With the new season comes a series of fresh-off-the-presses fashion books. With their gleaming photographs and insightful essays and anecdotes, these publications are as eye-catching as they are inspirational. From a vibrant celebration of Carolina Herrera to a deep dive into the creative journey of Diane Von Furstenberg and a striking volume from Carine Roitfeld, these fashion books are a coffee table must-have.
new fashion books
Yves Saint Laurent: Form and Fashion
Yves Saint Laurent is undoubtedly one of the 20th century’s most influential couturiers and this new fashion book is a must-read. Often cited as a fashion revolutionary and the founding figure of modernity in fashion, it was Saint Laurent who worked with and developed a multitude of silhouettes from minimalist to exuberant, free-flowing to ultra-structured.
From juxtaposing black and white to suggest movement in a garment through optical illusion to using vibrant hues to create exuberant abstract designs, he liked to turn the traditional on its head. Yves Saint Laurent: Form and Fashion celebrates both this exploration of shape and form but also his mastery in colour. Written by Serena Bucalo-Mussely, the publication is a beautiful homage to the man who changed the face of fashion forever.
Published by Flammarion, £35
Givenchy Catwalk: The Complete Collections
This is the ninth in a series of clothbound coffee table books that offer a comprehensive overview of the world’s top fashion houses and their collections. Here, Givenchy is in the spotlight, with pages and pages devoted to the maison founded by the dashing Hubert de Givenchy in 1952 when he was just 24 years. It charts the early years, when the house was synonymous with effortless elegance, as personified by Givenchy’s muse and great friend Audrey Hepburn (he designed the key costumes for Breakfast at Tiffany’s).
The book also documents the tenures of John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, followed by Julien Macdonald, Riccardo Tisci, Clare Waight Keller and Matthew M. Williams. Expect history, archive photos and catwalk images in abundance, in what is the only monograph in print to celebrate the house of Givenchy across its seven decades.
Published by Thames & Hudson, £60
India In Fashion
Hamish Bowles looks at the impact of Indian dress, textiles and embroidery on Western designs. The author and global editor-at-large of American Vogue shows how techniques, motifs and silhouettes – from turbans to saris and jodhpurs – have been reimagined by designers over the years including Pierre Balmain, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta, Gianni Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen, as well as a host of contemporary Indian designers.
The pages sing with colour, print and pattern from the traditional hues of royal blue, marigold and fuschia to sumptuous fabrics and intricate chikan embroideries. With photography by the likes of Arthur Elgort and Mikael Jansson, and texts by experts from India, Europe and North America, this is a fascinating deep dive into Indian fashion.
Published by Rizzoli, £50
Forever Valentino
This striking publication takes the reader on a visually rich journey through the 60-year history of Maison Valentino, featuring over 150 looks from the first collection by Valentino Garavani in 1962 to Pierpaolo Piccioli’s unforgettable AW22 Haute Couture show, which took place on the Spanish Steps in Rome.
The book has been published to accompany the landmark exhibition of the same name in Doha and features many highlights from the show interspersed by sketches, catwalk shots and images of celebrities including Zendaya, Lady Gaga and Anne Hathaway wearing Valentino designs. Text by curators Alexander Fury and Massimiliano Gioni completes this history of the Italian luxury fashion house.
Published by Silvana Editoriale, £65
Ezra Petronio: Visual Thinking & Image Making
The New York-born, Paris-based art director, creative director of Self Service magazine and photographer Ezra Petronio, who was mentored by Miuccia Prada, has worked with every big-name brand you can think of, from Glossier to Gucci, Chloé to Chanel. This, the first retrospective publication on his 25-year career, is a colourful feast of ad campaigns, branding, magazine spreads, graphics and polaroids.
You’ll spy Louise Bourgeois, Edward Enninful, Kim Kardashian, Kylian Mbappé, Kylie Minogue, Rick Owens, and Juergen Teller amongst the pages, to name a few. Interspersed amongst the glorious images, essays, anecdotes and quotes from the likes of Marc Jacobs and Chloe Sevigny further serve to underline the depth and breadth of Petronio’s creativity across three decades in the industry and his undeniable talent at making a brand really stand out.
Phaidon, £150
FLUID: A Fashion Revolution by Harris Reed
This is the first monograph on the trailblazing Harris Reed – and it’s an absolute fashion book must-have. Known for his love of theatrical silhouettes, striking colour palettes and hats the size of satellite dishes, Reed is one of today’s most in-demand designers, his pieces worn by the likes of Beyonce, Harry Styles, Adele, Iman and Sam Smith. As well as garnering a loyal fanbase, with each and every garment Reed has also succeeded in pushing the conversations about gender expression ever further into the mainstream.
Penned by both Reed and Josh Young, FLUID introduces the world to this new era in fashion, one where people can express their true identities through clothing. Illustrations showcasing Reed’s design process, behind-the-scenes photography, as well as insight into the designer’s own personal gender and fashion journey, take us beyond the clothes, inviting the reader to question the stereotypes of yesteryear and affirming that fluidity is indeed the future of fashion.
