With the new year upon us, it is easy to get sentimental about the year past, as well as excited and dreamy about the year ahead. We at Haute Living believe it’s important to embrace both. On the sentimental/appreciative side, 2015 was an amazing year for fashion, filled with rapidly-growing trends and bold fashion statements highlighting every personality’s individual style. It was also a great year for fashion writing, which brings us to the ultimate list of Top 8 Best Fashion Books of 2015 written by the crème de la crème of the industry.
With biographies by timeless icons such as Cindy Crawford, Grace Jones and Joe Zee, as well as inside looks into the world of fashion by Amy Odell, Grace Coddington and Iain R Webb, among others, this list is more than enough to keep your fashionista self at rest for at least a few weeks. Of course, this list should include one-hundred more incredible must-reads, but in the spirit of not writing an entire essay on this matter, this short list is what we’ve got for now.
This past year showed an undeniable boom in fashion writing and style blogging, which for us fashion-lovers and book-worms is what our (nonexistent) free time has been waiting for. Hopefully, you are so involved in expanding your knowledge on the industry that you have already read and reread all of these books and this list is just a friendly reminder of how amazing you are; but if not, you should add them to your 2016 reading list ASAP. 
1. Becoming by Cindy Crawford
Flawless at 50 and still landing major appearances in the worlds of fashion and entertainment, Cindy Crawford never ceases to amaze us. In this book, her debut into publishing, she talks about the ups and downs in her career, and every step that lead her to becoming the icon and muse that she is today. Marking her 50th birthday, her retrospective tells the tale of her impressive career, featuring personal essays written by her along with images taken by legendary photographers such as Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. This entertaining read will give you the inside look you’ve been craving into our favorite supermodel’s remarkable life.
2. Tales from the Back Row by Amy Odell
Amy, the current editor of Cosmopolitan.com has been in the center of the fashion industry for quite some time. Formerly the party reporter of New York magazine and the first blogger at The Cut, Odell’ got more than a few fashion shows under her sleeve. In her books she describes the nitty gritty of the so-called super glamorous fashion industry and talks about what it’s really like to work in and write about it.
3. The Sartorialist X by Scott Schuman
The well-known photographer, blogger and founder of popular site, The Sartorialist, has been walking the sidewalks of every major fashion capital in the world for more than ten years. He has captured the style of endless fashionable individuals going about their day-to-day activities and in this way, spoken about the relationship of fashion to daily life. As much as we are used to seeing his photos on chic locations such as Milan, Paris and New York, this book contains a lot more. Having traveled afield to less obvious locations such as Peru, India, Dubai and South Africa, Scott provides a much more global perspective, showing that style truly can (and does) cross borders.
4. Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue published by Phaidon
A less-expensive but still incredible reprint of the creative director’s 2002 edition, this sophisticated one-of-a-kind book featuring some of the best fashion photographs ever published, is an absolute must for both your bookshelf and your coffee table. Celebrating, once again, the work of Vogue star and creative genius Grace Coddington, this book is a fashion collectible and a true classic.
5. I’ll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones
Grace Jones, the now sixty-seven year old supermodel turned actress from Jamaica, owned the top of the modeling mountain and strutted the stage with her androgynous beauty way before it was trendy. One of the first A-listers to wear unisex designer clothing and own it, Grace’s striking, gender-neutral look landed her on the covers of top publications like Vogue and Elle magazine, making her a successful model and later a singer/actress. In her bio, she discusses her fabulous life in candid detail, all the way from her strict Jamaican upbringing to her extravagant Paris modeling days and much more. This book is an intense cultural and fashion-centric read for sure.
6. That’s What Fashion Is: Lessons and Stories from My Nonstop, Mostly Glamorous Life in Style by Joe Zee
One of the most noted and appreciated personalities in the fashion industry, Elle magazine’s Joe Zee has not only earned his fame through Yahoo Style and his frequent TV appearances on The City and Ugly Betty, but also boast an impressive list of published books on behalf of Elle magazine during his time as creative director. This being his first true memoir, we cannot wait for you to discover the hilarious and insightful fews of this stylish figure we all know and love.
7. The Secrets of Parisian Chic by Inès de la Fressange
The now 58 year old French model, aristocrat, fashion designer, and perfumer, Inès de la Fressange – once included in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame – gives her style advice in this adorable and much-needed book. Highlighting her fashion icon status, she provides the ultimate guide to mastering French dressing, walking her readers through her essential wardrobe basics and suggesting various miraculous styling tricks. You know you want to dress like a Parisian, Inès knows best.
8. Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge
Do you ever wonder who in the world decided that one day he or she was going to start wearing colored glitter on his/her eyelids and matte earth-toned gel on his/her lips? It wasn’t Kylie Jenner, I’ll tell you that. In her book, Lisa Eldridge narrates the entire history of makeup, going back in history to the time of the ancient Egyptians and coming back to present-day beauty trends. If you’re ever curious as to how all that gorgeous product landed on your beautiful face, read this insightful story… and then go buy some more.
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