Let’s be honest for a moment. Fashion can feel frivolous at times, especially within the context of contemporary couture. It can sometimes feel ostentatious compared to our approachable capsule wardrobe. Because modern couture is inaccessible to most consumers and there’s so much happening in the world, it’s only natural for most to ask, Is haute couture really that serious? I’d never surmise that it would have the weight that so many other topics do in the world, but I’d also never discount its influence. Like it or not, couture has often acted as a reflection of current times—it can tell us what’s happening in the stars and the stock exchange. Long before something blows up on TikTok, you better believe its origins can be traced back to couture fashion week.
The essence of what’s fashionable always comes back to haute couture because it’s about the craft of making clothing. It’s not about hyperconsumption; it’s about the art. That feels particularly topical as more conversations in the cultural canon center on the idea of adopting the quiet luxury ethos—the shift from keeping up with trends to investing in timeless items. Couture offers people a permission slip to escape from the never-ending trend cycle, and it’s a way to fall in love with well-made clothing again. At best, couture can make us see the world in a new light or, at the very least, change our wardrobes. If you’re still not convinced about how couture can apply to your relationship with your own closet, you’ll want to keep reading.
After hours of image research, I’ve narrowed down the six best spring/summer 2024 couture collections based on how they made haute couture feel relatable to our everyday lives. Plus, I’ve identified three looks from each show that are easy to re-create with shopping recommendations. Prepare to become a lover of haute couture.
Unlike the womenswear shows that can sometimes feel impossible to avoid on social media, if you don’t actively pay attention to or cover menswear, you might not have even known that the fall/winter 2024 shows just ended—apart from Loewe, where all the “baby girls” plus Taylor Russell played dress-up in high-waisted corduroys, fuzzy suede boots, and sparkly blazers. That’s where I come in. Even if you weren’t watching every livestreamed show as they took place like I was, you’d want to know the trends that debuted there and steal them.
From rugged work coats at Louis Vuitton and Prada (you might remember their lauded appearance in the spring/summer 2024 womenswear collection) to fashion-friendly, undeniably chic groutfits seen at Valentino and Sabato De Sarno’s first menswear show for Gucci, the eight trends ahead include a little bit of everything cool right now in fashion. Scroll down to meet them all.
Mark your calendars: This Sunday, January 7th is the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live on CBS at 5 p.m. PST. We’ll be breaking down the best red-carpet fashion and beauty looks here at WhoWhatWear.com, and we’ll also have editors posted up IRL on the red carpet to capture original videos for our Instagram and TikTok accounts. Like, comment, subscribe!
In the meantime, we decided to play a little fashion prediction game. Below, we pulled 17 runway looks that we’re dying to see at the Golden Globes this Sunday. Designers include Valentino, Armani, Fendi, Schiaparelli, Richard Quinn, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Alexander McQueen, and more. Scroll down to see our picks and stay tuned to see if our predictions are correct.
Sometimes it’s the little things that bring us the most joy. And in this case, we’re talking about makeup bags (aka the unsung hero of any good accessory collection). Sure, splurging on a designer bag for your beauty products may seem a bit indulgent, but cosmetics cases are essential for staying organized—so why not invest in one you really love? Plus, consider the cost per wear: You’ll basically use it every day, and the right bag will last for years.
If you’ve been thinking of upgrading your makeup bag, prepare to be obsessed with these 20 options. Whether you use it at home, for travel, or simply keeping your purse organized, they’re sure to add an extra dose of glam to your day. Oh, and versatility alert: Many of these styles can also double as designer clutches, which is especially handy for travel (we love a good two-in-one!).
Suki Waterhouse paid homage to the night sky during the 2023 Elle Style Awards in London on Sept. 5. Dressed for the occasion, Waterhouse arrived in a Fendi evening gown adorned with a web of black beads and silver crystals. The elegant design featured a sheer bodice and a floor-length skirt that seemed to levitate behind her effortlessly as she strutted into the event.