Published by Quadrille on 18 January, £35
Fantasies: Carine Roitfeld Fashion Book
Since her decade-long tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld has been busy. Long celebrated as one of the most influential figures in fashion, in addition to returning to freelance styling, she’s set up a successful fragrance line and launched her own media group with a biannual magazine CR Fashion Book. The publication celebrates the intersection of style, culture and creativity, priding itself on propelling fashion into new, unexpected, often daring, directions.
This striking hardcover volume is pure Roitfeld, reflecting her idiosyncratic vision and fearless approach across celebrity, religion, cinema, sex, music and inclusivity. Risqué imagery of icons from Lily-Rose Depp and Zendaya to Megan Thee Stallion and Lady Gaga, photographed by the greats including Mario Sorrenti and Mert and Marcus fills the pages, with exclusive content featuring Roitfeld, Riccardo Tisci and Gigi Hadid.
Published by Rizzoli, $150
Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion
In January 1970, designer Diane Von Furstenberg showed her prototype of a flattering, ready-to-wear jersey wrap dress to the legendary director of American Vogue Diana Vreeland. Vreeland, sensing it was destined to be a huge success story, encouraged the Belgian designer to launch it onto the world. The rest is history. It became an instant phenomenon and, to date, a remarkable five million DVF wrap dresses have been sold.
This visually arresting fashion book celebrates the journey of both Von Furstenberg and the brand and how – over the past five decades – they’ve become adroit at creating designs that empower women, weaving feminism and activism into the label’s DNA. Archive and contemporary images litter the pages (presented in three different paper stocks), including photos of the wrap dress worn by everyone from Jerry Hall to Naomi Campbell.
Original essays and personal anecdotes from the likes of Cindy Crawford complete a fascinating tale of the inimitable designer and how a single dress inspired and continues to inspire generations of women.
Published 26 September by Rizzoli, £55
Carolina Herrera: Color Mania
Over the past four decades the house of Carolina Herrera – under the helm of Creative Director Wes Gordon since 2018 – has been synonymous with strong silhouettes and a bold use of colour, designed to encapsulate the confidence and exuberance of the Herrera woman.
This vibrant legacy has been captured by the artist and photographer Elizaveta Porodina in a collaborative series of images, first taken in 2020 (all over Zoom) to capture the brand’s Resort and Spring 2022 collections.
These ethereal, fantastical, painting-like images now fill the pages of Color Mania, which see both models and dancers wear key pieces from the collections, their bold floral prints, bold hues and voluminous silhouettes depicted in a dreamy, otherworldly light. With an introduction by Vogue’s Edward Enninful, this kaleidoscopic, optimistic fashion book is a must-have.
Published by Rizzoli, £80
Burberry
Alexander Fury is no stranger to penning tomes on fashion, having written many times about the likes of Dior and Chanel. This time the eminent journalist, author and critic turns his attention to a quintessentially British label with his book Burberry.
The richly illustrated volume celebrates the house’s 165 years, starting when the family-run company was founded in 1856 by a 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, to the global luxury behemoth it is today.
Each of the five chapters looks at the notable events and emblems for which Burberry is so widely recognised, notably the signature trench coat and that distinct Check and how, over the years, they’ve evolved in every collection. With over 200 illustrations, this is a must-have for anyone interested in the house’s history and craftsmanship.
Published by Assouline, £150
Dior by Raf Simons
Belgian designer Raf Simons may only have been Creative Director at Christian Dior for three-and-a-half years – between 2012 and 2015 – but the impact he had on the Parisian couture house was significant.
From his debut to his departure, his collections were critically acclaimed for bringing a contemporary edge, representing Simons’s strong belief that fashion – even couture – should be wearable. They were also hugely profitable with the maison enjoying a substantial rise in sales while he was at the helm.
The glossy Dior by Raf Simons is the sixth volume in a series of books devoted to each designer of the house of Dior and showcases Simons’s innovative and streamlined approach. With photographs by Laziz Hamani and text by Tim Blanks, editor-at-large for The Business of Fashion, this is a must-have fashion coffee table book.
Published by Assouline, £150
More Rick Owens
Rick Owens is often referred to as the godfather of goth glam, his daring, grunge-meets-glamour designs long an A-lister favourite. This new book of photographs picks up where Rizzoli’s previous monograph on the American fashion designer’s work left off, documenting from Owen’s AW19 collection inspired by the cult 70s designer Larry Legaspi right through to the pandemic, when he staged shows on the Lido di Venezia.
In this, a continuing collaboration with photographer Danielle Levitt, the stunning images perfectly encapsulate this “fertile and transformational” period in his career – one that saw him experiment with shape, new and excotic materials and colour, a profligacy of pink, orange, blue, green, and iridescent hues vying with his trademark black, oxblood, and dust.
Published 26 September by Rizzoli, £50
