Struggling what to gift the fashion fanatic in your life this holiday season? A good *luxury coffee table* book is always a good idea, and we’ve got your last minute gift-giving requirements covered. All in once place, book publisher Assouline, has a vast selection of books readily available – ranging from subjects such as Chanel to award-winning French graphist, illustrator, photographer and advertising movie maker Jean-Paul Goude.
Scroll further for just 8 of theFashionSpot’s top picks available from Assouline right now:
#1 Dior by John Galliano:
During his time as a student at London’s Central Saint Martins, Gibraltar-born British fashion designer John Galliano worked as a dresser at the National Theatre, learning the art of costume and the power of illusion. As a regular in London nightclubs, Galliano met a coterie of artists and colorful personalities, forging strong ties with kindred spirits who would play a decisive role in his career – among which Stephen Jones, who would become Dior’s milliner.
Following the success of his own brand (founded in 1984,) he was appointed Creative Director of ready-to-wear and haute couture at Givenchy in 1995, before joining Dior in 1996 as Artistic Director of the women’s collections. There, he distinguished himself with his extravagant shows that combined eclectic historical and cultural inspirations – a global kaleidoscope of references and unbridled inventiveness, imbued with romanticism and history. The designer’s sensitivity for haute couture know-how and innate sense of the spectacular has garnered him a reputation as a master of the silhouette.
John Galliano has truly reinvented the art – and the very role – of haute couture, redefining its tropes into a new type of contemporary fashion that combines the influences of his travels – whether real or born of his imagination – and the bountiful heritage of Christian Dior. This book highlights the exceptional silhouettes he created for Dior collection after collection from 1996 to 2011, through his most emblematic models, as photographed by Laziz Hamani, alongside shots by Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn and Paolo Roversi. This singular odyssey is the fifth volume in a new series of books paying tribute to the House’s Artistic Directors.
448 pages. Over 300 illustrations. Hardcover with jacket sleeve ($195.00).
#2 Franca: Chaos & Creation:
During her three-decade tenure as editor in chief of Vogue Italia, Franca Sozzani brought an inimitable energy and voice to Fashion journalism. Never afraid to address the subjects other publications avoided, such as domestic violence, as well as drug abuse, and recovery, she was a pioneer lauded for her efforts to be incisive yet inclusive: July 2008’s Black Issue, featuring only models of color, sells for $2,500 in the market today. Featuring photos by industry luminaries like Steven Meisel, Peter Lindbergh, and Bruce Weber from both Ms. Sozzani’s personal collection and the Vogue Italia archives; texts on her expansive work with couture, models, and provocation to family and joie de vivre; and notes from dear friends on what she represented to them. This book is an unprecedented collection of fashion’s greatest works and talents participating all together for the first time. Franca: Chaos and Creation is a fabulous tribute to a visionnaire and her work during the most intensely creative period of the fashion magazine.
408 pages. 300 illustrations. Hardcover with luxury slipcase ($250.00).
#3 Moschino:
When Jeremy Scott inherited Franco Moschino’s eponymous fashion house in 2013, he did more than just give it a face lift. As fashion’s resident enfant terrible, known for pushing the label with his daring collections laced with pop culture references and rebellious humor, Scott was a natural fit to revive the 30-year-old Italian label, which made its name on rule-breaking outfits. In the years since he became Moschino’s creative director, Scott has sent some of fashion’s most playful collections down the runway, drawing inspiration from everything including Barbie, car washes, Looney Toons, and Picasso to create the ‘cheap and chic’ sensibility they’re known for.
Designed in close collaboration with Scott himself, this volume brings to life the world of Moschino as seen through the designer’s eyes. Featuring a treasure trove of images from campaigns, editorials, fashion shows, backstage photos, front rows, red carpets, parties, and more, it’s all things Moschino, as only Jeremy Scott could do it.
360 pages. 350 illustrations. Silk hardcover in luxury slip case ($250.00).
