Whether you’re looking for some sartorial style, seeking a signature scent or simply seduced by fashion, our selection of books will delight and inspire you…
THE FASHION BOOK (Phaidon.com, Amazon or Waterstones) offers the perfect overview of 20th and 21st Century fashion design, with archive photos spanning 140 years. The faultless pages are packed with features on designers, photographers, editors, models and style icons from Audrey Hepburn to Lady Gaga. It’s a fascinating insight into bygone names and current favourites and the sort of book you can dip into or pore over for hours at a time.
Aberdeenshire based author, Tessa Williams goes behind the scenes to explore the stories of some of the world’s most exclusive perfume houses and their creations in her captivating book, CULT PERFUMES (Amazon £20.37.) Tessa’s extensive grasp of and love for her subject is clear. It’s a great place to hunt for a signature scent or to understand more about what makes some perfumes so alluring and others such a mistake. We’d love a Scratch and Sniff edition!
Until early August, the V&A have a major retrospective of Alexander McQueen’s work, spanning his graduate collection to his final pieces. As you might expect, the companion book is a sumptuous, well-tailored tome, as sublime and startling as his creations. Each chapter explores a different aspect of his work, with contributions ranging from the informative to the baroque, but it’s the photos that make this a must buy. McQueen is probably the most influential designer of the past thirty years, and this book will play a convincing role in cementing his reputation as a sublimely gifted designer. (www.vandashop.com from £20.)
…much like lending your teenaged sister your latest designer dress, it’d be a serious mistake to lend any of these books to a friend. The temptation not to return them would be too great.
