We usually fill our Christmas wishlists with a handbag we have been eying all year long,  an insane pair of heels or that covetable coat that we can’t imagine living life without…but when all the gifts have been unwrapped and you don’t feel like moving off the couch due to a turkey tryptophan induced coma, there’s nothing better than curling up with a great book. For those that are lucky enough to have a few days off during the holidays, I’ve rounded up some fashion books to keep you occupied whether you are on the couch or the beach this Christmas.

1. The Asylum: A Collage of Couture Reminiscences …and Hysteria by Simon Doonan (2013)

As a huge fan of Simon Doonan and Barneys New York, where the fashion obsessed author has also been the Creative Ambassador at Large for the last 30 years, I was stoked when it was revealed that Doonan’s 7th book would be hitting stores a few months ago and eagerly penned a post on the blog prior to the release, but I finally got a chance to read the book and enjoyed it’s hilarious account of the all the craziness that goes on behind the scenes in the fashion world. Available on Amazon and Kindle.

2. The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake (1997)

With all the chatter this year about the upcoming biopics on the legendary Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld’s crazy quotes taking over social media, this book is a dope read as it details the lives of both designers as they climb the ranks in the fashion world at the same time. Also interesting to get a glimpse at who Lagerfeld was before he became “The Kaiser” the larger than life personality we know him as today. Available in both hardcover and paperback on Amazon and on Kindle.

3. Alexander McQueen: The Life and the Legacy by Judith Watt (2012)

Long live the (Mc) Queen! The fashion world still mourns the loss of this epic and often troubled designer and this book written by a close friend of “Lee” and fashion historian Judith Watt, is the perfect way to celebrate his life and achievements. The book, with a forward penned by socialite and fashion star Daphine Guinness,  focuses on McQueen’s life prior to attending famed fashion school in London, Central St. Martins and the major inspirations behind the designer’s large body of work. Available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon.

4. The Fashion Mind: Reflections on Fashion 1970-1981 by Kennedy Fraser (1981)

I will forever be intrigued by the fashion from the seventies, most likely because I was not around to experience it first hand being born in the eighties. Unfortunately this book is no longer in print but you can always scoop up a copy on eBay or Amazon because it’s totally worth it. Author and fashion critic from The New Yorker, delves into the fashion seventies scene in a series of essays which explore the changes in the world of clothes.

5. Audrey in Rome by Luca Dotti, Ludovica Damiani, and Sciascia Gambaccini (2013)

There is nothing I love more than a good coffee table book and Audrey Hepburn so when the two are combined it’s a no-brainer purchase. I’m obsessed with the actresses classic style as she is photographed in her signature pencil pants, ballet flats and scarfs throughout the city of Rome. Her style literally leaps off the pages and it’s almost impossible to not get inspired by her. Available in hardcover only on Amazon and on Kindle.

6. The Master of Us All: Balenciaga, His Workrooms, His World by Mary Blume (2013)

The most interesting account of the reclusive designer and Founder of famed fashion house Balenciaga, the handsome Cristobel Balenciaga, as told through the eyes of his very first employee Flonette Chelbet, in this over 200 page story written by International Herald Tribune columnist Mary Blume. If you have a real obsession with fashion then you won’t be able to put this book down until you have turned the last page. Available in both hardcover and paperback at Amazon.