The Best Fashion Books You’ll Want To Read (And Then Show Off On Your Bookcase)

Ari Seth Cohen, the author and photographer behind the blog Advanced Style, is dedicated to documenting 'the sartorial savvy of the senior set'. Older & Wiser, the follow up to his first book, will spark joy from page one.

Celebrating the biggest fashion exhibition - and wildest party - on the industry calendar, Vogue's Hamish Bowles' coffee table book holds memories from the Metropolitan Museum's most extravagant, most fabulous and most awe-inspiring exhibitions, from 2018's Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination to 2015's China: Through the Looking Glass.

Marcellas Reynolds released the first ever book to navigate the world of Black supermodels, both unsung and championed. From Iman and Beverly Johnson to Adwoa Aboah and Jourdan Dunn, this jam-packed anthology documents over 70 women from the last 60 years, in the hope of shining a light and uplifting a cohort of models who often face discrimination and racial prejudice. It's as insightful as it is powerful.

She's conquered your playlists, your wardrobe and your make-up bag. Now, she's coming for your coffee table. With never-before-seen photographs, from her childhood to her worldwide tours, it promises to lift the lid on the icon that is Rihanna.

A fascinating window into the intertwining lives of friends, rivals and industry titans, Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. Set against the backdrop of '70s Paris, a decade of liberation and hedonism, it won't fail to dazzle.

The much talked about biography by American Vogue legend, André Leon Talley. You're in for a juicy serving of gossip and fabulousness.

If you've flicked through a glossy fashion bible over the past decade, the chances are that you'll recognise the hallmarks of Tim Walker's inimitable style. The fashion photographer is known for his whimsical dreamscapes, each shot suffused with drama and a very British sense of humour. Published to accompany his retrospective at the V&A Museum in 2019, it is an anthology of some of the photographer's own best bits alongside contributions from the likes of Kate Phelan, Ibrahim Kamara, Katy England, Edward Enninful, Tilda Swinton and Edie Campbell.

Released in 2019, Antwaun Sargent's debut book is a study and documentation of the Black image in fashion, both then and now. Opening with a stunning essay, the book delves into the minds of the some of the latest and greatest Black image-makers in the industry including: Campbell Addy, founder and editor of Nii Journal and Nii Agency, Tyler Mitchell, the first Black photographer to shoot a cover of Vogue in 2018, and Nadine Ijewere, the first woman of colour to shoot a cover of any Vogue.

If you loved the V&A's Savage Beauty retrospective (or if you weren't lucky enough to catch the exhibition in London or New York), Claire Wilcox's accompanying guide is a must-read. Featuring 28 essays from some of the most respected voices in the fashion industry, it's a provoking and visually dazzling investigation into McQueen's creative process and fashion vision.

Flame-haired fashion editor Grace Coddington may have stepped back from her role at American Vogue, but her influence over the fashion industry sees no signs of waning. Her characteristic wit and no-nonsense attitude stole the show in behind-the-scenes doc The September Issue, and her memoirs are told with similar flair, taking in Coddington's '60s modelling career and her subsequent role as a fashion industry taste-maker and Wintour's right-hand woman.

As the first, and only American, to command the title editor-in-chief in French Vogue's masthead, Joan Juliet Buck's memoir promises to be an absolute page-turner.

Former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter's celebration of Tom Ford's fashion career is perhaps the ultimate coffee table tome. It's worth the price just for that striking, minimalist cover - and face it, it's probably the only piece of Tom Ford you can afford to jazz up your flat with...It's more than just a pretty face, though, featuring imagery by the likes of Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Steven Meisel.

Exploring the private archives of more than 100 years of designs, Chanel: Collections and Creations follows Coco Chanel's rise to prominence in the 1920s, to today's signature fragrances, ready-to-wear, and accessories, from the legendary Chanel No 5, to the little black dress. A book that will look as elegant on your coffee table as one of the brand's heritage designs.

Fashion historian Olivier Saillard delves into a truly comprehensive history of Dior, beginning a series following each of the designers to hold the mantle of creative director since Dior himself. While it commands a high price tag for a book, the sheer weight of it gives an idea of the unprecedented access Saillard was given to the Dior Haute Couture archives.

Although not a glossy book of photography and design, Robin Givhan's The Battle of Versailles is a witty, insightful look into one night in fashion history that is a must for fashion lovers and readaholics alike. Telling the story of a lavish fundaraiser in 1973, with attendees such as Halston, Donna Karen, Liza Minelli and Raquel Welsh, the evening would unexpectedly be a turning point for American fashion, all told in spectacular detail by Givhan.