Yves Saint Laurent

Books About French Fashion Houses

Coffee table books about French fashion houses

I’ve seen Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) twice thus far, but I foresee that number increasing over the holiday season when I have time off from work. Ada Harris becomes familiar with the Christian Dior label quite literally when she sees it in the gown of one of her clients. (She cleans houses for a living.) When Ada travels to Paris to buy a Dior gown, the fashion house reveals itself to her in unexpected ways. “Dior, it’s not just a gown. It’s all the elegance…” she says during one of her fittings.

One should not shop at French fashion houses for clout. An engaged shopper understands the values, aesthetics, and history of historic maisons. For me, learning almost always starts with a book. Here are nine for the coffee table.

Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Hermès

Lanvin, Christian Dior, Givenchy

Chanel 2, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent

Funny Face (1957): A Paris Collage

A collage inspired by Funny Face (1957)

Jo Stockton (played by Audrey Hepburn) works at a bookshop in Greenwich Village. She loves philosophical conversations and dreams of going to Paris. When Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson), editor-in-chief of Quailty Magazine, decides to stage a photoshoot at Jo’s place of employement, the shop assistant gets the opportunity of a lifetime. Enter: the dancing photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire). Suddenly the universe aligns to bring Jo to her favorite city where Champagne laced with Existentialism overflows.

Works Sighted

Jaxon Hats straw skimmer hat // Yves Saint Laurent trench coat // Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut

Diptyque Eau Duelle eau de toilette // J.Crew ruffle-collar shirt

Oscar de la Renta black dress // Saint James Breton // Bass weejuns // L’Oréal mascara // peonies from Arôm

Valentino heels // J.Crew Martie pant in bi-stretch cotton // Yves Saint Laurent concealer pen // Dior lip sugar scrub // Dior lip glow // Alexander McQueen dress // L’existentialisme est un humanisme // Christian Louboutin flats