Fashion Books to Read During J-Term Break

Hey Fashionable Collegians,

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had an amazing time ringing in the new year with your loved ones. January Term Break (oh, how I miss thee), is a perfect time to read for leisure. Below are some books I would like to recommend reading while you’re on January Term Break. I grouped the books based on informational books on how to get into the fashion industry, biographies of notable fashion industry insiders, and fictional books with a fashion flair to them. 

Happy reading!

XO,

Bisi

Fashion Career Advice:

Still trying to figure out what you want to do in the fashion industry? There’s loads of different career paths in the fashion industry from working at a magazine to working in corporate retail. Below are some really good books to help you navigate the right career path for you:

1-Mary Gehlhar, “The Fashion Designer Survival Guide.”

2-Leslie Davis Burns, Kathy K. Mullet, and Nancy O. Bryant, “The Business of Fashion.”

3-The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider’s Guide to Careers in Fashion.”

4-Annemarie Iverson, “In Fashion: From Runway to Retail, Everything You Need to Know to Break Into the Fashion Industry."

Biographical Books:

I love reading biographies of fashion industry insiders as it most often than not, provides inspiration on how to navigate the fashion industry. Plus, I love hearing nostalgic stories of the inner-workings of the fashion industry 20, 30, 40 years ago. Below are some of my favorite biographies:

1-Diane von Furstenberg, “The Woman I Wanted to Be.”

2-Andre Leon Talley, "A.L.T: A Memoir”

3-Sophia Amoruso, “#GirlBoss.”

4-Grace Coddington, “Grace: A Memoir.”

5-Diana Vreeland, “D.V.”

6-Alicia Drake, “The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and the Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris."

*Kelly Cutrone, “If You Have to Go Outside.” This book is both bigraphical and offers great career advice. It’s a must-read if you need you still need some guidance on how to have tough skin in the fashion industry.

 Fashion Fiction Books:

"Fashion fiction" is one of my favorite genres of books to read as it gives me an opportunity to escape (adulating is no joke. lol). From carefree characters to cheeky anecdotes, check out my list of books you’ll enjoy reading:

1- Sophie Kinsella, "Confessions of a Shopaholic.” (This is actually a series of books. Once you read the first one, you’ll want to read the others.)

2-Anna Mitchel and Michelle Sassa, “Copygirl.”

3-Kevin Kwan, “Crazy Rich Asians.”

4-Lucy Sykes and Jo Plazza, “The Knockoff.”

5-Tia Williams, “The Perfect Find.”

*MIchael Tonello, “Bringing Home the Birkin.” This book isn’t fashion fiction per se, but the story reads like a fun movie of some sort. Either way, you’ll have a good laugh at reading this book.