Looking for a pool side read this summer? You can’t beat sitting in the sun with a good book. And what a better way to do it than exploring your passion for fashion, right? We’ve put together a list of all the books you can dive into this summer, so you don’t have to search.
13 Fashion Books to read – Summer 2023 edition
Anna: The Biography
Looking to learn about what it takes to be Anna Wintour? How the most renowned Editor In Chief of Vogue became the icon she is? Amy Odell created a biography based on extensive interviews with Anna Wintour’s closest friends and collaborators. Including some of the biggest names in fashion, possibly the most revealing portrait of Wintour ever published. A perfect read to inspire you this summer, from the most motivated editor in fashion. Click here to listen to our podcast interview with Amy Odell.
A Visible Man
If you like to learn about the industry’s professionals first-hand and you want to know more about Edward Enninful’s inspiring career in his own words, you can read his autobiography. For the first time, he shares all about his journey, from his childhood in Ghana, to arriving in the 1990s to London as an asylum seeker, to today setting the cultural agenda as the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue.
Fashion Climbing: A New York Life
Renowned American fashion photography, Bill Cunningham, left behind this memoir filled with his capturing the madcap times of his early career and the fashion scene of the mid-century. His love for the big city and fashion were unmatched, as once a hat designer, whose creations were seen in Vogue and worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy. He then went on to became a journalist for WWD, before he found his feet as a street photographer in a career of forty years.
Shocking: The Surreal World of Elsa Schiaparelli
Released in August 2022 to accompany the major exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, this book includes vintage photographs, sketches and contemporary features from Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. This interesting volume presents specially photographed masterpieces from the collection of the exhibition taking place in Paris. Take a dive into her Surrealism world of imaginative and creative designs.
Your Fashion Dream Plan
Think of this as your career manual to become the fashion industry professional you have always dreamed of. Turn your dreams into reality, with author Giada Graziano who has been featured in Forbes under 30, the CEO and founder of Glam Observer, a fashion career coach, and podcaster! Who else would you trust for fashion career advice? If you order now, you will also receive a free online class: Your fashion Career Plan to Succeed plus a workbook; My Fashion Dream Plan to use alongside the book.
The Lives of 50 Fashion Legends: Visual biographies of the world’s greatest designers
Looking for something with a more visual approach? Learn all about the legends of fashion with this insightful book that explores the stories of the world’s greatest designers, across the decades. Filled with timelines and fascinating graphics that place each fashion designer on the world stage. This book shares the lives of 50 of the most important and influential fashion designers, from CristĂłbal Balenciaga and Hubert de Givenchy to Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld. Why not spend your summer learning more about your favorite designers?
Fashion: The Whole Story
Fashion The Whole Story, offers an in depth insight into each period of fashion. And exploring the global history of fashion and traces the evolution of fashion design. The book is organized chronologically, placing key fashion pieces in the context of social and cultural developments to help you gain a deeper understanding of the fashion industry. A great way to learn about the fashion industry during summer.
Karl: No Regrets
Patrick Hourcade accounts his 20 year friendship in the industry with the legend Karl Lagerfeld. Patrick met Karl in 1976, and joined the creative team at Vogue Paris where he introduced Karl to the art of the Enlightenment. From then on, he assisted the fashion designer with each of his lavish acquisitions―mansions, furniture, and works of art. The biography includes the untold story of Karl and never-before-seen documents. Take the time to learn about the legendary designers of our time this summer.
The History of Fashion Journalism
If you are an aspiring fashion writer, this is the book we recommend to read. Combining an overview of the key moments in fashion journalism history with close textual analysis, author Kate Nelson Best explores the evolution of the media and its relationship with fashion.
Inside Vogue: My Diary Of Vogue’s 100th Year
Alexandra Shulman is the former editor in chief of British Vogue. She has just published her latest book Clothes… and other things that matter, which is a memoir. I read them both and I think her previous book Inside Vogue is more interesting if you want to understand the behind the scenes of running a fashion magazine. This book is a diary in which Alexandra tells how she produced the 100th-anniversary issue of British Vogue. Including having Kate Middleton on the cover.
How To Make A Dress
In this book, Jenny Packham, one of Britain’s most leading designers, reflects on her creative process and answers the most popular questions we have about style.
The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris
Curious to learn how was the fashion industry like in the 1970s, and two designers who were among those who dominated this decade – Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent? This book by Alicia Drake is for you.
Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success
If you dream of starting your own business in fashion, or you are just looking for inspiration and career advice to keep you going on your exciting journey in the fashion industry, this book will give you the motivation you need.
Let us know which book you’ll be reading this summer. You can get your copy at your local library, Amazon or read it online.
