The Best Fashion Biographies & Memoirs 2025

1. The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir, Pre-Owned (Hardcover)

Pre-Owned - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the pages of Vogue to the runways of Paris, this captivating (Time) memoir by a legendary style icon captures the fashion world from the inside out, in its most glamorous and most cutthroat moments. The Chiffon Trenches honestly and candidly captures fifty sublime years of fashion.--Manolo Blahnik NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR - Fortune - Garden & Gun - New York Post During Andr Leon Talley's first magazine job, alongside Andy Warhol at Interview, a fateful meeting with Karl Lagerfeld began a decades-long friendship with the enigmatic, often caustic designer. Propelled into the upper echelons by his knowledge and adoration of fashion, Andr moved to Paris as bureau chief of John Fairchild's Women's Wear Daily, befriending fashion's most important designers (Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta). But as Andr made friends, he also made enemies. A racially tinged encounter with a member of the house of Yves Saint Laurent sent him back to New York and into the offices of Vogue under Grace Mirabella. There, he eventually became creative director, developing an unlikely but intimate friendship with Anna Wintour. As she rose to the top of Vogue's masthead, Andr also ascended, and soon became the most influential man in fashion. The Chiffon Trenches offers a candid look at the who's who of the last fifty years of fashion. At once ruthless and empathetic, this engaging memoir tells with raw honesty the story of how Andr not only survived the brutal style landscape but thrived--despite racism, illicit rumors, and all the other challenges of this notoriously cutthroat industry--to become one of the most renowned voices and faces in fashion. Woven throughout the book are also Andr 's own personal struggles that have impacted him over the decades, along with intimate stories of those he has turned to for inspiration (Diana Vreeland, Diane von F rstenberg, Lee Radziwill, to name a few), and of course his Southern roots and ongoing faith, which have guided him since childhood. The result is a highly compelling read that captures the essence of a world few of us will ever have real access to, but one that we all want to know oh so much more about.

The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir, Pre-Owned (Hardcover)

2. Chanel: A Woman of Her Own [Hardcover - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Alex Madsen brings to life Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the queen of fashion who revolutionized women's styles forever.

Chanel: A Woman of Her Own, Used [Hardcover]

3. Chanel: A Woman of Her Own [Hardcover - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Alex Madsen brings to life Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the queen of fashion who revolutionized women's styles forever.

Chanel: A Woman of Her Own, Used [Hardcover]

4. The Fashion House: Inside the Homes of Leading Designers, Used [Hardcover]

From New York to Paris, this text looks at the apartments of 25 international designers, providing a glimpse of their lives beyond the catwalk and an insight into each designer's creative approach. Those opening their doors include, Givenchy, Anouska Hempel, Yves St Laurent and Lagerfeld. Each home tells a story, from Armani's villa - recreating childhood memories of the simple life, to Versace's palazzo - a sumptuous backdrop to his art collection. Unlike their fashion collections which are reinvented each season, their homes are spaces which have evolved to reflect the life of their owners.

The Fashion House : Inside the Homes of Leading Designers, Used [Hardcover]

5. Fashion Now (Icons) [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Fashion Now (Icons)

Fashion Now (Icons), Used [Paperback]

6. Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957, Used [Hardcover]

Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957 by Esmeralda de Rethy; Jean-Louis Perreau

Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957, Used [Hardcover]

7. Fashion Now 2 [Turtleback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. The iconic British style magazine "i-D" once again brings you a guide to the world's most important designers. From the biggest players in the international fashion industry including Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, and Marc Jacobs, to emerging names such as Kim Jones and Tess Giberson, to streetwear and sportswear brands: A Bathing Ape, Nike, Diesel and Silas, "Fashion Now II" is a comprehensive survey of today's best designers. Expanded from the previous edition, "Fashion Now II" is illustrated with the very best fashion photography and styling, extracted from shoots in the archives of the magazine that celebrates its 25th birthday this year. Also included are an introduction by "i-D" founder and editor-in-chief Terry Jones, and in-depth essays on the issues that are shaping fashion today: the fashion show system, the precarious position of the celebrity designer, and the rise of menswear. "Fashion Now II" is an encyclopedia of fashion personalities, a portfolio of amazing imagery, but most of all, a snapshot of the fast-changing contemporary fashion world, as seen through the lens of one of the best-loved magazines published today. Features: more than 160 designer listings from A-Z, including photos of recent work, detailed biographies, and fascinating 'Q&A' interviews in the format for which "i-D" is famous; essays on current issues in the fashion industry; detailed insider guide section lists where to stay, shop, and what to see in global fashion capitals such as New York, London, Milan, Paris, Sao Paolo, and Moscow.

Fashion Now 2, Used [Turtleback]

8. FabJob Guide to Become a Fashion Designer (With CD-ROM) (FabJob Guides) [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. It takes creativity, hard work and a true passion for fabulous designs to achieve success as a fashion designer, but you can break into this career much more quickly and easily with the FabJob Guide to Become a Fashion Designer. In this book you will discover how you can get started and succeed as a fashion designer. The guide covers topics of vital importance if you want to learn fashion design, get hired as a fashion designer, or start your own fashion design business in the United States or Canada.

FabJob Guide to Become a Fashion Designer (With CD-ROM) (FabJob Guides), Used [Paperback]

9. 100 New Fashion Designers, Used [Paperback]

The fashion industry has always celebrated innovative design, and young, talented fashion designers can make a huge impact as they explore new ideas and push boundaries. This book showcases the diverse and unique work of the best 100 new creatives in fashion design from around the world.

100 New Fashion Designers, Used [Paperback]

10. Field Guide: How to be a Fashion Designer, Used [Paperback]

This book is the first basic guide for aspiring fashion designers. It fully explains the fundamental concepts surrounding the business of fashion design from both a creative and marketing perspective. Designed as a flow chart, the book walks the reader through the steps necessary when developing a collection and highlights the key points in the process, from the genesis of an idea through to the production of a final design. A complete reference, this book also includes a listing of the major fashion schools around the world, and illustrates the paths taken by some of the most distinguished designers that got them where they are today.

Field Guide: How to Be a Fashion Designer, Used [Paperback]