The dress, which made its debut in the designer’s fall/winter 2023 couture show, boasted a sheer, long-sleeved bodice and mock turtleneck studded in hundreds of miniature crystals. Below the bust, the top seemed to transform into a second design: an opaque, off-the-shoulder blouse with wrap detailing. The bodice continued down into a black bodysuit layered with a see-through skirt that almost completely covered Waterhouse’s strappy, heeled sandals. Already fully frosted, she kept her accessories simple, opting only for a diamond ring on her right pointer finger.
At first glance, Waterhouse’s dress is a sophisticated take on the no-pants trend made popular by celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Sydney Sweeney. Up close, the design was an intricate tapestry of beading and crystalwork that created the illusion of a night sky. While Waterhouse didn’t have to go to outer space to secure her outfit for the evening, she certainly served a look that was out of this world.
In addition to this radiant dress, Waterhouse recently stepped out in a purple Sommer bikini during a resort getaway in Austria. A few months earlier, she wore a completely sheer dress adorned with floral appliqués while attending the Met Gala with boyfriend Robert Pattinson.
Ahead, take a closer look at Waterhouse’s gorgeous Fendi evening gown from all angles.
Though they’re home to the same revered fashion houses as every womenswear season, the menswear shows rarely get the same amount of attention or buzz. The shows are attended by a niche selection of editors, stylists, and industry professionals; cut in roughly half compared to the women’s shows; and timed right before couture week, so the biannual unveiling of menswear collections simply (and sadly) gets overshadowed in many ways. But in my mind, they are, more often than not, a treasure trove for outfit and trend ideas.
Don’t just take my word for it, though—that would be irresponsible. Instead, read up on, scan photos of, and shop the eight most alluring menswear trends from the spring/summer 2024 shows, all of which you can conveniently do by scrolling down just a few notches. While the trends are from the men’s department, the shopping isn’t. (You’re welcome.) Without further ado, get to know the menswear trends that’ll be everywhere next spring and pick out every one that you’ll be wearing yourself.
Fendi can easily lay claim to some of the most iconic and recognizable handbags in the world. From the brand’s Peekaboo style to its nostalgic ’90s Baguette, it’s fair to say that when it comes to investment bags, you can always rely on Fendi to deliver.
But searching for your dream designer bag isn’t always easy. Like any great It piece, it can reach cult status, resulting in a surge in demand, which usually leads to a sellout. But we can happily report that some of the brand’s most coveted styles—all handpicked by experts—are still in stock and perfect for recharging your wardrobe for the year ahead. To uncover which Fendi styles are the smartest buys now and in the long run, we spoke to experts from four top luxury resale platforms, Rebag, The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, and Fashionphile.
Ahead, discover why our panel of handbag experts insists these are the 11 best Fendi bags to invest in. Go ahead, dig into the data, and shop our picks of each style.
A few weeks ago, I found myself hanging out with fellow fashion editors after work. For most, any after-hours activity with colleagues may be conducted over cocktails, but for us, it was spent doing what we know best—shopping. We spent the evening shuffling through the sparkling marble floors of Nordstrom’s flagship store in New York City. While I hate to be biased because there are so many good Nordstrom locations worldwide, I have to say there’s something particularly magical about the Manhattan store. Maybe it’s because it has seven floors and six restaurants, or maybe it’s because there’s an entire floor dedicated to what I love most: designer shoes.
Arriving on this floor in Nordstrom for a shoe fanatic is akin to arriving in paradise. Everywhere you look, there’s something divine—just so many pairs of Fendi, Gucci, Prada, and Christian Louboutin shoes. While I only managed to stare at the shoes that evening, I did convince myself that I had to return and actually try on a few. So I decided to reach out to Nordstrom’s team to ask them if I could document trying on some of the buzziest designer shoes of the moment in-store, and luckily for me, they obliged. Ahead, you’ll find my full review of eight designer shoes, plus a roundup of the best affordable options at Nordstrom. But first, a little bit about why I chose the pairs I did…
While the fall collections are usually reserved for thicker, more insulating fabrics like cashmere knits and wooly outerwear, there was one standout theme among the collections this fall/winter 2023 season that went against the grain. Soft, supple, satin proved to have a surprising but significant spot on the runways. The pretty fabric popped up in a myriad ways—from the luxurious satin suits at Fendi to the colorful bright satin separates at Tory Burch—proving that the fabric deserves a spot in our cold-weather wardrobes just as much as it does in our warm-weather ones.
