NEW YORK, NY.- With September comes fashion month, and with its many catwalks and after parties, a banquet of books competing for attention. Out this fall are titles — some opus-like, some minimalist, others kaleidoscopic — on a variety of the fashion industry’s most notable figures and spectacles.
The 11 books on this list stood out in a season very crowded with new releases. Whether you’re seeking an exhaustive oral history or a photo romp through time, these visual offerings are sure to transport.
‘Colorful’: Most Maximalist!
Age-defying fashion icon Iris Apfel, who died at 102 in March, described this book — her last — as “about living, creating, and color.” True to its title, the compilation of her influences, family history and style inspiration is awash in vibrant shades. Its pages mix archival photos and affirmations from the author: “There’s a lot to be said for serenity,” begins one of them. “It’s one of the most beautiful looks there is.”
‘Fashion First’: Most ‘Annie Hall’!
Ever wondered what Diane Keaton considers her most treasured outfit? Her most embarrassing? The actress revisits the clothes that have shaped her image — highly accessorized red-carpet ensembles, experimental streetwear, tailored “Annie Hall” looks — in this book, which features photographs by Annie Leibovitz, Ruven Afanador and Ron Galella.
‘The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent’: Most Botanical!
Yves Saint Laurent had a penchant for rose buds. And poppies and lilies and thorny bougainvillea. His passion for flowers and the gardens they populate was said to be a well of inspiration for his designs. This book, which accompanies exhibitions at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent in Paris and in Marrakech, includes side-by-side images of flora and textiles along with rough sketches and their corresponding runway looks.
‘Peter Moore: Sneaker Legend’: Most Hypebeast!
What’s the best way to advertise a shoe associated with the Detroit Tigers? Bring in a real Bengal. At least that was Nike executive Peter Moore’s thinking. (A bag of raw meat helped bring that 1983 Nike ad to life.) Jason Coles’ book reflects on the legacy of Moore, who died in 2022, through interviews with people he worked with to execute his wild ideas.
‘Madame Grès Couture Paris’: Most Historical!
The 20th-century Parisian designer Madame Grès, who wrapped bodies in cascading pleats and folds, was known for her sensual drapery and reverence for a woman’s curves. Her sculptural fashion gets the high-gloss treatment in this monograph by French fashion historian Olivier Saillard and Anne Graire, the granddaughter of the couturier.
‘The Battle of Versailles’: Most High-Stakes!
Mark Bozek’s tome offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on the book’s titular battle: A face-off between French and American fashion designers at the Palace of Versailles in 1973. He presents the epic showdown through a visual time capsule of the event’s parading models, starry guests and competing collections, with photographs by Jean-Luce Huré and Bill Cunningham of The New York Times.
‘Henri Bendel and the Worlds He Fashioned’: Most High Society!
The stark contrast between Henri Bendel’s humble roots in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the glamorous world he built as a merchant in New York City may naturally lead to questions about what happened in between. Writer and editor Tim Allis — who has also lived in Lafayette and New York — tells the story of Bendel’s ascent from being the owner of a dry-goods business to a pioneer of high-fashion retail.
‘Icons of Style in 100 Garments’: Most Capsule Wardrobe!
Did you know that the T-shirt was created for U.S. Navy personnel at the turn of the 20th century, and only later adopted as athletic wear? That modern-day basic is among the 100 articles of clothing featured in author Josh Sims’ book, which looks at how each garment — many of which began as specialty products for farm labor and sports — came to be a wardrobe staple.
‘Palace Costume’: Most Vintage Glamour!
Palace Costume, a vintage-fashion rental business in West Hollywood, California, has for decades served as the film industry’s closet: Its inventory occupies a 30,000-square-foot warehouse and includes a trove of Bakelite jewelry as well as Victorian gowns and suits galore. In this celebratory visual archive, Mimi Haddon features costume designers’ stories about the business alongside stills from movies that have featured its clothes, including “La La Land,” “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
‘The Tapestry’: Most Autobiographical!
Early in the pandemic, fashion photographer Erik Madigan Heck began revisiting a decade’s worth of his editorial shoots and advertisements. Seeking to reinterpret the images through the lenses of Impressionist and contemporary visual art, he then began cropping the photographs and layering them with color and light to create a new body of work: vivid photo-painting fusions with the textural quality of tapestries.
‘Duckie Brown The Book/2024’: Most If You Know, You Know!
Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, the founders and designers of Duckie Brown, are immortalizing their 24-year-old menswear label in a book that features imagery of its past 45 collections, including backstage shots from New York Fashion Week and Cox’s early sketches. Accompanying the visuals are musings on the brand’s imprint on its home of New York City written by a slew of fashion writers and by its founders, who are better known as “the Duckies” to their fans.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.