#4 Chanel 3-Book Slipcase (New Edition):
Assouline and Chanel present a newly updated trilogy celebrating the timeless spirit, signatures, and heritage of the house of Chanel, this slipcase set includes three Mémoire volumes: Chanel Fashion, Chanel Jewelry And Watches, and Chanel Fragrance And Beauty.
240 pages. 180 illustrations. 3 jacketed hardcover volumes in luxury slipcase ($90.00).
#5 So Far So Goude:
Representing Jean-Paul Goude’s life and work from the late 1960s up to the present, the book spans Goude’s years at Esquire; his revolutionary work with Grace Jones, his videos for MTV and for Azzedine Alaia; his advertising work for Chanel, and more. With text and images by Goude himself, So Far So Goude is the definitive book on the work of an extraordinarily innovative, talented and unorthodox man. With more than 350 illustrations in full color, this book is a fascinating reference for anyone interested in fashion illustration, photography, and all other avenues of commercial design and advertising.
Jean-Paul Goude (born in 1940) is an award-winning French graphist, illustrator, photographer and advertising movie maker.
352 pages. Hardcover ($95.00).
#6 Burberry by Alexander Fury:
More than 165 years of innovation, adventure and a unique expression of Britishness come to life in Burberry, a richly illustrated volume filled with material from the Burberry archive and beyond. Five chapters, featuring 200 illustrations, depict Burberry’s evolution from a family-run company, founded in 1856, to a renowned global luxury brand in 2022.
Each chapter explores a range of notable events and the emblems for which Burberry is renowned. Think inspiring explorers, signature trench coats and a distinct British identity. Today, the trench and signature Check remain instantly recognizable house codes, elevated, reworked and reconstructed in every collection – but always emblematic of Burberry’s history, craftsmanship and enduring British style. This volume, from Assouline’s Legends Collection, is a must-have for anyone who appreciates the enduring British style and craftsmanship that has made Burberry a household name.
252 pages. 200 illustrations. Linen hardcover in linen slipcase ($195.00).
#7 Windows at Tiffany & Co. (Icon Edition):
Discover the enchanting world of Tiffany & Co. through the captivating windows at their Fifth Avenue flagship. This Icons Collection edition offers an exclusive tour of the exquisitely crafted displays that have mesmerized visitors of all ages for generations. From the whimsical Christmas and Valentine’s vignettes by legendary designer Gene Moore to the ethereal visions of the current Tiffany & Co. creative team, this book showcases the brand’s unmistakable robin’s-egg blue in all its glory. Updated with an epilogue by Christopher Young, creative director of the Tiffany windows, this edition features never-before-seen concept sketches, archival documents, behind-the-scenes imagery, and insights from cultural influencers and fans of the iconic luxury brand.
Windows at Tiffany & Co. is a nostalgic tribute to the brand’s fanciful spirit that will transport readers back to their first Blue Box moment.
148 pages. 120 illustrations. Silk hardcover ($85.00).
#8 Louis Vuitton Manufactures:
Louis Vuitton fosters the idea that an atelier can be a place of fulfillment and individuality. A place where savoir-faire can be learned, respected and transmitted – and innovation nurtured – by artisans who routinely challenge the image of a traditional workshop. In pursuit of regional expertise and artisanal excellence, Louis Vuitton’s ateliers span the length and breadth of France and beyond, from Geneva (Switzerland), to Fiesso d’Artico (Italy) and even Texas (USA). Sites of historic interest or outstanding natural beauty will often have a Louis Vuitton workshop nearby: in Normandy, the sea-girt fastness of Mont-Saint-Michel can be seen from the workshop at Ducey, and in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, the light-flooded facility promises low environmental impact.
Featuring photographs commissioned exclusively for this book, the volume showcases the extraordinary locations and buildings of Louis Vuitton’s ateliers, and the equally extraordinary artisans who express their talent through Louis Vuitton’s creations (trunks, bags, fragrances, watches, shoes, high jewelry and ready-to- wear), while carrying the founder’s techniques and savoir-faire into the twenty-first century. It is to these ateliers and the inspiring people who work there that this book is dedicated.
400 pages. Over 350 illustrations. Silk hardcover ($140.00).