That said, satin clothing is one trend I personally won’t be waiting another six months to wear. With the fall collections fresh in my mind and spring at my doorstep this month, now is the perfect time to get in on the rising pretty theme. Inspired by the runways, I spent the morning shopping for luxe satin pieces to recreate the looks I loved most. Ahead, I’m sharing my satin clothing shopping list that’s as forward feeling as it is “now”.
Chances are, Kim Jones made your favorite sneakers—or at least, they would be your favorite, if they hadn’t sold out in five seconds. He’s the artistic director at Dior Men and the brains behind the “Air Dior” Nikes that literally broke the brand’s website, plus collabs with Converse, those coveted skate slip-ons at Louis Vuitton, and that monogram pair with Supreme that’s only available in limited stock on The RealReal. (If you’re more into heels, don’t panic. Mr. Jones is also in charge of Fendi’s womenswear collection, where these stratospheric boots are currently going fast.)
Now, in an unlikely partnership, Jones is joining forces with Hennessy, the prestigious French cognac brand that’s technically older than America. (It was founded in 1765, but alas, was never name-checked in Hamilton.) The main caveat? Although Hennessy X.O is an exquisite pour, Kim Jones doesn’t drink. Ever. “I’m really allergic!” he laughs when I ask him if he did any sip-and-sketch rounds for his sneaker designs. “I wanted to try it because I wanted to see why everyone was so obsessed by it, but you know, it just doesn’t agree with me.” Instead, Jones used the classic brandy’s rich brown color story. “And since drinking Hennessy X.O is part of both formal and casual gatherings, it was really important for [the sneakers] to fit into any wardrobe in a different way.” Jones also created a decanter and bottle for the cognac, which is—surprise—owned by the same parent company as Dior itself.
Hennessy X.O sneakers, designed by Kim Jones.
Getty Images
When most people buy a bottle of Hennessy, they probably drink it (or at least gift it to someone special). But when they venture to buy a coveted Kim Jones sneaker, they might try and flip it for double the value instead. Is Jones cool with that? “I’ve seen a lot of my friends’ kids do that, actually! I think some of them have made loads of money,” he laughs. “But then they take that money and buy more sneakers, or other clothes they really want. To be honest, at that age, I didn’t have that kind of ingenuity. So those guys? My hat’s off to them.”
More From ELLE
Ironically, instead of flipping streetwear in his youth, the 49-year-old designer served drinks “at an opera house bar” instead. “I had to work to get through college, didn’t I?” he asks. “But it was amazing, actually. You met opera singers, you met people that design sets, you met aristocracy, you met all sorts…but I did notice the people who ordered Hennessy always had really nice suits, watches, jewelry…I can’t say I didn’t think of them when I was creating these pieces.” One day at work, Jones served the Queen Mother. Two decades later, he was appointed an Officer of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
A model at Fendi’s fall/winter 2023 show.
Swan Gallet//Getty Images
As a failed multitasker, I ask Jones how he keeps up with his two big day jobs—at two big-name fashion houses—along with various collabs (Tiffany & Co., Marc Jacobs, and BTS, to name a few), plus the normal stuff like eating, sleeping, and hanging out with Kate Moss. “Oh, I can help you there,” he starts, before adding, “you just have to be incredibly organized.” Seriously? That’s it?
“And, okay, you need to be sure of what you’re setting out to achieve. Where we start on the [Fendi] collection or where we start at [Dior], we know we’re headed to an end product. And that end product is really how I’ve been imagining it to look all along. That goal never changes.” But Jones cautions that his singular focus can’t happen alone. “When you’re working with a team that’s already been at a brand for a while, you have to teach people what you want,” he says. “It takes time to work with an entity and a team of people. Trust, and time. And you have to be straightforward with people about that upfront. There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘This will be hard work, and we can’t rush through it.’ Everything good takes time.” Including Hennessy’s new cognac, which takes an average of 45 years to mature.
Gwendoline Christie, Precious Lee, and Christina Ricci attend Dior Men fashion shows.
