Stylish beach reads
Five fashion books to catch up on this summer.
FROM a visual tribute to the humble T-shirt and an ode to French chic past and present to the Insta-glam realm of fashion-making millennials, we’ve put together a selection of recently published stylish holiday pageturners. 100 T-Shirts: That Make a Statement by Raphaelle Orsini
An easy and inspiring read, this ode to summer’s most versatile suitcase staple in all its forms (concert tee, slogan tee, souvenir tee, etc) from the 1950s to the present by Paris department store Galeries Lafayette’s online magazine editor will give you the urge to shop for a new message tee.
Suave in Every Situation: A Rakish
Style Guide for Men by Gonzague Dupleix and illustrated by Jean Philppe Delhomme
There is no reason for men to be at sea about savvy dressing – you can always take a leaf out of this book. New York Magazine rated the debonair duo’s men’s style bible which offers tips on how to dress to impress a la Francaise as “wry, highly specific advice.”
Marie-Antoinette, Queen of Style
& Taste by Françoise Ravelle If you’re interested in historical France, swot up on irreverent monarch Marie-Antoinette’s quintessential French style. The volume looks back at the defining style of France’s only queen which she lent to everything from her extensive wardrobe to chic apartments. The pocket-sized guide also sheds light on Rose Bertin, the power dresser behind the throne – whose dresses and general art of dressing inspired so many. Digital Girls: Fashion’s New Tribe – Risk Takers, Rule Breakers, Disruptors by fashion photographer Marko MacPherson, and edited by Nicole Phelps
Give your smartphone a break and open this book that will bring you up to speed with the millennial female bloggers, designers, entrepreneurs and activists who are shaping what’s hot and what’s not in fashion, beauty and personal style. Tech titans Michelle Phan, Nicole Warne, Andreja Pejic, Barbie Ferrera and co will give you plenty of inspiration for your next Instagram scroll. Traces – Fashion & Migration by Olga Blumhardt and Antje Drinkuth
A topical and enlightening read about migrant influences’ positive contribution to contemporary fashion. The publication is loaded with high-profile examples tracing the careers of designers Haider Ackermann, Azzedine Alaïa, Yohji Yamamoto and others who hail from far-flung places. No matter how you plan to spend your summer, this book that is the result of a research project at the AMD Academy of Fashion and Design in Berlin, will have you travelling without moving.