9 best fashion books that add style to your reading pile

Charting the meteoric rise of one of fashion’s most notable figures, Andre Leon Talley’s memoir begins with him as a boy poring over the glossy pages of Vogue. Fast forward to 2007, and Talley is US Vogue’s editor-at-large. Offering an insider’s eye into the fashion industry, Talley’s experience exposes the racism, homophobia, cattiness and egos at play – as well as the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Told with sharp wit and a smattering of haughtiness (he must always have the latest Louis Vuitton holdall), Talley’s journey through fashion sees him befriend Karl Lagerfield, be fired from Vogue by Anna Wintour and party at New York’s Studio 54 with Diana Ross.

The glamorous anecdotes are interrupted with moments of sincerity as he narrates close friends dying from Aids, his abuse as a child and the racism he faced from wealthy white “friends” in the industry. The memoir is made all the more poignant following his death in January.

A vocal presence in conversations on sustainability and behind the label responsible for bringing British punk and new wave style into the mainstream, Vivienne Westwood is a force to be reckoned with. Westwood’s collaboration with biographer Ian Kelly attempts to delve deeper into a career spanning five decades. The book is written in her own spoken words with casual observations from her biographer, and in the designer’s monologues about life, love, fashion and the people she’s met, her distinctly unique voice shines through. One minor gripe is that we wish we had more of Westwood’s voice over Kelly’s, whose interruptions occur perhaps a little too frequently.

From her loving childhood in postwar northern England to making clothes for Sex Pistols’ Malcolm McLaren’s boutique store, all the way through to opening four shops of her own and the international expansion of her label, the biography is a wild ride.

The story of the murder of Maurizio Gucci is now better known thanks to the 2021 movie starring Lady Gaga. If you’re wanting to delve a little deeper, Forden’s sensational story of murder, greed and glamour behind one of fashion’s most historic houses is a gripping read. Though a work of non-fiction, it reads like a novel with its fast pace, page-turning plot and themes of love, jealousy and, of course, murder.

The cost of fast fashion and its impact on both the planet and workers is undeniable, and Dana Thomas’s Fashionopolis presents meticulously detailed evidence and research into the clothing industry’s exploitation. As well as citing statistics such as that 98 per cent of workers in the industry do not earn a living wage and that 2.1 billion tonnes of clothing are thrown away annually, Thomas travels the world to find innovators tackling the consequences of fast fashion.

All in all, the Paris-based journalist builds up a compelling and devastating argument for why we should all be making more thoughtful choices.

A staple of the “French secrets” genre of fashion books, How to Be Parisian attempts to answer all the questions surrounding the je ne sais quoi of French women’s style. Cowritten by four women – model Caroline De Maigret, writer Anne Berest, journalist and screenwriter Audrey Diwan and movie producer Sophie Mas – it takes the format of a series of essays on everything from ignoring fashion trends to sexual politics.

Poking fun at the world’s obsession with French fashion, it’s a funny, lighthearted and self-effacing read, with sartorial pearls of wisdom dotted throughout.

Made up of diary entries written during her eight years as editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, Tina Brown’s memoir is a gossipy and anecdotal account of the fashion and social circles in 1980s New York. Detailing what goes into editing one of the world’s most historic fashion magazines, as well as the personal struggles of a working women’s balancing act, the memoir is a compelling read. Written with wit and wisdom, we’re taken behind the scenes of Demi Moore’s famed pregnant cover shoot, and as Brown jumps from party to party, there’s appearances from everyone from Donald Trump to Princess Diana.

Brown is at her best when she’s salacious with her stories, and her account of being at the helm of the glossy Vanity Fair magazine is a masterclass in doing precisely that.

Iris Apfel is fresh off the back of a sell-out H&M collaboration, but her ascent to high fashion status was anything but intentional – as the title of her memoir suggests. The 100-year-old businesswoman and interior designer co-founded Old World Weavers, a textile company that reproduced antique fabrics for everyone from Greta Garbo to Estee Lauder.

In 2005, she was the first non-designer to have her work exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, kickstarting her rise to wider notoriety. Her memoir – a mixture of personal photographs, mementoes, anecdotes and essays– is an instructive, illuminating and fascinating lens into a different side of the fashion industry.

Penned by the former British Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman, Clothes… and other things that matter is part memoir, part love letter to clothes and their importance, particularly for women. Addressing everything from a bikini and white shirt to a trench coat and little black dress, Shulman examines the cultural impact of each item, as well as their significance in her own life.

Touching on themes of womanhood, motherhood, ambition, power, body image and sexual identity, the tome is a satisfying blend of fashion history, memoir and cultural observation – all brought to life by Shulman’s signature funny, self-deprecating and honest voice.

Perfect for both the fashion heads and the casual admirers, the Yves Saint Laurent instalment of the coveted Catwalk series is a feast for the eyes. Opening with a concise history of the influential French fashion house, from its founding in 1961 right up to 2019, the book then proceeds to detail the life of the house’s namesake and one of the most celebrated designers of all time, Yves Saint Laurent.

Going on to explore each collection in chronological order, the tome is packed with catwalk images, set designs, accessories, beauty looks and the prolific runway models who wore the looks. And when you’re not poring over the pages, the pink cover is the perfect statement for your coffee table.