7 style and design books worth giving to the fashion star on your holiday gift list
Books never go out of style. So this season give the gift of reading. These seven swoon-worthy books can be opened again and again to tickle the fancies of the most stylish people in your life.
These books will add a dose of pizzazz nestled on a favorite bookshelf or displayed on a coffee table to serve as 2018 inspiration for just about anyone who’s into fashion, cooking, culture and design.
“Where Stylists Shop”
Got the shopping bug but don’t know where to go? Fashion journalist and former Los Angeles Times fashion critic Booth Moore has varsity-level shopping skills and wants to pass along her MVP shopper’s wisdom. This book is a definitive guide to the best shopping from across the globe. Flip through the pages of “Where Stylists Shop: The Fashion Insider’s Ultimate Guide” to find the crème de la crème of stores where you should shop.
Regan Arts: 464 pp., $24.95
“Cooking With Zac”
Zac Posen is cooking up something a little different. The acclaimed American fashion designer dives off the runway and into the culinary seas with his new cookbook, “Cooking With Zac: Recipes From Rustic to Refined.” Posen eloquently draws connections between the art of cooking and the art of design. Imagination and passion are through lines in this cookbook, making it a read that is sure to inspire some creative culinary moves.
Rodale Books: 288 pp., $35
“Sneakers”
As Dr. Seuss wrote in “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” In a very literal sense, our feet take us everywhere we need to go. So why not treat our feet? Well, before you splurge on a new pair of stylish sneakers to walk, run or saunter in, flipping through “Sneakers” by graphic artist Rodrigo Corral and journalists Alex French and Howie Kahn is a must. The ultimate guide to the coolest kicks on the block, this book has everything you need to know about sneaker culture and design.
Penguin Random House: 320 pp., $24.95
“South Coast Plaza”
South Coast Plaza is more than a shopping center. It’s a holy grail of shopping destinations in Southern California. With 250 retailers, the center is said to have the highest concentration of designer fashion retail in the U.S. The Orange County style megalopolis has a family history that is traced in the book “South Coast Plaza” by Kedric Francis, who recounts how the Segerstrom family took the land of South Coast Plaza from a lima bean farm to Louis Vuitton and other luxury stores. Celebrate South Coast Plaza’s 50th anniversary with this artful retrospective coffee-table book that is mesmerizing inside and out.
Assouline: 160 pp., $195
“Androgyne: Fashion + Gender”
Fashion and design writer Patrick Mauriès takes readers on an exploration of androgyny in the book “Androgyne: Fashion + Gender.” Mauriès zeroes in on the cultural history of androgyny using art and literature as reference points and shows the innate human desire to break down social constructs and break free from confined gender categories. The text is accompanied by a selection of more than 120 images that speak to the transcendent essence of gender fluidity.
Thames & Hudson: 191 pp., $60
“Love, Cecil: A Journey With Cecil Beaton”
See into the creative vortex of English photographer, writer, painter, interior designer and costume designer Cecil Beaton, whose work was tied to his social life and the art world. Author Lisa Immordino Vreeland brings the late Beaton’s intriguing personality to life in “Love, Cecil: A Journey With Cecil Beaton” through amassing Beaton’s photography, drawings, diary entries and much more.
Abrams Books: 256 pp., $50
“John Galliano: Unseen”
John Galliano is the creative director of the Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela. Before that, he created his own label and worked for luxury brands such as Christian Dior and Givenchy. Inside “John Galliano: Unseen” you’ll see firsthand the fashion titan’s portfolio. The book is filled with whimsical, resplendent and bold images that most fashion aficionados would appreciate.
Yale University Press: 352 pp., $60
