Table of Contents
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Best Coffee Table Books About Luxury Fashion
It’s common knowledge by now that no home is complete without the finishing touch of a coffee table book — especially one that caters to lovers of all things luxury fashion. These glossy, aesthetically pleasing, hardbound tomes provide a stamp of style to even the most minimalist living spaces, all while offering deep dives into their respective topics. Know that it’s not about the quantity of fashion coffee table books you have stacked in your living room; rather, the type of literature you intentionally make room for is what counts, being an apt reflection of your interests, tastes, beloved designers, and beyond.
Do you wish to own an extra-large designer coffee table book full of rare imagery that conveys a certain mood, era, and aesthetic or are you instead seeking something thought-provoking, text-heavy, and laden with never-before-revealed facts? There’s no wrong answer here — and thankfully, plenty of worth-it fashion book options are released each year to help you build out a collection of printed gems that will impress every guest who happens to stop by.
What’s more, a hardcover fashion coffee table book makes for an incredibly thoughtful gift to a loved one: guaranteed to outlive hand-delivered flowers and luxury candles both.
“I actually gift coffee table books to my partner for every single birthday and Christmas,” residential interiors expert Tara Dennis tells WWD. “The reason I love them is that there are so many out there. You can find something that’s unique to a person and speaks to who they are. It shows a lot of thought.”
In other words, if your giftee has expressed time and time again their love for the Birkins of the world, nothing can be better than Fashionphile’s “The Book of Iconic Bags,” found at Assouline. And if the person you’re shopping for considers Carolyn Bessette Kennedy as one of their biggest style inspirations, they’ll be enamored by the personal, affecting “Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion” title available on Amazon.
“There is no diminishing the appeal of a book as an object in its own right,” says Tilly Macalister-Smith, vice president of editorial at Christie’s. “Many of mine have been shipped back and forth across the Atlantic at some point due to various house moves, but having your books around you feels very comforting.”
Below, our editors’ most-prized luxury fashion coffee table books that we’ve either recently acquired or have cherished for years upon years at this point.
(Read the room: These page-turners will end up not only being gazed at but enjoyed, and what more can you want from a purchase?)
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Dior by Christian Dior
This is Vol 1 of an Assouline series honoring each of Dior’s creative directors, meaning it details the journey of none other than Christian Dior himself, from the post-war New Look collection he ideated (all cinched waists and billowing skirts and shameless femininity) to his final show in 1957. The writing here is that of Olivier Saillard, the fashion historian behind other titles like “Sportmax” and “Azzedine Alaïa: A Couturier’s Collection.” As for what to expect? Top-quality visuals of decadent couture and enlightening anecdotes that will have you flipping the pages and losing track of time.
Price upon publish date of this article: $270
Fashionphile: The Book of Iconic Bags
Luxury online marketplace Fashionphile, which deals in pre-owned designer handbags, knows what separates an iconic bag from an average one. And it enshrines the former category through this relatively new arrival, whose almost-six-pound weight can be entirely credited to the nitty-gritty surveys of the world’s most influential carryalls — 25 in total — found inside. Backed by expert commentary, the book chronicles styles like Gucci’s Jackie, Hermès’ Kelly, and contemporary rollouts by the likes of Bottega Veneta that have already entered the sartorial canon. Warning: You’ll be tempted to purchase all of them in short order.
Price upon publish date of this article: $120
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion
She popularized white, button-down blouses, tortoiseshell headbands, sleek, oval-shaped glasses, the little black dress, and label-averse styling. We’re talking about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, of course, who gets the tribute she’s always deserved in this spectacular fusion of text and photography. Penned by creative director Sunita Kumar Nair, the coffee table must-have also benefits from tributes to the legend from fashion vets like Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Manolo Blahnik, and Tory Burch, with a foreword by Gabriela Hearst. “There’s a timelessness about her and that’s her appeal. She never put a label on herself,” Nair told WWD upon her book’s unveiling. Read all about it, then encourage your fashion-minded friends to do the same.
Price upon publish date of this article: $38.99
The Little Book of Hermès
Though small in stature, this coffee table book packs quite the punch with its intimate looks at Hermès’ most memorable milestones. The text here comes courtesy of fashion journalist Karen Homer, who covers the storied French fashion house’s history — from its saddlery workshop origins to the Birkins now seen in the hands of every tastemaker — in an equal parts accessible and authoritative manner. As you learn about how Hermès’ signature orange box became a classic or freshen up on the meaning behind its saddle stitching, there’s little chance this informative (and under-$20!) find will be left to collect dust on your actual coffee table.
