Can you recommend any great books on fashion and style?

May 18, 2005 8:41 PM

Can you recommend any great books on fashion and style?

I have a tiny collection of books on women's fashion and style that I'd like to add to. So far I have (and have all but memorized): Simple Isn't Easy, by Olivia Goldsmith and Amy Fine Collins; A Guide to Elegance, by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux; and Vogue's More Dash Than Cash. I'm not looking for books that tell you to buy ten specific things, nor that contain advice that will be out of date by next week. Rather, I'm looking for books that give timeless advice and discuss style in an intelligent and insightful way. An ideal book for my collection will age gracefully and still be of general use 20 years from now (and indeed, the newest of the three I've named is from 1994).

posted by orange swan to clothing, beauty, & fashion (7 answers total)

Oh, I should probably mention I have several great books on the history of fashion - I'm specifically interested in recommendations for the stellar "how to" books here.
posted by orange swan at 8:46 PM on May 18, 2005

OK - this isn't what you asked for, but Fashion Victim by Michelle Lee (former Glamour and Mademoiselle editor) is an intelligent and must-have behind-the-scenes look at fashion.
posted by forallmankind at 9:25 PM on May 18, 2005

I really like the Lucky Shopping Guide and the third British What Not to Wear book.
posted by abbyladybug at 9:42 PM on May 18, 2005

My girlfriend swears by this book.
posted by josh at 10:07 PM on May 18, 2005

I like the Chic Simple series.
posted by SashaPT at 3:18 AM on May 19, 2005

Read Subculture: The Meaning of Style by Dick Hebdige and The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen if you're looking for a sociological analysis of style and fashion.
posted by Human Flesh at 3:29 AM on May 19, 2005

As far as makeup style goes (which is pretty important, IMHO), you can't go wrong with Kevyn Aucoin's Making Faces.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:40 AM on May 19, 2005