In the spirit of LG Fashion Week and the impending release of Carine Roitfeld’s highly-anticipated memoir, it’s only valid that we provide you with the beginner’s guide to fashion books; a list of fashion must-reads that will open your eyes and yes, even your hearts to the aspects of the industry (or the makings of it) that you’ve yet to familiarize yourself with. (That, and they’re my personal favourites.)
Title: Street View: The New Nylon Book of Global Style
Why: Right, so you won’t learn anything new about the industry per say, but after the original book came out in 2006, small town girls relished in the wonder of international street style (and so what if I’m talking about myself?) and the possibilities that stretched beyond the options provided by the likes of North American chain stores. Consider it fashion 101: in which you look at photographs of young, well-dressed people around the world and think, I knew you could wear a scarf with that.
Title: The Stephen Sprouse Book
By: Roger Padhila, Mauricio Padhilla
Why: If punk rock was a fashion designer, its name would be Stephen Sprouse. An iconic artist and designer of the 1980s, Sprouse inspired countless of today’s fashion godfathers with his mix of graffiti art and punk rock aesthetics, and with beautiful photographs, a detailed history and further proof of the fashion/music overlap (they’re sisters, I tell you), this book isn’t just a history lesson, it’s a piece of art.
Title: The Satorialist
By: Scott Schuman
Why: You visit the blog, you applaud the blog, and you scrutinize the blog. But like the movie based on the novel, you’ve got to go back, learn where it all began and appreciate the story’s evolution. In 2009, Scott Schuman’s belief that life doesn’t necessarily imitate art (or the runway) became the bible for street style aficionados, and while his site has since become The Beatles equivalent of street style blogs, his book can easily be considered the equivalent of Please Please Me. (Plus the photographs are beautiful.)
Title: Influence
By: Mary Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen
Why: Blame it on my appreciation for the Olsen Twins or their limitless fashion relevance, but while many had written Mary Kate and Ashley off after their child enterprise shifted gears, Mary published a book that looked haters in the eye and challenged, See? Photographs, write-ups, major Hollywood credibility “ no, it’s not Chanel or the illustrated history of Vogue, but it’s a keen reminder that the underestimated can quickly dominate the world. Or at least the fashion industry.
