Gathering inspiration, sometimes our fashion research might just be limited to fashion magazines and websites. For wannabe fashion designers in college or fashionistas, I think it’s so much more important to diversify their sources of ideas. As a fashion newbie, you need a wide range of knowledge in a variety of fields, in order to develop your own style as a fashion designer or illustrator. Below is a list of books that will change your way of thinking completely.

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HISTORY OF BEAUTY

by UMBERTO ECO

Do you know what’s beautiful? Everyone believes to know it, and yet every historical era has had its own idea of perfection.

The first time I came across History of Beauty was at art class in my last year at university. We studied only this one book for a whole semester.

As the name suggests, Umberto Eco takes the reader on a journey through time and depicts the idea of beauty in Western culture from ancient times to the present. The book is a demonstration of human beauty, the feminine as well as the masculine. It incorporates all artistic forms of expression with abundant examples of painting, sculpture, architecture, literature and philosophy, industrial design, film and pop culture.

THE FASHION DESIGNER SURVIVAL GUIDE

by MARY GEHLHAR

Fashion designer Survival guide is a must have book in your library if you’re thinking  about getting into the world of fashion design. It will help you leave a mark in the fashion industry. The guide gives fashion designers the essential tips for a successful fashion career. I would recommend this book to any new designer, fashion illustrator, creative entrepreneur or fashion design student.

Mary Gehlhar talks about the tools you will need, financing and start-up costs, business plans, legal issues, sales and marketing, distribution among other issues. This is an exceptional book that gives you additional information you didn’t get in your design school.

A comprehensive guide to breaking into the fashion business. Mary uses the experiences and interviews of other people in the industry to help you understand the realities of starting your own clothing line.

FASHION: A HISTORY FROM THE 18TH TO THE 20TH CENTURY

by THE KYOTO COSTUME INSTITUTE

Take a trip through 200 years of fashion history with this two-volume publication showcasing the extensive collection of The Kyoto Costume Institute.

This book is a must for any fashion student/fashion enthusiast. The pictures are of good quality and the text is clear for both professional and enthusiasts alike.

Founded in 1978, the Kyoto Costume Institute recognizes the importance of understanding clothes from sociological, historical, and artistic perspectives. With one of the world’s most extensive clothing collections, the KCI has amassed a wide range of historical garments, underwear, shoes, and fashion accessories dating from the 18th century to the present day. Showcasing the Institute’s vast collection, Fashion is a book I would recommend to everyone interested in the history of fashion as it is a great source for research and inspiration alike.

DRESSED: A CENTURY OF HOLLYWOOD COSTUME DESIGN

by DEBORAH NADOOLMAN LANDIS

From the lavish productions of Hollywood’s Golden Age through the high-tech blockbusters of today, the most memorable movies all have one thing in common: they rely on the magical transformations rendered by the costume designer.

I think Dressed is so captivating because it moves beyond the standard conceptions of Hollywood “glamor” and examines clothes as an integral element of storytelling. As I’ve always been fascinated by stories involving beautiful clothes. I can’t resist learning from the experience of American costume designers. You will also realize that each costume speaks in its language, has a certain setting and personality and propels the action of the movie.

It’s a beautifully produced book, with high-quality sketches and photographs throughout. I would recommend this book for anyone who is an aspiring costume designer or costume illustrator. This book is a wonderful place to start. It makes you dream of what you can become as well as fall in love with the profession.

FASHION ILLUSTRATION: INSPIRATION AND TECHNIQUE

by ANNA KIPER

This book is exquisite for every fashion newbie and those who would love to improve their drawing skills. Anna Kiper guides beginners on a step by step process of constructing the head and the figure and how to use any media available.

This is a lovely inspiration book for the fashion illustrator or designer. It goes through the basics of elongating the figure, different techniques and ideas for using mixed media to create some really beautiful illustrations for your portfolio. It also covers flats, mood boards and how to render different textures. Beautifully written, full of illustrations and instructions to figure drawing. Learn different types of textiles and how they are drawn. A great purchase for anyone thinking of going into fashion illustrations for a career or for another creative facet of their artistry.

FASHION: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF COSTUME AND STYLE

by DK

Fashion is a book that traces the roots of fashion. It is an interesting resource for any designer. It describes the history of style and costumes. Tracing the evolution of fashion — from the early draped fabrics of ancient times to the catwalk couture of today — Fashion is a stunningly illustrated guide to more than three thousand years of shifting trends and innovative developments in the world of clothing. 

This book contains everything you need to know about changing fashion and style. From ancient Egyptian dress to Space Age Fashion and Grunge. Additionally, it gives detailed information on icons like Marie Antoinette, Clara Bow, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Alexander McQueen. Fashion catalogs the history of what people wear, revealing how Western fashion has been influenced by design from around the world and celebrating costume and haute couture.

Fashion will captivate anyone interested in style — whether it’s the fashion-mad teen in Tokyo, the wannabe designer in college, or the fashionista intrigued by the violent origins of the stiletto and the birth of bling. A must addition to every fashion lover’s library.

FIGURE DRAWING FOR FASHION DESIGN

by ELISABETTA DRUDI

Figure Drawing for Fashion Design is a great reference book for general inspiration on fashion drawing. Fashion plates are the primary means of visualizing ideas and concepts in costume and fashion design. To communicate your innovative ideas it is vital to have complete mastery of the rules of figure drawing.

Figure Drawing for Fashion offers a concise, topic by topic guide to acquiring and perfecting these skills, concentrating on the female form. This book is ideal both for those who want to become professional fashion designers, as well as for all enthusiasts of drawing the human body.

Through this book, you can learn to draw different parts of a human body, clothing and fashion accessories. I recommend it as it provides the most precise way to draw a large variety of fashion elements. It covers everything from any part of the human body to shoes, shirts, dresses, collars, pockets and much more. Knowing the basics helps to create your own style afterward.

Finally…

I know the beginning of your career can be overwhelming and frustrating. That’s where fashion books come in. Learning as much as you can about fashion can only help in your journey. All those books are written by professionals that have already been on the path you are on now. Their experience can be a great help to you. So why not learn from them?

Do you find inspiration and guidance from fashion books? If you’ve read any of the books I mentioned, please share your opinion of it in the comments. Which other fashion art books do you think can help fashion illustration newbies to grow?

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