Getty Images
Could abstaining from drinking be the secret to Jones’ youthful glow? Even via Zoom, it looks like his complexion is powered by a ring light. Perhaps a skincare collaboration is in his future? “I’ve been approached by most of the big beauty makers,” he admits. We’ll cheers to that, even if Jones won’t.
Editor at Large, ELLE.com
“Her beauty and her brain go not together.” —William Shakespeare
Couture week might be known for brands outdoing one another with outlandish designs, but Fendi took a different route this season, presenting a simple, classic and, above all, wearable collection for Spring 2023.
In the show notes, Kim Jones explained that he “wanted to concentrate on the techniques and craft of couture, with the lightness, fluidity and attitude of today.” The result is “a celebration of the ateliers and the craftspeople who realize these garments, the intense work and emotional commitment to each piece that exists for both maker and wearer, and how the intimate traditions of the couture are both living and breathing.”
Fendi once again embraces utility alongside femininity for its Spring 2023 haute couture collection, with understated silhouettes, muted colors and a pared-back approach that puts the spotlight on craftsmanship. Above all, the designs feel wearable off the runway, ideal for a classy night out to the opera or dinner party. (That’s what couture clients do, right?)
Gowns are feel airy and delicate thanks to lace, tulle and floral overlays and appliqués. Transparent layers reveal the wearer’s elegant underwear, as do considerately draped dresses — the lingerie “designed as part of a look, often in the same intensely embroidered and unexpected fabrications, even when invisible,” per the show notes. Some of the most impressive pieces also serve multiple functions: Sleeves are detachable, coats are reversible (and reveal a beautiful embroidery on the inside), while apron wrap skirts can be styled as stoles.
Scroll to Continue
“The collection is an inner world made into an external one – both figuratively and literally,” Jones said, in a statement.
See the full Fendi Haute Couture Spring 2023 collection below.
Forget awards season, don’t even think about NFL playoffs, fashion’s version of the Super Bowl just announced their co-chairs. May 1, 2023 marks the 75th Met Gala, where the top-of-the-top celebrities are invited to wear the most egregious outfits in the world – all for millions to critique.
Today, Vogue announced that the annual fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will be hosted by Penelope Cruz, Roger Federer, Michaela Coel, and Dua Lipa. And then . . . there’s Vogue’s leading lady, Anna Wintour. 2023’s Met Gala theme will be Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty.
Lagerfeld – who passed away in 2019 – was Chanel’s designer who contributed to their legendary black-and-white style. The Parisian influence will take over the Met Gala’s red carpet – one of fashion’s most highly anticipated nights.
It comes as no surprise that Penelope Cruz will be co-chair for this year’s Met. Not only did she just receive her fourth Oscar nomination for Parallel Mothers, but she was one of Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel muses.
Gina Lollobrigida and Karl Lagerfeld
APS-Medias/ABACA/Shutterstock
The three other chairs chosen are currently at the pinnacle of pop culture: Dua Lipa’s rise to superstardom with Future Nostalgia, Roger Federer retired as one of the greatest tennis players in history, and Michaela Coel’s demand after his stellar role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The exhibit will showcase over 150 of Lagerfeld’s original looks – spanning 1950-2019. Lagerfeld notoriously sketched everything…and hated fashion on display. But from May 5-July 16, you’ll see some of his finest work with Fendi, Chanel, and Chloe.
Lean in a little closer. I have a secret to share: I’ve been rinsing and repeating the same pair of black Chloé ankle boots for seven years now, and I’m not planning on stopping anytime soon. They’re my emotional support boots. Facing a long day on set? The boots are packed. Need a little height boost but not feeling a heel? She’s strapping on the boots. Going on vacation? They’ll go with everything (save for a bikini). I’ve had them re-soled once or twice, but beyond that, they look and feel as good as new. They’ve practically paid for themselves at this point!
A good ankle boot is like the Swiss Army knife of fashion. A sleek leather pair will instantly dress up jeans, while a more rugged style will add edge to a frilly dress. They’re also a great transition piece between seasons, when their knee-high cousins are getting stowed away. But with so many styles to choose from, which ones will stand the test of time like my faithful Chloé pair?
