The Fashion Statement: Fashion's Priciest Coffee Table Books

by Kristin Young (RSS feed)
Dec 2nd 2010 at 9:00AM

What to get the stylish woman who has everything? (And let's just say you've exhausted gifts like precious gems, haute couture and yacht excursions to St. Barths) Well, then, what about a super collectible, really expensive fashion coffee table book? Here, a list of some of the priciest tomes out there.

1. Couture Fashion Drawings by Hubert de Givenchy, published by the house of Givenchy, Paris, in 1980: This is signed by the late designer himself and includes hand-colored haute couture fashion sketch plates from the period of the '70s to the '80s including original fabric swatches. The book was part of the Estate of Nan Kempner, a New York socialite who died in 2005. Price tag? $9,000

2. Valentino Garavani (hardcover) by Suzy Menkes, Matt Tyrnauer and Armando Chitolina, published by Taschen in 2007: This is the coffee table book version of Valentino: The Last Emperor, a documentary film by Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer. It's an homage to Valentino's legendary career and includes images from his archives, drawings, advertisements, portraits, documentary photographs as well as newspaper and magazine articles. International Herald Tribune's fashion writer Suzy Menkes interviewed 20 of Valentino's closest collaborators and friends, including his life partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Price tag? $4,500

3. Russell James (hardcover deluxe edition with Gisele Bundchen photoprint) with forwards by Heidi Klum, Donna Karan, and Sharen Turney, published by teNeues in 2009: Who wouldn't pay big bucks to Gisele in the buff? This book highlights the work of Russell James, a photographer who is well-known for his nudes and fashion portraiture. The volume is encased in a clamshell box and contains one of only two numbered and signed limited-edition large prints that show his study of human beauty. Price tag? $3,250

4. Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture: The Complete Works, 1962-2002 (hardcover) by Pierre Berge, published by Abrams in 2010: Author Pierre Berge, Saint Laurent's life partner, compiled 500 boxed sets reproducing the complete sketches, runway notes, and fabric samples of more than 15,000 garments--that's pretty much every garment Saint Laurent ever produced during his four-decade career. Price tag? $2,750

5.Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue (hardcover) by Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Grace Coddington, Anna Wintour et. al., published by Edition 7L in 2002: The book chronicles the work if Grace Coddington, who's been Vogue's creative director since 1995, and her collaborations with some of the most famous photographers of our day. Price tag? $2,500

Word of warning: Some of these may not ship in time for the holidays.

Tags: Anna Wintour, giancarlo giammetti, gisele bundchen, Givenchy, grace coddington, Matt Tyrnauer, Nan Kempner, pierre berge, Russell James, Suzy Menkes, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent