Fashion books to look forward to

Oscar de la Renta: The Style, Inspiration and Life of Oscar de la Renta, by Sarah Mower, (Assouline £80/$125)

In this updated retrospective, Mower paints an anecdotal picture of the designer Anna Wintour calls “fashion’s Renaissance man”. Equal parts biography and monograph, this hefty tome explores de la Renta’s life supported by affirmations from some of the women he has dressed, from Anne Hathaway to Hillary Clinton. Glossy plates shot by Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz and Mario Testino showcase a selection of his pitch-perfect dresses.

Look out for Photographs of the designer’s homes in New York, the Dominican Republic and Connecticut.

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10 Corso Como: A to Z, by Carla Sozzani, (Rizzoli £29.95/$50)

When former fashion editor Sozzani opened 10 Corso Como in Milan in 1991, she created the blueprint for the concept store as we know it today. The philosophy behind her “living magazine” is at the heart of this beautifully designed book, which celebrates her collaborations and friendships with artists and designers (A is for Azzedine Alaïa, H is for Helmut Newton . . . ). Its 300 pages are crammed with photo collages, paintings and illustrations, against a backdrop of the playful loops and spirals of Sozzani’s partner, artist Kris Ruhs.

Look out for With its silk-screened fabric cover, black-stained page edges and Japanese binding, the book is a work of art in its own right.

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100 Ideas that Changed Street Style, by Josh Sims, (Laurence King £19.95/$29.95)

Sims looks at fashion from street level, chronicling the trends of the past 70 years. Spanning goth to gang culture, rockabilly to rave, 300 photographs chart ideas that range from the exotically seductive to the downright wacky. As well as exploring the “trickle-up” effect from street to catwalk, Sims suggests that smartphones and social media could kill off the street trends of the future before they have had time to flourish.

Look out for The way it debunks the myths surrounding trends such as the skinhead and Japanese “Lolita”.

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Fashionable Selby, by Todd Selby, (Abrams £22.99/$35)

The latest instalment in illustrator and photographer Selby’s series of books (which have included artists at home and the culinary world), Fashionable Selby offers a glimpse into the workspaces of fashion’s visionaries. Artisan shoemakers, wigmakers and jewellers all get the Selby treatment here. Designers Dries Van Noten and Isabel Marant and embroidery house Maison Lesage rub shoulders with a punk knitter from Brooklyn and an artist who mixes natural dyes in a cauldron in her garden. But Selby’s magic stems from his sketchbook approach: his subjects are documented with annotated photographs and brightly-hued doodles.

Look out for Two do-it-yourself paper doll sheets with interchangeable clothing options.

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Sneakers: The Complete Limited Editions Guide, by U-Dox, (Thames & Hudson £16.95/$29.95)

In this sequel to its Complete Collectors’ Guide, design agency U-Dox chooses a selection of the latest sneakers to get a style reboot via collaborations with Jeremy Scott, Kenzo and Parisian boutique Colette. Also making the edit, Nike’s “SB Pigeon Dunk”, referencing the ubiquitous urban pest, and “Foot Patrol Air Stab”, which riffs on the colourways of London public transport’s upholstery.

Look out for Details and data on the shoes – perfect for sneaker-heads.

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Hats by Madame Paulette: Paris Milliner Extraordinaire, by Annie Schneider, (Thames & Hudson £29.95/$50)

Dubbed queen among milliners and milliner to queens, Paulette launched her career in the 1920s, when to get ahead, one needed a hat. Here, Schneider traces her story from her wartime invention of turban chic to the extravagant headgear she created for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, and beyond. When hats were no longer de rigueur, she adapted and was still designing avant-garde headpieces for Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana at the age of 84. Her philosophy? “The madder the hat the better. If not, wear a scarf.”

Look out for The notes scribbled on a selection of contact sheets offer an insight into how she operated.

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The Art of Fashion Photography, by Patrick Remy, (Prestel £35/$55)

Art and commerce collide in this survey of the careers of 28 contemporary photographers. With campaigns for Chanel, Burberry and Lanvin, and regular editorials for Numéro, Vogue, i-D and W magazine under their collective belts, the likes of Tyrone Lebon, Viviane Sassen and Clare Strand confidently inhabit the worlds of both art and fashion. Here, 175 images bring their visions to life.

Look out for The use of white space reflects the way the work would be presented in a gallery.

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The House of Worth: Portrait of an Archive, by Amy de la Haye and Valerie D Mendes, (V&A Publications £35/$55)

Parisian Charles Frederick Worth was the founding father of haute couture and this survey of his work starts with a series of black-and-white photographs dating from 1889 to 1914. The craftsmanship of the Worth ateliers is celebrated in close-up shots of their hallmarks, from elaborate embroideries to complex sleeves and standout collars.

Look out for A sequence of 54 photographs show the entire couture house at work in 1927.

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Veruschka: From Vera to Veruschka, by Johnny Moncada, (Rizzoli £47.50/$75)

Veruschka (born Vera von Lehndorff) was photographed by Irving Penn, Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon. But it was with her role as a model in Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film Blow-Up that she made the leap to superstardom. Here the focus is on previously unseen pictures from an early encounter with Italian photographer Johnny Moncada in the early 1960s, from a recently unearthed series of pictures that were shot in his studio and on the banks of the Arno in Florence.

Look out for An essay by the photographer’s daughter provides the back story to these once-lost images.