Truth be told, I didn’t anticipate them lasting as long as they did. Certain styles may feel trendy in the moment but in reality will last you several seasons. Lucky for you, I’ve lassoed a roundup of foolproof pairs to fill that ankle-boot gap in your closet (and heart).
Between the covers of any good book are pages that transport and enrich the mind of its reader. In 2022, leaders in the fashion industry turned to various texts to inspire their upcoming collections, deepen the knowledge behind their curations and find personal liberty within their identity.
Major book releases swept the fashion community this year, like Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue’s Edward Enninful’s memoir, “A Visible Man,” in September. Other books like Safia Minney’s made an urgent call to regenerative fashion and a closer look at today’s fashion system.
Across the fashion, leaders and experts like FIT Museum Director Valerie Steele and Business of Fashion Senior Correspondent Sheena Butler-Young reflected on their reading this in 2022. Favorite books span topics, eras in time, country in focus and connections to fashion.
See below for the 34 favorite fashion books that leaders in the industry read in 2022.
Jacques de Bascher: Dandy de l’ombre by Marie Ottavi, $24, available here
Photo: Groupe Robert Laffont
“A page-turner about Karl Lagerfeld’s great love, a decadent dandy of the 1970s, this has been an essential source for all the recent books about Lagerfeld, including Ottavi’s own biography, ‘Karl.’” — Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Trendy, sexy et inconscient: Regards d’une psychanalyste sur la mode by Pascale Navarri, $21, available here
Photo: PUF
“I’m working on a book about fashion and psychoanalysis, so I read with great interest this book by a French psychoanalyst exploring the unconscious aspects of contemporary fashion.” — Stelle
Pretty Gentlemen: Macaroni Men and the Eighteenth-Century Fashion World by Peter McNeil, $52, available here
Photo: Yale University Press
“A brilliant account of a controversial moment in men’s self-fashioning.” — Steele.
Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham, $40, available here
Photo: One World
“Black Futures, by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham, and The New Black Vanguard, by Antwaun Sargent, are my top reads for 2022. The authors are true visionaries. I was inspired by them while working on my memoir, Wildflower. I have always had a desire to forge a new creative path, and I hope to lift up others through my own personal journey.” — Aurora James, creative director and founder of Brother Vellies, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, author of “Wildflower“
The Colors of Sies Marjan by Sander Lak, $65, available here
Photo: Rizzoli International Publications
“I treasure my little collection of fashion monographs, and my new favorite is this book on the much-mourned label Sies Marjan. Designer Sander Lak is a virtuoso when it comes to color, and I love the way he organized everything by hue. Paging through this felt like a first-class flight straight into his genius brain.” — Véronique Hyland, Fashion Features Director at Elle, author of “Dress Code“
What Shall I Wear? by Claire McCardell, $24, available here
Photo: Harry N. Abrams
“This was a very kind gift from Tory Burch, who wrote the excellent foreword to this reissued version. Claire McCardell’s 1956 answer to the eternal question is very much of its time, but also feels relevant today. She maintains that fashion should be fun, and the same sense of ease that she brought to her designs is evident in her prose.” — Hyland
“This book is a daily reminder to myself to never ever compromise or conform on the things that really matter to me. Quinn’s photography of interesting people taking bold fashion risks is inspiring from a style and dressing standpoint, but also as a powerful statement against racism, ageism and homophobia. There should be no limits on beauty, style and self-expression. Quinn’s work is an apt assertion that fashion is at its best when it serves as a vehicle of change, not an endorser of status quo.” — Sheena Butler-Young, senior correspondent at Business of Fashion
Token Black Girl: A Memoir by Danielle Prescod, $25, available here
Photo: Little A
“I can’t think of one Black woman I know — in fashion or elsewhere — who hasn’t felt like 15-year-old Prescod flipping through the pages of glossy magazines in the ’90s and early aughts, seeing beauty defined as everything we’re not. Through the lens of Prescod’s life story, it powerfully unpacks the reverberating negative consequences of white supremacy in media, while gently reminding us of the power we have to recover from and reject ideologies that harm us. This book is much-needed wink — an ‘I see you, girl’ — to Black women, but it’s also a must-read for all women, period.” — Butler-Young
