While Vogue still leads the pack when it comes to fashion magazines, style books are a much more diverse field. Whether you’re a beginner or a serious fashionista, discover the must have fashion books that can improve your style with timeless tips.
From style books that are great guides to elegance to coffee table books filled with pictures of street style essentials, check out a few volumes that are definitely a good investment in your fashion sense.
The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Fashion
Compiled by Phyllis G. Tortora and Sandra J. Keiser, the 4th edition of the Dictionary of Fashion is a must have for anyone looking to expand their vocabulary in the field of fashion.
An extremely helpful tool for everyone from students and merchandisers to fashionistas, the dictionary includes over 15,000 entries in 50 categories, that help you better understand the terminology of fashion and its history.
Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible: The Fascinating History of Everything in Your Closet
Co-host of the Emmy-nominated reality show “Project Runway”, Tim Gunn has decades of experience in the field and delivered one of the truly must have fashion books. Combining fashion history with style tips, the volume written by Tim Gunn and Ada Calhoun (New York Times, Time Magazine) really expands your knowledge of fashion in truly useful ways.
The Anatomy of Fashion: Why We Dress the Way We Do
Written by Colin McDowell, one of the world’s leading fashion scholars, The Anatomy of Fashion combines over 500 photographs and illustrations with precious information about the symbolism behind fashion choices. If you’re looking for the real meaning behind fashion, it’s a must read!
The Little Black Book of Style
Fashion director at Marie Claire magazine, Nina Garcia is also known for the ruthless fashion advice she shares with designers on “Project Runway”. Her New York Times bestseller The Little Black Book of Style is one of the must have fashion books. It’s a complete guide to elegance, featuring tips on everything from color matching to developing your own unique signature look.
High Heels: Fashion, Femininity & Seduction
Writter by Valerie Steele, Tim Blanks, Philip Delamore and James Crump, the book is an intriguing exploration of the timeless appeal of high heels in both fashion and art. If you love shoes, don’t miss out on this unique book that includes pictures from major fashion photographers and interviews with shoe legends like Manolo Blahnik.
Harper’s Bazaar Great Style: Best Ways to Update Your Look
Even though it was published in 2020, this excellent guide on contemporary fashion written by the magazine’s former senior fashion news editor, Jenny Levine, is also filled with timeless tips that help you create the perfect wardrobe. It’s one of the must have fashion books since it doesn’t focus on fads, but on tried and true fashion rules.
Fashion for Jewels: 100 Years of Styles and Icons
Carol Woolton, jewelry editor of British Vogue, explores the connection between fashion and jewelry, that been growing ever stronger in the past century. A true must read for any woman who’s always on the look for the right piece of jewelry, the book combines beautiful photography with fascinating facts.
The Sartorialist: Closer
Street Style pioneer Scott Schuman already created one of the must have fashion books with the original The Sartorialist, but Closer goes in for closer shots to really show off inspiring looks. From Paris to New York and from London to Tokyo, this coffee table book delivers a global view of street style.
Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion
A great look at the most influential stylists, the book allows the editors of Style.com to explore the relationship between taste makers and fashion photographers, while delivering true insight in the form of interviews with some of the biggest stylists around.
Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Revolution
Written by Safia Minney (People Tree), Naked Fashion is definitely one of the must have fashion books for anyone interested in ethical style and fair trade fashion. It includes essential way in which designers, including Vivienne Westwood, try to promote sustainable fashion.
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