Chic Lit: 5 Books You Should Pick Up
Reading is often perceived as a sign of intellectualism. A shelf devoted to Freud, Kundera and Tolstoy could possibly mean that you have reached the higher level of elite consciousness braved only by those who have mastered the understanding of mysterious words and intricate sentences.
Phew! To tell you the truth the only books I truly enjoyed was ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘1984’, confirming suspicions that the last time I read something other than a magazine was during my high school years post-millennia. But instead of impressing you with my bombastic literary criticism of ‘Love in a Time of Cholera’, here are five amazing books about fashion that will put a Kafka reader to shame. 
Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion: Fashioning the Ideal by Harold Koda
Models are the reason why sometimes I think genetics are playing tricks on me. This latest publication by the Metropolitan Museum of Art was launched very recently coinciding with the Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion exhibition, where the likes of Kate Moss, Lara Stone and Leighton Meeister congregated within the lights of the paparazzi.
The book features the women who gave fashion a face, such as Jean Shrimpton, Lauren Hutton and Linda Evangelista, and their role in the cutthroat industry of fashion.
Influence by Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen
Who knew that those adorable little tween-twins would grow up to become sullen, voiceless icons of style? In Influence, the young entrepreneurs interview and feature the individuals that have personally inspired them. Karl Lagerfeld, Diane von Furstenburg and much loved items from their closet are presented in a scrapbook style bible.
Playboy by Helmut Newton, Walter Abish, Gary Cole, Hugh Hefner and Mary Lynn Blasutta
Cinematic and mysterious, Helmut Newton’s iconic style of photography is presented through an array of pretty Playmates. A far cry from the American Playboy of today, Newton’s stunning images of raw sexuality is more sensual than seedy. A true collector’s item.
Vivienne Westwood by Claire Wilcox
There are Chanel girls and there are Westwood girls. I would like to think that I belong in the latter. The designer, along with her ex-husband Malcolm McLaren were true visionaries of the punk movement, and her clothes defined a generation (and more). This published gem showcases her work and ideas of the 1970s right up to recent years, confirming why Vivienne Westwood is clearly Britain’s top ambassador.
Fresh Fruits by Shoichi Aoki
'Fruits' were at the forefront of streetstyle as we know today, championed by Yvan Rodic of the Facehunter and Scott of The Sartorialist. But instead of the WWW, these fashion-conscious kids opted for homemade threads mixed with high-end labels, ensuring that their youths will be immortalized forever within the pages of Fresh Fruits.
Related post:
Chic Reading: Feed Me Fashion