Africa: The Fashion Continent by Emmanuelle Courrèges, $65, available here
Photo: Flammarion-Pere Castor
“The more I scratch the surface of diversity, equity and inclusion issues in fashion, the more I uncover about the inherent biases we all have about beauty, style and influence. The title of this book alone disrupts long-held assumptions about who or what gets to define fashion. Courrèges takes the reader on a journey of discovery where you get to meet all of these amazing African designers, artisans, boutique owners and stylists whose work push the boundaries of innovation and craftsmanship. It features vibrant, awe-inspiring images of people adorning colors, prints, fabrics and patterns (Xhosa beaded embroidery, for example) and body artists using their vessels to advocate for change, hair tousled and contorted in fascinating and expressive fashion, street style that’s inherently environmentally conscious. It’s a true homage to a forgotten part of fashion’s roots.” — Butler-Young
Celebrate That!: Occasions by Kate Spade New York, $35, available here
Photo: Harry N. Abrams
“My ultimate — feminine, witty and whimsical — guide to planning a celebration however big or small. As an editor working in New York City, I’m constantly surrounded by big moments: cover stories, splashy fashion week shows, star-studded events. It feels like my friends always expect me to deliver something comparable when I host. This book has fun, thoughtful recipes and tips, like how to make a ginger mojito or plan a unique fundraiser for my son’s school, that make me seem way cooler and fashion-y of a host than I am. It also doubles as a self-help guide with cute reminders to celebrate moments — like making your bed, getting through a tough conversation or not spilling your coffee on a fancy coat — that we take for granted each day.” — Butler-Young
Karl Lagerfeld Unseen: The Chanel Years by Robert Fairer, $85, available here
Photo: Abrams
“Written by photographer Richard Fairer — whose previous work SCAD FASH highlighted in our exhibition entitled “Robert Fairer: Backstage Pass — Karl Lagerfeld: Unseen captures amazing access to one of fashion’s most iconic and fascinating figures. Through his behind-the-scenes images, Fairer provides a unique perspective that fashion fans dream of seeing!” — Rafael Gomes, creative director of SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film
The Blonds: Glamour, Fashion, Fantasy by David And Phillipe Blond, $65, available here
Photo: Rizzoli International Publications
“In The Blonds, David and Phillipe highlight their 20 years in the fashion business through images and bold, elaborate creations. Blurbs from The Blonds and their star-studded clientele offer readers unique insights and inspirations behind their collections and collaborations.” — Gomes
Ring Redux: The Susan Grant Lewin Collection by Ursula Ilse-Neuman, $39, available here
Photo: Arnoldsche Verlagsanstalt
“Corresponding with a recent a SCAD Museum of Art (Savannah) exhibition, Ring Redux reexamines the traditional image of the ring as not just jewelry, but a contemporary art form, finding inspiration in the modern and sculpturally reimagined rings in the Susan Grant Lewin collection.” — Gomes
Embodying Pasolini by Tilda Swinton and Olivier Saillard, $75, available here
Photo: Ruediger Glatz/Rizzoli International Publications
“Commemorating their fourth collaboration, Embodying Pasolini is Tilda Swinton and Olivier Saillard’s ode to Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. By presenting costumes from Pasolini’s film, Swinton and Saillard pay homage to one of the most important names in Italian cinema, sharing his work with hopefully a new generation interested in the convergence of fashion and film.” — Gomes
Regenerative Fashion by Safia Minney, $40, available here
Photo: Laurence King
“This compact sustainability handbook from social entrepreneur Safia Minney features interviews with more than 30 industry insiders, like Chloé Chief Sustainability Director Aude Vergne and Daniel Windaier, the CEO and Founder of Bolt Threads, a biotech company that’s partnering with brands like Stella McCartney to put mycelium leather bags ‘grown’ from fungi spores on the runway. It gave me fresh hope about the ways the fashion industry can lower its carbon footprint and actually improve the environment if creative people put their heads together.” — Alison Cohn, deputy fashion news editor at Harper’s BAZAAR
Scroll to Continue
The Fendi Set: From Bloomsbury to Borghese by Kim Jones, $135, available here
Photo: Nikolai Von Bismarck/Rizzoli International Publications
