I have always wanted to build a fashion book collection, so when I have my own house I can have a nice big book shelve full of books.
I finally have my collection started and I am delighted with what I have so far.
For today's post I decided I would share with you all my fashion books I have collected to date.
1. Chanel An Intimate Life
This book is all about Chanel's history and includes some photography.
I bought it last summer in Waterstones when I was going on holidays, but I only read a few chapters and I haven't read much since. I will definitely finish it soon, now that I am done college.
Price: €14.59
2. It's Vintage, Darling
How to be a clothes connoisseur
My Friend knew I was collecting fashion books and picked this up in a charity shop for me.
This book is best described as a guide to bargain/charity/second hand shopping. It teaches you how to shop on a budget and still have the luxury items that we all desire.
Again I haven't fully read the book but had more of a glace though each chapter.
From what I have seen it is definitely an interesting book, I love charity shopping but I rarely find anything of good value.
Maybe when I do finish this book I will start to find little gems hidden among items in a charity shop.
Price: €9.99
3. Style Clinic
This book is another style guide, exploring the topic of dressing for your shape, style and budget.
I find books like this very handy for people who find themselves lost when shopping for clothes, and to be honest I am one of them.
Although I love fashion, I sometimes find it harder to dress myself than I do other people.
I have a difficult body shape to work with, so a lot of the time my body shape isn't suited to the latest body con dresses or crop tops.
This book helps you to understand that no matter your reason you can still look great.
Price: €24.50
4. How To Look Good Naked
Gok Wan has always been an inspiration to me, I used to watch all of his shows with my mam.
Buying his books was the start of my collection!
This book is based off the TV series 'How to look good naked'. It explores all body types from Juicy Girl to Cleavage Babe and teaches the reader how to dress for that shape.
Each chapter is a different body shape, and it goes through all items of clothing from tops right through to accessories, showing the reader the right style for their shape.
At the end of each chapter there are key words and sentences to remember when dressing for that shape.
The only downside I found in this book is, it is aimed mostly at a more mature audience. I still find the book very helpful, and I use the guides when I am picking clothes our for myself.
I still wear clothes I like even if they are not right for my body shape. For example skinny jeans, but lets get real, they are the most available style of jean.
Young or old I still think this book is good for anyone who wants to learn how to dress for their shape.
Price: €15.75
5. Work Your Wardrobe
This book is another favourite of mine, it teaches the reader how to build a wardrobe that won't go out of fashion.
Each chapter in the book is a different item of clothing, from the classic white shirt to Jewellery and bags.
Lets take the first chapter for an example, The White Shirt. In this chapter there are 3 main styles of white shirts, the classic, the pussy bow and the wrap.
Under these subheadings there are tips and styling suggestions for each, this layout is the same for each chapter.
I love this book and Ive read it several times, I even highlighted important pieces that I can find when I need them. I would definitely recommend it.
Price: €21.90
6. City Fashion Paris
This book was a little bargain find, I found it in a Dealz shop.
This book looks at the fashion scene in Paris. It has brief information on different fashion designers and accessory designers, who have made an impact on Parisian fashion.
In this book you can also find small entries on different places in Paris from museums, clubs and stores.
I have to say I love this book, I ended up finding designers I had never heard of and now I know their work, who and where they are from. One of the designers I found very interesting was Harry Halim, mainly because his designs remind me of mine, we both love dark fashion.
This book would definitely be a perfect coffee table book, just to flick through and see all the amazing work.
Price €1.49
7. City Fashion Berlin
This was another Dealz purchase, and it is exactly the same as the Paris book.
It features information and images of the work of designers based in Berlin.
To be honest I didn't find this one as interesting as the Paris edition, it is still a good book, full with information on the Berlin fashion scene.
Price €1.49
8. Enjoying Style & Fashion
This book is by an Irish fashion stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick.
In this book Lisa explored many subjects from dressing for your shape, beauty and body and her own style guide.
