Fashion Books
Reading Inspiration for the Fashion obsessed
Here are some of my favorite fashion tomes - for giving, and getting…
Selling Sexy : Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon
How Victoria’s Secret skyrocketed from a tiny chain of boutiques to an intimates monolith with annual sales in excess of $6 billion—to how the brand's grip on the industry slipped.
“Let me tell you, as someone who walked the first Victoria’s Secret show - and many more - This is a juicy read. As much glitz and glam as hard-nosed reporting on the scandals that went on right underneath our powdered and pampered noses.”
Chanel: The Complete Collections (Catwalk)
Every Chanel Show - as essential as a bottle of No.5
“Bring on the holidays with style and inspiration to spare! Feast your eyes and deck the halls with one of the best coffee table book presents of them all!”
Peter Lindbergh & Azzedine Alaïa
Collection of stories and photography presenting the partnership between Peter Lindbergh and Azzedine Alaïa. Contributions by Fabrice Hergott, Paolo Roversi, and Olivier Saillard.
“Lucky me - I had the immense good fortune to have my career launched by these visionary talents. Listen to their best friends tell how these two giants collaborated to create enduring images that defined fashion in their era, and arguably
for all time.”
Heart on my Sleeve
Jeanne Beker
Jeanne Beker is Fashion TV Royalty, she famously hosted Fashion TV from the 80s until the show finished in 2012, moving from presenter to producer, covering the collections like a war veteran would the trenches.
“This memoir is crafted through a wardrobe of memories, and lets the clothes, jewellery, pieces in her wardrobe trigger these moments. As the blurb says, ‘Jeanne proves that a life lived with style and substance is always in fashion,’ essential fashion reading.”
Truman Capote Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Illustrated by Karen Klassen
Introduced by Jay McInerney
Capote’s enchanting New York novella, introduced by Jay McInerney. With illustrations by Karen Klassen.
“Acid wit. Forked tongue. Fashion. Manhattan. Need I say more about one of the greatest New York stories ever written by Truman Capote? Like so many dreamers, I count myself among them, and of course, the forward by ‘90’s wunderkind author of ‘Bright Lights Big City’ Jay McInereny attests to the sophisticated glamor of Truman’s prose that never fades.”
The Secret Lives of Color
Kassia St Clair
Color in culture through art, history, fashion and fiction from Yves Klein blue to the scarlet woman. A fascinating cultural history.
“When you love a color double down, find a color that makes you feel amazing, sparks memories, happiness, good energy.. And this book will help you build and inspire a color vocabulary that is special to you.”
Anna
Amy Oddell
Unofficial biography of Anna Wintour
Biography of the Vogue editor is both intimate character study of a pioneering fashionista and an enthralling account of the cut-throat corporate world of the fashion industry.
“Odell’s account of the rise and rise of the legendary Vogue editor both informs and entertains. In the 40 years I’ve been in fashion - there’s only been one Anna - who it seems will never be equaled or dethroned. Her uncanny ability to keep going no matter the bloodbath in the fashion editor’s Game of Thrones, or in the ashes of legacy media vs new media, Anna somehow never loses.”
This is just a quick note to let you know that if you see something you like here and decide to buy it, Haute Mess receives a commission from the companies whose products I’ve independently reviewed and recommended.