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Must-read books about fashion

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7 Vintage architecture and design books to inspire you

Grace Coddington

If I was only allowed one book in my bookcase, or on my coffee table - this would be it

An absolutely beautiful book. As you would expect from the creative director of American Vogue, it is both stylish and striking, Coddington is a survivor, and this memoir is testimony to that

This memoir of a life in style from the 1960s until today will be equally absorbing for those who love the fashion world and those who find it impenetrably alien. Either way, as seen through Coddington’s eyes, it is never less than fascinating

Grace Coddington is truly inspirational … Her memoir should be in every fashionista’s stocking this year

A must have for every woman in the industry. It's a book to read, reread and reference regularly. Grace Coddington is truly a fashion hero and should be celebrated on Christmas Day and everyday after

Packed full of insider anecdotes and sweet line drawings by Coddington herself it’s a must-read for fashion fans

With the witty, forthright voice that has endeared her to her colleagues and peers for more than forty years, Grace creatively directs the reader through the storied narrative of her life so far

Described in breathless, name-dropping splendour

Coddington’s memoir is as stylish as she is...this tome makes a gorgeous addition to any shelf

A fascinating insight into the world of fashion ... beautifully produced little book

Book of the Week: Roberts and the designers of this memoir, which is beautifully illustrated with photographs and Grace’s own expressive line drawings, have certainly done a tremendous job of conveying the idiosyncrasy of Grace’s character: her formidable combination of steeliness and dottiness; the remarkable range of her knowledge of fashion, accumulated over half a century’s experience; and her sheer zest for life. In an industry full of people trying to be original, she is, unmistakably, the real thing

Light and glossy. It is also charmingly forthright

Lifts the lid on her glittering life and career

This book is a pleasure, particularly for a fan of fashion, as it contains photos, drawings and stories from the inner sanctum… All written about in a very accessible and non-pretentious was by someone who is – and was – at the glamorous heart of it all

The thought of following in such legendary footsteps makes me fizz with excitement

A unique vision into her [Grace’s] world

If you only ever read one book, it has got to be this…

A Memoir

For decades, Grace Coddington’s personal touch has steered wildly imaginative fashion spreads in Vogue magazine. Then came The September Issue, the behind-the-scenes documentary that turned the spotlight on a woman with a no-nonsense attitude and an unerring visual instinct. Overnight, the flame-haired Grace became a heroine for fashion insiders and the general public alike. 
 
Witty and forthright, and illustrated throughout with vintage photographs and exclusive line-drawings, Grace: A Memoir shares the excitement and vision that go into producing so many unforgettable fashion images. Here are the designers, models, photographers, hairstylists, make-up artists and celebrities with whom Grace has created her ‘stories in pictures’ – whether it be Jerry Hall conquering the USSR or Tom Ford falling down a rabbit hole in Annie Leibovitz’s version of Alice in Wonderland. 
 
Grace’s own life has been as dreamlike as one of her madcap fashion spreads. Brought up in windswept wartime Anglesey, she arrived in London, aged eighteen, and quickly became a face of the Sixties. The muse behind Vidal Sassoon’s Five Point Cut, she posed for Bailey, Donovan, Duffy and Norman Parkinson in Swinging London and jumped into a pool in Saint-Tropez for Helmut Newton. Surviving a serious car-crash, she later became a fashion editor at British Vogue and during the Seventies and the Eighties started to create the fantasy travelogues that would become her trademark. 
 
Friendships bloomed – with Bruce Weber and Calvin Klein, whose offer of a job took Grace to New York. While two early marriages to restaurateur Michael Chow and photographer Willie Christie were brief, her romance with the hairstylist Didier Malige has endured. And her professional partnership with Anna Wintour – with whom she has collaborated for over twenty years – continues to have an astonishing influence on modern style.

Grace Coddington

Praise for Grace

If I was only allowed one book in my bookcase, or on my coffee table - this would be it

genius... doesn't go far enough

[A] splashy, dishy, very giftable memoir

If I was only allowed one book in my bookcase, or on my coffee table - this would be it

genius... doesn't go far enough

[A] splashy, dishy, very giftable memoir

If I was only allowed one book in my bookcase, or on my coffee table - this would be it

genius... doesn't go far enough

[A] splashy, dishy, very giftable memoir

Articles featuring Grace Coddington

Must-read books about fashion

7 Vintage architecture and design books to inspire you

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