem positions fashion as a looking glass into our unique personalities.
Buy now £14.98, John Murray
Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act by Orsola De Castro
Fashion’s impact on the environment is devastating, there’s absolutely no sugarcoating it. But what can be done to negate the damage? Orsola De Castro offers up her incredible pearls of wisdom in her book Loved Clothes Last, demonstrating how to cherish and preserve our clothing to minimise waste. De Castro stresses the importance of repair, calling it a revolutionary act of craftsmanship in today’s age of fashion fashion and throwaway culture.
Learn how to spot-clean certain fabrics, upcycle, embroidery, mend and more with the author's illustrative guide to keep handy at all times.
Buy now £10.99, Waterstones
Fashion: The Definitive Visual History (DK Definitive Cultural Histories) by Caryn Franklin
If fashion history tickles your fancy, look no further. This generous piece of writing by Caryn Franklin will quench your thirst for knowledge. The definitive visual guide carries the reader through time, spanning six chapters starting with ‘Medieval Romance’ and ‘Trade 600-1449’, up until 1890 and onwards with ‘The Designer Decades’.
Not only does the stylish book catch attention on the coffee table, but it includes a glossary of technical terms and an index, making it an indispensable work for all.
Buy now £25.71, Amazon
Little Book of Prada
Coffee table books are universally appreciated but not the kind of thing that people usually buy for themselves - so they make excellent gifts. Up your style game and test their sartorial knowledge with the Little Book of Prada - perfect for style savants.
Buy now £11.05, Amazon
