Some of these titles are still in print and the ones that aren't are marked "OOP". Our book pics aren't links to any big bookseller sites because we think it's important to support your local independent booksellers before they go the way of the dinosaur. If you try sites like booksense.com, you can usually find an old copy in your city or town.

Originally released in a limited edition run in 1987, this massive photo book is like a slow motion film noir movie full of oh-so-French clothing.

You cannot understand modern fashion without being familiar with Vreeland.

Adrian, Mainbocher, Trigere, Norell and McCardell are the five designers that make up this fat biography book. Rare photos and lots of personal info make this a great choice if American fashion is your thing.

Owner of Julie Artisans Gallery in New York, this book chronicles the start of the art to wear movement. If you think you've seen original clothing, you have never seen this.

A detailed biography of Gabrielle Chanel's childhood and career. Lots of insight and perspectives from not only one of the most influential designers, but one of the most opinionated.

Crammed tighter than a newspaper with pictures and ideas on how to mix vintage into your existing wardrobe. Includes lots of designers who are into vintage too.

The former head of Sotheby's fashion department, Milbank writes amazing books that are obviously labors of love. Her intense research and stunning photos are comprehensive and thoughtful.

The first major female photographer that revolutionized the way clothing was seen by American women. Intelligent, creative and blazing with color.

Edith Head may have been the Andy Warhol of Hollywood and she dispenses practical style information that you can trust because let's face it, she was no natural beauty and her strength was her great style.

Another tome from the master Hollywood designer that makes you think about your body and its relation to the clothing that you wear. This one will bring you down to Earth.

Diana Vreeland didn't have an inscure bone in her body by the time she was 80 and there is no one more fun to read than the Empress herself. Her autobiography, and a little mini bible of sorts.

Instant understanding of how Western women look in Asian clothing. Extensive fabric index in back so you can get a feel for Miyake's techniques and inspirations.

A substantial book that is more of a fabulous thing to look at than actually read. Ask for it as a gift, it's perfect!

This little book focuses on British designers of the 60s. More info on Mary Quant and John Bates than any other fashion book (except Quant's), the Biba illustrations are fabulous!

Personal profiles on 49 designers, from Sant'Angelo to Trigere. This is one of our faves because it focuses on the designers and their way of thinking instead of on models or pictures.

One of the most original and exciting stores of our time, since we figure there can never be anything else like it, the book is the next best thing to having been there.

Peggy Moffitt obviously adored Gernreich and it shows on every loving page of this stunning book. Photographed over the years by Moffitt's husband, this will make you a slave to Gernreich if you aren't one already.

A thoughtful and intelligent compilation of essays on the perception of beauty and style, including clips about famous icons.

Halston's clothing was so perfect on each and every women who wore his work that it really works to see it on the oversized glossy color pages of this book. An easy read, it really is the pics that make this sing.

Scores of people, some famous - some not, that have picked out photos of themselves in what they consider their own height of fashion. A very cool book.

The biography of the Marchesa Casati, a legend and icon that has yet to be rivalled. Thorough and engrossing, read it if you don't know who she was.

This book chooses a handful of women that influenced a generation throughout the last 100 years.

A gorgeous book with incredible photos and meticulous research. Is there anyone like Claire?

Is this technically a book? It has two covers and pages in between, so it must be. If you love Claire, you must have these paper dolls.

Even Miyake has said that he saw his own clothing in a whole new way when Irving Penn took these photos. A great lesson in the way clothing becomes animated only after it is put on.

The ultimate hippie fashion book. Pictoral smorgasbord of San Franciscans who make the wildest handmade clothing. You can call this the original art-to-wear book.

With obscure info like the cost of a Norell dress in 1963 and profiles on designers that we all know but never see profiled anywhere else, this book is an absolute must-have. You will learn a zillion things from Milbank.

Celia Birtwell objected to this at the time of publication because she didn't want her children reading seedy tidbits about their late father but if you get past that, you get to glimpse into Ossie's attitudes about fashion and dressing.

Similar to "Star Style", this book profiles real women and their personal style, From Slim Keith to Babe Paley, you will find yourself relating to the women in this book.

A unbelievably charming storybook for children with illustrations of Peggy Moffitt in Rudi Gernreich clothing. " "I am pretty," she said aloud to no one."

This is THE source for Pucci information. Kennedy is well respected as the authority on Emilio Pucci and she was most generous with her knowledge.

If you want to know about the 60s, this is the definitive source. Full of amazing pictures and tons of obscure designers, the pictures of the Stephen Burrows' stuff are worth it alone.

Not a true literal biography but a wonderfully fantastical account by one of the great visionaries in fashion.

Lucille Ball, Gloria Swanson, Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and a few others are examined and lauded for their personal style and influence on a generation of American women.

Sorry, no pictures - you have to like to digest information with this scandalous look at the fashion industry by the former publisher of WWD and Harper's Bazaar.

A concise encyclopedia of fashion and sewing terms. Better to have this than look like an idiot (being dumb is worse than wearing bad clothing) and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to read it.

The mama of all out-of-print fashion books, this is actually a catalog from the Met's exhibition. Tiny mannequins dressed in miniature clothing by France's best couturiers during WW2, this book will change your world and you will want a miniature Piguet suit so bad, it will hurt.

A really great book on costume jewelry with some of the best pictures we have seen yet. Tracy Tolkien hands it to you so you can understand it - she never condescends.

Saint Laurent's illustrated 'tales for sadistic and mature children', based on a tailor at Dior who dressed in crinolines after work. Reissued in 2002 by Colette Paris, each edition, identical to the original is signed and numbered by the designer himself.

By the owner of a well-known NY vintage boutique, have a look at what the last vintage revival was like in the 70s. Less designer driven than it is now, there are still tons of practical tips on how to work older pieces into a current wardrobe.

How modern women wear vintage. This is for women who wear their clothing and not for those coming at it from a collector's point of view. The babes are real and the information is totally accessible. We think that Michelle chick is pretty cute in her Courreges.

With 38 patterns forming the backbone of this oversized book, again, you will see where all minimalist fashion designers, from McCardell to Halston to Calvin Klein, have found their inspiration.

This one was ghostwritten in the 50s so it has a lot of little snippets that don't sound like Claire because they aren't. A lot of it is pure McCardell though and we love the quirky illustrations.

Another typical 50s take on dressing but a lot of fun in a kitschy way. It's like reading a "Sex and the Single Girl" with a lot more clothing tips.

Written by the son of the "first couturier", Charles Worth, you have to round it out by going a little farther back in history than Pucci, girlfriend.