Fashion books = best gift ever!

Every 2-3 years I tend to fall into a trend of wanting a particular item/brand/category of fashion for every holiday of recieving presents. In my early junior high/high school years it was Coach purses, in my senior year/early college years it was Tiffany & Co. jewelry. Lately it has been awesome handbags from Bloomies (not a bag switchup if I say so myself...) However, for this past Christmas and the previous Christmas/or/birthday my sister bought me two really interesting fashion books. This Christmas I recieved Avedon Fashion: 1944-2000, an amazing fashion book based on the fashion photographer, Richard Avedon. The book was put together by Willis Hartshorn, director of the ICP, and Norma Stevens, Executive Director of The Richard Avedon Foundation, to accompany and exhibition that was curated by the International Center of Photography in NYC. The book is mainly composed of Avedon's photography, however it does go into detail about his career throughout the period of 1944-2000. I haven't had a chance to read the bio yet but I have already marked off some of my favorite photographs, that I will absolutely scan in to share as soon as I get back to my lovely New York City apartment and my scanner. Til then you will have to wait... teehee! The other book I recieved as a gift from my sister was American Fashion, which is an amazing chronological timeline of fashion and its influence through American history from the early 1900s to present.

Another fashion-related book I have read and highly recommend is The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever by Teri Agins. It focuses on the decline of French Couture because of revolution of high-end RTW in the United States and the marketing techniques by American designers, such as Calvin Klein, that caught and reeled consumers in and away from Couture prices. Veryyyyyy fun and full of enlightening facts! :)