Reading List: October 2022

Yes, our October issue contains profiles about designers and gorgeous photos of models, but it also gives us the chance to learn more about fashion as an art form. We asked Loyalty Bookstore’s Amani Jackson for book recommendations about fashion for all ages and interest levels. Whether you’re a globe-trotting model, a kiddo interested in design or just a Maxxonista (a person who shops at
T.J. Maxx — which is everyone, don’t lie), there’s a book for you. 

For the fashion historian

These are a few fashion sourcebooks, which mostly contain images of fashion trends from specific decades.

“1920s Fashion Sourcebook: The Definitive Sourcebook” by Charlotte Fiell

“1930s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook” by Charlotte Fiell

“1940s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook” by Charlotte Fiell

“Fashion Since 1900” by Amy de la Haye + Valerie Mendes 

For the Afro-centric art appreciator 

Highlights African designers, textiles and trends, as well as the continent’s value in the fashion world. 

“Africa in Fashion: Luxury, Craft and Textile Heritage” by Ken Kweku Nimo

“Africa: The Fashion Continent” by Emmanuelle Courrèges

For the dream of the ’90s

Highlights ’90s fashion photographers and supermodels.

“Captivate! Fashion Photography From the ’90s” edited by Claudia Schiffer

For the Anglophile

Highlights the British photographer who changed fashion photography forever.

“Terence Donovan Fashion” compiled by Diana Donovan and David Hillman

For the Black vanguard 

Explores the intersection of art, fashion and photography. Highlights Black fashion photographers who use the medium to create art as opposed to selling a product.

“The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion” by Antwaun Sargent

For the late, great Virgil Abloh

These books highlight the design processes of the late designer.

“Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech” edited by Michael Darling

“Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS.” by Virgil Abloh

For why we look the way we look

An in-depth look at how clothing and rules around it represent the current state.

“Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History” by Richard Thompson Ford

For the eco-centric 

A history of clothes and fast fashion’s effect on humanitarian rights and the environment. Explains the journey of different textiles to the rack.

“Worn: A People’s History of Clothing” by Sofi Thanhauser

For some fiction

A romance about a stylist. 

“Meant to Be Mine” by Hannah Orenstein

For the kids 

A little girl named Mary loves to dress up to the extreme: feather boas, bright patterns. She meets other fairy tale kids and teaches them to have fun with clothes.

“Mary Had a Little Glam” by Tammi Sauer

A brother and sister wear each other’s clothes regardless of gender stereotypes.

“Tabitha and Magoo Dress Up Too” by Michelle Tea

A little boy loves the orange dress in the dress up room but gets teased.

“Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress” by Christine Baldacchino

Loyalty Books: 843 Upshur St. NW, DC and 823 Ellsworth Dr. Silver Spring, MD; loyaltybookstores.com // @loyaltybooks

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Brandon Wetherbee