I love a good coffee table fashion book and the new Icons on Women's Style, recently published by Laurence King, is the latest on my lust list.
The fashionable tome, by Josh Sims, examines the most stylish of women from the past 80 year, those who helped cement the popularity of a garment and showed us just how to wear it, while securing its place in the sartorial hall of fame.
Behind nearly every garment in the feminine wardrobe there is a first of its kind that has spawned countless others. While the definitive example – often created by a single designer – has achieved icon status, its various reinterpretations, season after season, have become fashion staples. From unmistakable outwear like the Burberry trench coat to the waist-cinching, bosom-enhancing corset (and every layer in-between) clothes have always provoked a reaction; they can scream out for attention or stop you dead in your tracks. Waysin which particular items of clothing adorn the body, and exactly who should choose to wear what, has been a source of international intrigue and media attention for years.
Icons of Women’s Style details each area of apparel; Outwear, Skirts, Dresses, Trousers, Tops, Underwear, Leisure and Swimwear, Shoes and Accessories and cherry-picks the key sartorial stars who put each garment on the global stage, for all to replicate. Item by item, the most influential and legendary clothes and accessories are detailed; their provenance and history, the stories of their design, the celebrities who made them famous and the various ways they have shaped how women dress today.
Available at all good bookshops now, priced £19.95
Love Laurel x
