Manifesting My Dream Library
As you may know, I’m a writer. Riveting.
Now earning my master’s in fashion journalism, I have become engulfed in cultivating my own library. Accumulating the perfect collection is critical to the success of a true fashion journalist. The interconnection between the arts and history is of utmost importance for a writer's mind, and understanding all subjects makes for a worthwhile read to an audience.
Building a library to the magnitude I have envisioned will take years. In the meantime, I thought I’d curate a list of books I’d like to start reading to manifest this dream life.
Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity (2009)
This book explores the unfolding of the black dandy. From perfect, crisp tailoring to footwear, author Monica L. Miller explores the style of black men going back to 18th-century England to 20th-century America and the cultural, historical, and racial aspects that prompted their unique aesthetic. This book is important to fashion today, as it has influenced black culture throughout the 21st century, highlighting what inspired this year’s Met Gala theme. Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, also written by Monica L. Miller with special contributors, will be released soon.
Fifth Avenue: 200 Years of Stories and Legends (2024)
Exploring one of New York's most famous streets, Fifth Avenue, is composed of stories by Jay McInerney and photographs from the very beginning of its lively history to today. The book showcases fashion, architecture, and history, displaying some of the most iconic moments that have been captured on the big screen, the runways, and in everyday life.
Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh (2022)
Exhibiting the work of Louis Vuitton’s first black artistic menswear director, author Anders Christian Madsen, dives into the creative mind of Virgil Abloh. Containing words from Abloh himself along with his closest circle rightfully singing his praise, this book gives us a time capsule to a designer who changed the fashion industry in more ways than one.
Shocking: The Surreal World of Elsa Schiaparelli
The life and designs of Elsa Schiaparelli. Her visionary “surrealist” work is viewed through the lens of original photographs, magazine features, and sketches. Drawing inspiration and working closely with artists like Salvador Dalí, Schiaparelli experimented with materials new to the fashion world in her period, along with the creation of her signature “shocking pink.”
Frida Kahlo: Fashion as the Art of Being (2016)
Writer Susana Martínez Vidal dives into the persona that is Frida Kahlo. The Mexican artist was well-versed in the arts, displaying herself and her clothing as a canvas like her own paintings. This book highlights Kahlo’s versatile, yet timeless pieces, examining how it has impacted the arts, from filmography to fashion today.
These are a few of many books that I would love to get my hands on. The historic cache of printed work can be a great way of keeping physical media alive for our future generations… and they make for cute coffee table decor.
Assouline is a designer coffee table book website that has anything from fashion to architecture to sports cars. A few of these books are from there, and each photo below has a link attached in case you’re interested in them.