“I’m an English lit nerd at heart, so there’s something really delightful about this photo essay, which features portraits of Kim Jones’ friends — like Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, and Bella Hadid — channeling the spirit of Bloomsbury, the 20th century community of British writers, intellectuals and artists that included Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West and Vanessa Bell, dressed in looks from the Fendi artistic director’s first couture collection. There are also excerpts from diary entries and correspondence and snippets of Woolf’s Orlando.” — Cohn
Yves Saint Laurent at Home by Jacques Grange, $95, available here
Photo: Marianne Haas/Assounline
“Designers are storytellers who creating entire worlds through clothing, but we don’t often get to experience their personal environs. This book offers an intimate view into Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé’s beautiful homes in Paris, Deauville and Marrakech, showing how their deep appreciation for art and design informed Saint Laurent’s work in fashion.” — Cohn
Rebel Stylist: Caroline Baker — The Woman Who Invented Street Fashion by Iain R. Webb, $50, available here
Photo: Acc Art Books
“British stylist Caroline Baker worked with just about every magazine (Nova, British Vogue, i-D, The Face) and just about every photographer (Helmut Newton, Hans Feurer, Guy Bourdin, Sarah Moon) while also collaborating with Vivienne Westwood; that was an inspired pairing, because she’s just as original and maverick as the brilliant Westwood. As a stylist, Baker riffed on vintage, army surplus, thrift, recycling and punk at a time when everyone else was still in the thrall of the news out of Paris. What makes this book a must-read? Author Iain R. Webb is a friend of Baker’s, so this is the inside story of a woman whose work is a masterclass in the art of style and subversion.” — Mark Holgate, fashion news director at Vogue
Living in Denial: Climate Change, Emotions and Everyday Life by Kari Marie Norgaard, $36, available here
Photo: MIT Press
“This Norwegian author interviews the inhabitants of a ski town in Norway about how they’re coping with climate change and why our modern culture at large is so disconnected from the environment. It illustrates how we, individually and culturally, must reconnect with our emotions and grief around climate collapse and environmental loss in order to get activated to make radical changes in our society. I think this is especially true in fashion, where overproduction and overconsumption is predicated on deliberate disassociation from our bodies and the Earth.” — Becca McCharen-Tran, Founder and Creative Director of Chromat
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem, $18, available here
Photo: Central Recovery Press
“This feels like it should be required reading for every white person in fashion who believes in the importance of inclusion and diversity. It illustrates through somatic exercises how racial trauma lives in white and Black bodies, and offers ways forward to a place of healing. There’s so much healing we need to do in fashion when it comes to racial trauma, not only through ensuring more diverse casting or hiring, or how we perceive race in the fashion industry, but really attuning to the physical sensations in our body when we feel excluded or included, how it constricts or expands when we feel truly safe. We all have a responsibility to make the fashion industry a safe and welcoming place, and this book offers really tangible ways in which we can start that healing in our own bodies.” — McCharen-Tran
Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers by Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green, $20, available here
Photo: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
“‘It’s not about the dress you wear,’ Diana Vreeland once quipped. ‘It’s about the life you lead in the dress.’ Well, then, the best-dressed woman I’ve read about all year is not a traditional fashion plate, but the late, great Mary Rodgers, the daughter of Richard Rodgers, who went on to compose the music for the unsinkable ‘Once Upon a Mattress,’ write the novel ‘Freaky Friday’ and lead ten other creative lives. Her memoir, co-authored with New York Times critic Jesse Green and published eight years after her death, is exhilarating, funny, dishy, heartbreaking and the most enjoyable book you’ll read all year. Did I mention funny? Show me one other fashion book that made you laugh.” — Erik Maza, executive style director at Town & Country
A Left-Handed Woman: Essays by Judith Thurman, $32, available here
Photo: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