In this book you can see a lot of familiar faces from Twiggy to Eva Longoria, showing images of how they wore certain clothing items such as the trench coat. I love books like this that help you to find your style and what best suits your shape.
What I loved more about this book in comparison to similar books, is the fact Lisa has put in images of different celebrities wearing the clothing being talked about.
Another thing I loved about this book was the interviews Lisa done, from designers to photographers and models.
This book covers all areas of fashion including, maternity style and even weddings. This book has something for everyone and is a very interesting read! Highly recommended.
Price: €13.64
9. Alexander McQueen
Blood Beneath The Skin
My sister actually bought me this book for Christmas because she knew I was dying to read it, but I didn't have the time to read it unfortunately, but it is on my summer reading list!
Alexander Mc Queen has been a major inspiration for me as a design student and I've loved his work for as long as I can remember.
I knew all his work but I didn't know a huge amount about his life, so when I came across this book I was very interested in reading it.
I have seen many books about his life, but this one I felt most interested in reading for the simple fact it was written with the support of his family.
The book explores Mcqueen's rise to fame, from his early life to his untimely death in 2010.
I am definitely looking forward to reading this as soon as I am finished the book I am currently reading.
Price: €32.50
10. How To Set Up & Run A Fashion Label
I bought this book while I was in college, so I could learn a little more about setting up a fashion label.
This book explores all areas of setting up and running a fashion label from logos to Finance.
I will be honest it is an intense book full of information, but some of it can be boring, for example the different forms of partnerships, but all this information is important when considering setting up your own business.
Ive been on and off reading it, but it is an amazing book. I honestly have learnt a lot of things I didn't know and I still haven't fully finished the book.
It is broken into sections and is very clear about the subjects being discussed.
In the early chapters of the book it talks about the different areas in fashion, Haute Couture to Eco Fashion, and explains what is expected from brands who want to fall under one of these market segments.
One thing that I liked most about the book was the case studies, the studies were on different subjects using brands and designers.
One study I found interesting was on a young designer Yasmin Kianfar, it talked about how she used her final year of college to start up her fashion brand.
For anyone who is interested in setting up their on fashion label, this book would definitely be an investment, simply because it explores everything you would need to do in order to set up your company.
Price: €25.99
11. Fashion
The Ultimate Book Of Costume And Style
This book is a time line for fashion, starting from pre history to 1980's and onwards.
It is pretty much Wikipedia for fashion, each chapter is a different time in history right up to modern day.
I used this book when I was researching the Salem Witch Trials of the 17th century for my degree collection, although it didn't have a huge amount of information it had images and key points on the fashion worn by the men, women and children of that time.
It shows key details in the clothing of the different periods, for example the collars worn by women in 1625.
It is another perfect book for having on a coffee table for guests to flick through.
It would also be an investment for someone who studies fashion or anyone who likes fashion in general. It is handy to have when you want to look back and find out when different styles came about, like the corset.
It is packed full of cool sketches, painting and photography.
The layout of the book is very well done, the beginning of the book is the early years of fashion and the end of the book is modern day fashion.
One key area in this book I LOVE is right at the end. The Reference section, it has so many fashion terms, with all the meanings under the words, some even have pictures. It is like having a fashion dictionary.
It is an expensive book, but if you know you are going to use it and have a great interest in the subject it would definitely be a good purchase.
Price: €39.99
12. How To Dress
Although this book has similar elements to the other books, this book focuses mainly of dressing for certain occasions.
The occasions focused on in the book are work wear, weddings, holidays, going out and more.
Each chapter focuses on one subject, for example going out. In this chapter Gok has styled models in different outfit ideas as suggestions for the reader. He gives tips and tricks to help you create the perfect look.
Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much, I felt it was a bit dated. It is an old book so that is why, but I just didn't find it as interesting as his other books.
I would recommend his more latest books before I would this.
Price: €14.50
That is all for my fashion book collection. I will do updates when I have more books to add to the collection.
I hope you enjoyed the post, leave me a comment if you have read any of the books or if you are interested in any of them, I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading.
Love,
Tanya
xxx
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