Every September, the glitterati descend upon New York, London, Milan and Paris for fashion month in a swarm of stilettos. Like death and taxes, the circus of Fashion Week is inevitable, and often inaccessible unless you’re watching Instagram.
Luckily, so is the accompanying release of glossy new fashion titles and beautiful, weight-lifter-worthy coffee table accessories (sorry — books). Here is a selection of what has just been published and what’s to come, so you can enjoy the spirit of the runway shows from the comfort of your couch.
“Unexpected Pucci: Interiors: Furniture, Ceramics and Art Pieces”
By Angelo Flaccavento and Piero Lissoni
Rizzoli, $90
Come for the dizzying geometric prints, stay for the deep dive into Emilio Pucci’s creative exploits beyond clothing (including deliriously patterned wool rugs and 1960s-era plates and vases). Of course, how much you enjoy this book will ultimately boil down to whether you find the designer’s signature motifs dazzling or nausea inducing.
“John Galliano for Dior”
By Robert Fairer
Thames & Hudson, $150
Does the world need yet another book dedicated to the illustrious house of Dior? Possibly not (there have been more than a dozen already), but this one features enough backstage runway shots and detailed close-ups of the label’s designs from the John Galliano era (the one that ended with the designer’s anti-Semitic rant in 2011, which the book does not address) to justify its existence. Dramatic and colorful, Mr. Galliano’s more-is-more aesthetic is captured by the photographer Robert Fairer, who documented the designer’s collections for over a decade.
“Fabien Baron: Works 1983-2019”
By Fabien Baron; text by Adam Gopnik
Phaidon, $200
The art director Fabien Baron has helped transform the look of many major brands and fashion magazines, including Interview and French Vogue, over the course of his career. This retrospective of Mr. Baron’s projects, while self-serious at times, is chock-full of design inspiration. Expect a lot of black and white, clean lines and swirling typography.
“Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion”
By Marcellas Reynolds
Abrams, $50
Considering that famous black models are still being misidentified in photos, this tribute to black models from the past 60 years couldn’t come sooner. It features interviews, photos and essays devoted to industry heavyweights like Iman and Naomi Campbell, as well as next-gen faces like Adwoa Aboah and Joan Smalls.
“Paul’s Book”
By Collier Schorr
Mack, $40
Youth may be fleeting, but this book is not. The American artist and fashion photographer Collier Schorr, best known for her black and white portraits of bored beautiful youths, presents a collection of photos taken over the course of two years of Paul Hameline, a young French artist and model.
“The International Best-Dressed List: The Official Story”
By Amy Fine Collins
Rizzoli, $75
How far would people go to snag a spot on the International Best-Dressed List? According to this history behind the storied list, founded by Eleanor Lambert in 1940 and passed on to Vanity Fair in 2002, pretty far! Enterprising social climbers offered bribes of up to $50,000 to try to secure their place among the powerful. Seems like a sound investment.
“Bill Cunningham: On the Street”
By The New York Times
Clarkson Potter, $65
Perhaps it’s cheating to include this in the roundup, but a book featuring the beloved fashion and society photographer Bill Cunningham’s snapshots, which largely shaped what street style photography is today, feels impossible to ignore. (Full disclosure: Mr. Cunningham worked for The New York Times for nearly 40 years.) This book traces his images across five decades, from the 1970s until his death in 2016.
Sanam Yar writes about youth culture and social media for The New York Times. She is based in New York. @sanam_yar
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