Is there anything better then that ‘can’t-stop-reading-till-you-get-to-the-end-because-it’s-so-damn-good’ feeling you get when you are reading a really, really great book? Didn’t think so. This summer it’s time to swap the glossy magazine for that good ol’ fashioned book (we’ll let it slide if you have a kindle, ibooks etc) and discover your new essential fashion read.
MORE: Your 2015 Fashion and Style Resoutions
Lucky for you, we’ve done the hard work (and reading), so take your pick, get comfy by the pool and get set to discover your new fashion bible.
The Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls by Leandra Medine
We’ve all been there. Thinking an outfit is totally cute and on-trend, only to be told by our boyfriends that we look ‘silly’, or ‘weird’ or ‘they just don’t get it’. Except none of us wrote a blog, and eventually a book about it. The woman who did is Leandra Medine and she is like a voice of reason; validating our questionable fashion choices, congratulating us on taking style risks and reminding us to dress for no one but ourselves. In the series of essays, Medine completely fails to repell, and her quirky, refreshing (sometimes over-sharing) take on all things style, men and ruining a pair of Jimmy Choos is irresistible.To be read in a onsie (or any other equally as heinous, but fabulously misunderstood item of clothing).
It by Alexa Chung
Before there was Cara Delevingne, we had Alexa Chung; ultimate Brit It-girl, rockstar’s girlfriend and solely responsible for the revival of the Peter Pan collar. Her ‘too cool for school’ approach to fashion has made her a styling icon (you don’t get a Mulberry bag named after you for nothing), and her festival looks are what Instagram dreams are made of. The book itself is like a dreamy, sepia-tinted snapshot of Chung’s life. Think poleroid photos, cutesy drawings and musings such as ‘looking effortless takes a lot of effort’. It also details her addiction to cat-eye liner, the items in her wardrobe she can’t live without and her style icons. Need your cool girl handbook this summer? You just found it.
Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington
Forget Anna Wintour, it’s all about Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington and the rare, often outrageous insight into the elite fashion world that she offers in her memoir. Since becoming the accidental star of The September Issue, the right hand woman to Wintour has found herself the object of much interest and curiosity (the flaming red hair helps too). The book outlines her Welsh upbringing, early modelling career and onto forging a very fashionable path via British and then American Vogue. It’s littered with celebrity encounters, wistful stories of wild, youthful days, and it even mentions her thoughts on the ‘laughable’ The Devil Wears Prada movie. If you like your fashion books feisty and in your face, this is for you.
#girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
Think you’ve heard enough rags-to-riches tales to last you a lifetime? Especially one that involves a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who ends up making her millions (yes, we get it’s a tried and true tale). Well, here is one more for you. You may know of a little online store called Nasty Gal, you may have even shopped there (gasp!), what you might not know is how CEO Sophia Amoruso made it to the top. Her story is an inspiring, motivational and, albeit, unconventional one, filled with advice and observations on fashion, business, and how to be your own #GirlBoss. Being your own boss has never sounded better, enjoy reading this one as you plot your own path to glory and success.
MORE: Forever 21 Finally Lands In Sydney
The Sartorialist: Closer by Scott Schuman
If you can only pick one book to adorn your coffee table, make it this one. Scott Schuman’s follow up to his first book, the wildly popular The Sartorialist, is a collection of some of the most beautiful, haunting and engaging street style photo’s ever to be collated. If you are not familiar with his work, now is your chance. Schuman’s premise it to photograph every day, real life people on the streets of some of the world’s most fashionable cities, and on some of the stylistically quieter ones. The images are candid and honest, not your typical ‘off duty model/blogger’ stereotype we have become quite accustomed too – these are REAL people, with flaws and quirks that make them interesting to the eye. Trust us, you will keep coming back to this one.
Images via wonderlandmagazine.com, amazon.com, manrepeller.com, nastygal.com
