Have you ever heard about something called the Bias Cut? It’s fundamental for every stretchy, flexible piece of fashion we wear. French fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet popularised this technique and it dominated the haute couture scene in the 1930’s.
Why am I telling you this, you ask? The point I am trying to make here is that fashion is not just a visual impression. In order to comprehend the methods behind every perfectly tailored piece, it can actually be very helpful to read about fashion.
For this reason we listed a few of the essential books you should definitely try to get your hands on if you want to read more mind-blowing fashion facts.
„Fashionpedia“
The name says it all: Fashionpedia is basically the Bible of Fashion, the Holy grail for those of us who consider ourselves Fashionistas. It contains a complete collection of history, style, silhouette, manufacturing and much more. Almost everything you need to know, packed into one book.
This fashion encyclopedia surpassed all of my expectations and it’s totally worth the price. It costs about €33 on Amazon.
„Shapes & Styles of Fashion“
This one is actually a reference guide in German/English in case you want to look up a special explanation of different shapes and styles. It includes more than 1000 illustrations. As the title might reveal it’s more about learning techniques in terms of fashion illustrations or technical drawings.
You can find it on several websites.
„100 Years of Fashion“
A compact overview of fashion periods from 1900 to today, starting from antique fashion to Renaissance and much more. This book is a great base to understanding different eras of fashion and how they changed and developed over the years, especially for fashion students. It is more of a theoretical book, but with high quality illustrations. Although the last two centuries were summarised too briefly, you’ll get a lot of the knowledge you need. Buy the book here.
„Peter Lindbergh – A Different Vision on Fashion Photography“
An essential book for all those who want to focus on editorial shoots or photography in general. It’s incredibly inspiring as Lindbergh is one of the greatest fashion photographers to ever do it. The German artist is known for his natural looking models – in his eyes it is the photographers responsibility to reflect a certain reality. To achieve this he always shoots in black and white, in order to „not look like a make up advert.“ (Peter Lindbergh Interview 2008 with Charlotte Cotton) His portraits are outstanding and the book contains over 400 of them. It’s a bit expensive but its totally worth it if you enjoy quality fashion photography.
„The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris“
“The Beautiful Fall” is all about the 1970’s in Paris. It vividly describes the growth of French couture and how it changed during that era. It also contains a short story about the personalities of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, both of whom started their careers in Paris. You also get an insight of the life outside work, including wild evening, drugs, or other party nights. It’s a great overview of the French couture industry of the 70’s. It’s available on Amazon.
