Look Books: Stylish Reads from Alexa Chung to Chanel

In this crossover between Penelope's Bed's Books, Beauty and Style sections, I take a look at what I consider to be extremely inspiring, must have fashion reads from Edmonde Charles-Roux's detailed biography Chanel to Scott Shuman's street style bible The Sartorialist Closer and, fashion's indispensable it girl, Alexa Chung's It.
 

Fashion can represent anything from what you wear going to work every day to outrageous outfits worn down the catwalks of New York Fashion week but, either way, fashion is an art form and style is something inherently natural in certain people who guide the way.

These six publications are essential reads for those who want to understand a little bit more about where the notion of style comes from and those aspirational individuals who just have 'it'. But they are also such inspiring reads to flick through and absorb a little of the style bursting from the pages in many different ways from these six titles.

Alexa Chung - It

It's hard to deny there is just something about Alexa Chung. The British Born model/TV Presenter/Designer/Fashion Icon brings such a refreshing combination of very organic and original style and intelligence with her wherever she goes that she has become something of a phenomenon in herself. There is only one Alexa Chung.

When Instagram came along she made it into a platform for her own specific Alexa Chung brand, for want of a better word. Every post she puts up inspires her million followers. Every brand she aligns with benefit greatly from whatever 'it' is she brings to it; whether it's the Alexa Mulberry bag or the Alexa Chung Eye Do Eyeko Collection. Girls want to be her and boys want to be with her. So it was no surprise when this Penguin published, beautifully designed It was released. And no surprise either that it continues to fly off the shelves of bookshops a year and a half after it was published. I predict this to be a book style lovers go to for many years become.

It represents a peep into the mind, style, life, inspiration of Alexa Chung. The pages are filled with photos of her friends, people that inspire her, things that inspire her style, and, of course plenty of selfies. From Wednesday Adams to Annie Hall, It is quite a clever inspiration for Chung's younger fans, a peep into stylish influences over the decades. Chung also, quite sweetly, includes pictures of people in her life that are important to her, from her best friends to family. It is like a book version of Instagram in ways; a peep into the parts of Chung's life that she wants to show. And throughout, Chung writes abut what has inspired her, how to deal with everything from love and heartbreak to style and bad hair days.

Alexa Chung's It is certainly not for everybody but it's a pretty lovely, beautifully designed book that so many girls who follow Alexa Chung and chose to be inspired by her will absolutely love.

Taschen - Fashion: A Fashion History of the 20th Century

I love Taschen books. For about ten euro usually you can get such an unbelievable selection of art related books; from Fashion to Surrealism to Polaroid photos to tattoos. The books are always beautifully published, full of gorgeous photography and so much information on any given topic.

I had been keeping an eye out for a good concise history of fashion book for a while when I found this hardback Taschen History of 20th Century Fashion. In it you are brought through every major fashion event of the 20th century which all shapde fashion to this day from corsets to fashion as modern art; from the huge mark the wonderful Coco Chanel left on fashion and style to the technical innovation of fashion and clothing; to flapper style, denim, and clogs. The book is wonderfully illustrated by photography and very informative about the road that lead to fashion today, during a time where any big change caused controversies that we will never experience.

Scott Schuman - The Sartorialist Closer

Scott Shuman's street photograhy book The Sartorialist Closer is such an inspirational tome. Packed full of the very best in street style from New York to Paris to Milan and more, you'll find more essential style in these pages that you'll ever see on the runway of London Fashion Week. Because it covers more style than fashion, the people that line the pages of this book have more individual and unique sensibilites and more style than most working models. Shuman features certain striking people from various cities several times and he really seems to build up a great relationship with his subjects, long before Humans of New York came to fame with its Street photography of a similar style, without the explicit style element.

The photography, of course, is just beautiful and the subjects are wonderfully natural which shows what a great photographer Shuman is. Men and women alike are featured in the pages of this book with a wide variety of ages and all sorts of sensibilities. The recurring thread throughout is how sharp and stylish these figures are. There are so many reasons to get your hands on The Sartotialist Closer but the biggest draws for me are the beautiful photography and the inspirational style.

Christian Lacroix- Sleeping Beauty

This is a wee bit different from the other titles in the article but it's such a charming, stylish book by the one and only Christian Lacroix that I had to include it. In it Lacroix retells the classic Sleeping Beauty tale by mixing it with his own memoir; combining fairy tale with Haute Couture. It's pretty original and the extremely beautiful illustrations that really make this book special are of course by Lacroix. A really interesting and unique keepsake!

Edmonde Charles Roux - Chanel

I really, really love this book and couldn't recommend it more; not just to fashion lovers or those interested in the story of Coco Chanel, but for anyone who loves a brilliant read, Chanel: Her Life, Her World, The Woman Behind the Legend is such a magnificent and colourful read. The inspiration for the Audrey Tataou movie Coco Avant Chanel, Emonde Charles-Roux goes way back for this biography to the very origins of the celebrated designer. The detail is unbelievable. But my favourite part is the style of writing, it feels so much like it's been translated from very passionate French to English quite directly and there are points where I couldn't help giggling at this passion.

Coco Chanel was the most remarkable woman and the most essential influence to fashion from the 20th Century to now. She came from such meagre beginnings to become the ultimate fashion maverick and this book is not just a catalogue of the events that show this rise, but such an amazing education for anyone who is in the least bit interested in fashion and style and the art of all of it. Essential reading.

Caroline de Maigret, Sohie Mas, Audrey Diwan, Anne Berest - How to be Parisian Wherever You Are

I have already glowed about this book here on Penelope's Bed when it was released last autumn but I can't over state what an enjoyable read How to be Parisian Wherever You Are is and how much I recommend it to you readers. Written collaboratively by Caroline de Maigret, Sophie Mas, Audrey Diwan and Anne Berest, How to be Parisian is such a wonderful compendium written by true Parisian women about everything possibly involved in what makes Parisiennes tick.

A lot of the time the authors write with their tongues firmly in their cheeks, they are not above teasing themselves and their nature but underneath it all lies a lot of truth about the habits of Parisian women, theirs passionate loves, their extreme dislikes, how to make the perfect crepe; how to pretend you're having an affair; what a Parisienne wears and definitely does not wear... you get the gist. A true and funny account of how to be Parisian and such enjoyable and essential reading! This is one of my favouite books by far of the past year. Treat yourself to a copy and enjoy a peak into the world of the quintessential Parisienne!