“Judith Thurman’s Two For One, her 2008 profile of the Cuban designer Isabel Toledo and her husband, the artist and illustrator Ruben Toledo, is just one reason why her new collection of essays, A Left-Handed Woman, gets my vote for the best fashion read of the year. Isabel died in 2019 — Ruben continues to make incredible work, including a recent cover of T&C — but nearly 15 years after its publication, Thurman’s profile remains one of the most considerate ever published about a designer, as well as a poignant portrait of creative partnership.” — Maza
Selbstverständlich: a Century in Fashion by Akris, $88, available here
Photo: Lars Muller Publishers
“A murderer’s row of fashion journalists contributed to a monograph to mark the centennial of the Swiss label Akris.” — Maza
Prêt-à-Porter, Paris and Women by Alexis Romano, $38, available here
Photo: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
“French ready-to-wear fashion has been woefully understudied until now. Romano communicates its history through an analysis of photographs from Elle and other popular magazines; the rich selection makes this book as visually compelling as it is informative.” — Colleen Hill, curator of costume and accessories at the Museum at FIT
“I’m fascinated by the minds of highly creative people, and I was gripped by Enninful’s memoir from its first few sentences. I devoured this honest, captivating account of his life and career.” — Hill
In America: a Lexicon of Fashion by Andrew Bolton and Amanda Garfinkel, $50, available here
Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
“This book contains over a hundred garments that were on display for both rotations of this exhibition highlighting pioneers in American fashion, as well as emerging young designers. It’s a beautifully-designed publication, as well as a substantial fashion reference book, including full length images and detailed shots of the garment. Any reader interested in fashion history will also appreciate the text that accompanies each object.” — Julie T. Lê, associate museum librarian at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute
Nadine Ijewere: Our Own Selves by Lynette Nylander and Nadine Ijewere, $55, available here
Photo: Nadine Ijewere/Prestel Publishing
“Our library at the Costume Institute has hundreds of books on male photographers who have dominated the fashion world from the beginning, so it’s wonderful to see the work of a female BIPOC artist highlighted in book form for future generations to be inspired by. This monograph celebrates the work of fashion photographer Nadine Ijewere, who made history as the first Black woman of Jamaican-Nigerian descent to photograph a cover of American Vogue in 2021. Along with her fashion editorial work is a personal series called ‘Tallawah’ (which means strong and fearless), a project she worked on in 2020 in collaboration with hair stylist Jawara Wauchope celebrating the beauty and strength of Jamaican women and their unique hair culture.” — Lê
A Time Before Crack: Photographs from the 1980s by Jamel Shabazz, $40, available here
Photo: powerHouse Books
“I heart New York, and Jamel Shabazz is one of my favorite photographers who documented hip hop culture and fashion in the streets of NYC from the mid-70s to the 90s. For this publication, he revisited his photographic archive and rediscovered a treasure trove of unseen images that reveals a new nostalgic visual diary of life in New York and the street style of those people he connected with throughout his career.” — Lê
Really Free: the Radical Art of Nellie Mae Rowe by Nellie Mae Rowe, $50, available here
Photo: Delmonico Books
“Finding this artist has opened my creative side again. It has really been wonderful to read about her life, see and feel her art. She should be given a medal.” — Peter Jensen, fashion professor at SCAD, designer of Yours Truly by Peter Jensen
Fashioning the Afropolis: Histories, Materialities and Aesthetic Practices by Kristin Kastner, Reina Lewis and Basile Ndjio, $132, available here
Photo:Bloomsbury Visual Arts
“So few books focus on the influential and visually stunning fashion culture of the African continent. I love this book for its mix of scholarly study and rich visuals. It helps push past stereotypes we hold in the west on what African fashion is.” — Elizabeth Way, Associate Curator of Costume at the Museum at FIT
Africa Fashion by Christine Checinska, $45, available here
Photo: Victoria & Albert Museum
“This is another important book that illuminates the multifaceted creativity of fashion on the content. Africa Fashion accompanies an exhibition at the V&A in London. For those who can’t travel, the book immerses you in the gorgeous fashions on display and the designers’ histories and inspirations.” — Way
Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making. Some quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
:quality(85):upscale()/2023/09/05/054/n/1922564/f6de8d5064f7c533991311.35521284_.jpg)