Price upon publish date of this article: $11.51
Inside “The Little Book of Hermès” designer coffee table book.
Courtesy WWD/Adam Mansuroglu
Tom Ford 002
Everything Tom Ford touches turns to gold. More specifically, it gets treated to a dose of instant opulence, not to mention the kind of provocative sexiness that has remained the Texas-born designer’s signature across the decades. The book picks up where its circa-2004 predecessor left off: In the same style of bold pull quotes and stunning imagery, it follows Ford’s foray into the movie business with films “A Single Man” and “Nocturnal Animals,” as well as the beginnings of his namesake menswear label and gradual return to womenswear. In this slipcase-bound volume, you’ll find the label’s sexually charged ads that will prove hard to turn away from, as well as famous fashion editorials in which Ford played a pivotal role. Consider this an essential purchase that will infuse your world — inner and outer — with covetable glamour.
Price upon publish date of this article: $64
“Tom Ford” and “Tom Ford 002” designer coffee table books.
Courtesy WWD/Adam Mansuroglu
Ralph Lauren: In His Own Fashion
Thanks to the plaid-printed designer coffee table book “Ralph Lauren: In His Own Words,” a 2019 release, the reader gets to immerse into the fashion house’s trademark Americana aesthetic. It all started with a tie, which you’ll find out by peeking at the publication’s opening pages — specifically, Lauren’s inaugural Polo neckwear line that evolved into a men’s collection; brick-and-mortar stores; women’s designs; the quintessential polo shirt we’ve all come to know and love; as well as key placements in films, on red carpets, and within the closets of fashion insiders around the world. The wonderfully illustrated biography also sheds light on Lauren’s sportswear collection and private residences filled with products from his aspirational home line. Much like everything else Ralph Lauren, this book is a timeless treasure worth calling your own.
Price upon publish date of this article: $48
Peter Lindbergh: On Fashion Photography
Go ahead: View the world of fashion through 300-plus black-and-white images lensed by the late Peter Lindbergh, one of the most influential photographers of our time. Cinematic and detail-oriented in his approach, Lindbergh was behind the world’s introduction to now-renowned stars like Linda Evangelista (the exact photograph responsible for this is present in the book, and so are the man’s portraits of designers like Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jil Sander, Azzedine Alaïa, and more). Some of our favorite images to be discovered by cracking open this coffee table book? Angel wing–wearing Amber Valletta for Harper’s Bazaar in 1993 and Lindbergh’s 1991 biker-chic shoot with top supermodels, placed in Vogue.
Price upon publish date of this article: $19.99
How We Selected the Best Fashion Coffee Table Books
To select the best fashion coffee table books of 2026, we heavily researched the market while putting special emphasis on our personal favorites. WWD Shop‘s editors sought out works that are as enjoyable to read as they are to look at; we also considered hundreds of online reviews and asked our experts, Tilly Macalister-Smith and Tara Dennis, to share their own go-tos. It’s safe to say this final short list is the cream of the crop.
Why Trust WWD
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Meet the Experts
Tilly Macalister-Smith has worked with some of the most revered luxury brands and publications in the world. She is a contributing editor to Wallpaper Magazine and the vice president of editorial at Christie’s. In her move from London to New York, Macalister-Smith has been closely followed by her collection of treasured books.
Tara Dennis is a noted residential interiors and architecture design expert. She helps create beautiful spaces for an A-list clientele and currently operates the Pepperwhites by Tara Dennis home store in the Sydney suburb of Balmain.
Meet the Authors
Adam Mansuroglu was the director of commerce for Footwear News and WWD, overseeing both brands’ shopping content. Prior to this role, Mansuroglu was a fashion editor and stylist at Cosmopolitan Magazine, style editor at BestProducts.com, and senior style and gear editor at Men’s Health. He’s been tapped as a shopping expert for editorial websites such as Wirecutter, and his writing has also appeared in Out Magazine, Esquire, and other publications. Mansuroglu contributed to the September 2024 update of this article on top fashion coffee table books.
Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on the world of fashion, relevant literature included.
