What do you buy for the fashionista that has everything? Gift certificates are too impersonal, the Louboutins she’s lusting after are too expensive, and trust us—she does not need another scarf. Why not adorn her coffee table with style? Perfect for the lover of all things luxurious, these books are pretty inside and out. Here are some ideas for fashionable décor that you don’t even have to know her color scheme to buy. 

Harper’s Bazaar: Greatest Hits is a time capsule of America’s longest-running fashion magazine and one of today’s most influential industry authorities under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Glenda Bailey. The magazine’s evolution is illustrated by over 300 iconic images of the past decades defining moments in celebrity pop culture, politics, and world affairs through the eyes of fashion. “The importance of our fashion magazine is to create something that no one has ever seen before.  It’s got to be original, innovative, and exciting.  I am also a great believer on a sense of fun,” says Bailey on connecting through the reader’s experience. Greatest Hits takes that connection one step further, bearing all—from the controversial to the acclaimed, with this beautifully entertaining collection.
Harper’s Bazaar: Greatest Hits by Glenda Bailey, $65

 

 

 

A coffee table volume of over 600 pages, Decades of Fashion could arguably serve as a coffee table itself! Bursting at the seams with imagery depicting over a century of fashion, this book is divided into ten chapters on the evolution of style from 1900 to present. Author Harriet Worsely describes each era in the terms of fashion icons, trends, designers, and historical context. Spotlights on Coco Chanel, Greta Garbo, Marylin Monroe, and Bianca Jagger show the drastic changes in fashion since the start of the 20^th century; hairstyles, makeup, and hemlines all included! The compilation of beautiful pictures and captivating text is a true visual timeline of how the history of fashion influences today’s style.
Decades of Fashion: 1900 to Present by Harriet Worsley, price varies

 

 

 

One of the most memorable and influential designers in the past, present, and future of fashion, Alexander McQueen’s creations are unparalleled. An homage to the late designer and supplement to the recent Savage Beauty exhibition, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is the perfect table topper for anyone reverent of his work. The volume examines McQueen’s career via his premiere designs to collections by the house of McQueen. Known for his avant garde aesthetic and tendency to push the boundaries of race, gender, religion, and sexually as represented by clothing. Beyond the anthology of his designs, Savage Beauty also includes a preface by Met Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, an introduction by The Independent editor Susannah Frankel, and an interview with Sarah Burton, Creative Director of Alexander McQueen.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (Metropolitan Museum of Art), $45

 

 

 

Beloved for her beauty, artistic eye, creative aesthetic, and unrivaled talent in the fashion industry, Grace Coddington has graced the industry with her brilliance for over thirty years. Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue commemorates her career from its explosion onto London’s modeling scene in the 60s to her past fourteen years as Vogue’s Creative Director. She’s spent her life among our acclaimed fashion icons like Twiggy, David Bailey, and Anna Wintour. Her work, in front of lens and behind, has come to be considered classic. The list of authors, contributors, and photographers (from Annie Leibovitz to Karl Lagerfeld) who collaborated on this special tribute reads like a rooster of who’s who in the fashion biz. Model, photographer, stylist—Grace Coddington’s trifecta of artistic creativity should be admired...from your living room.Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue (Edition 7L), prices vary

 

 

 

The collaboration of two great cultural arts: fashion design and opera. Showcasing unforgettable partnerships between influential couture designers and opera production teams, Fashion Designers at the Opera goes behind the scenes of this unique design process. “Fashion is all about creating dreams and opera is the ultimate dream,” says Viktor Horsting of Viktor & Rolf who created costumes for Der Freischutz in 2009. Other collaborators include: Zandra Rhodes, Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, and Christian Lacroix. Author Helena Matheopoulos, a former fashion editor of Tatler, illuminates ten designers’ collections with exclusive interviews, sketches, and photographs.
Fashion Designers at the Opera by Helena Matheopoulos, $60