15 Books for People Who Love Fashion
Including four to get you ready for Halloween
The piece of clothing that best describes me is my “I like to party and by party I mean read books” t-shirt, which is what I like to do best in my spare time. I usually flip between psychological thrillers (like Lisa Jewell’s None of This is True - so good) and emotional support books (anything Jenny Colgan), but my favorite genre is the very niche one of fashion fiction, with bonus points for anything set at a magazine.
I’ve been having a harder time focusing on reading this past year between school and a terrible habit of getting sucked into social media. And as of this summer, Substack has been seriously cutting into my book time (there’s so much that I want to read! It’s like getting 15 fashion magazines in the mail every day.) I’m taking a brief detour from writing about clothes this week to write about books where clothes are the main character. I hope this helps motivate anyone who’s behind on their Goodreads goal like me.
I have more book recs than I have time to write, so I’m starting with my top 15. Please add anything you love in the comments, fashion fiction or otherwise - I’m always looking for something new to read!
p.s. since everyone’s either read or watched The Devil Wears Prada, I’m not including it here, although shoutout to When Life Gives You Lululemons for being the best of the series - it has all of Emily’s snark and none of Andy’s extreme angst.
The Thrillers
These are perfect for Halloween reading: two books that veer into horror and two with an unsettling psychological undertone. If you’re looking for trigger warnings for these books or any others I listed below, Goodreads and platforms like Does The Dog Die? are good resources.
#fashionvictim by Amina Akhtar is my favorite Halloween book. Written by a former fashion editor, it’s set at La Vie magazine where the main character Anya becomes increasingly unhinged as she tries to make her coworker Sarah her best friend. Lots of gore, camp, and glamour.
youthjuice by E.K. Sathue is set in the beauty industry with some overlap into fashion. The book’s marketing describes it as American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada, and it’s also been compared to Rouge (2 stars for me) and Natural Beauty (I’m on the library waitlist). Youthjuice follows Sophia as she starts a job at skincare brand HEBE where the interns mysteriously disappear every few weeks and the CEO has suspiciously ageless skin. I’m 70% of the way through and need to find out what happens to Mona.
I’ll Eat When I’m Dead by Barbara Bourland is one of my favorite books of any genre. At ultra-luxe RAGE magazine, editor Cat is inadvertently thrust into the media spotlight while looking into the death of her best friend and former coworker Hillary. There’s more to Hillary’s death than meets the eye and Cat has to decide who she can trust when the NYPD reopens the case. The outfit descriptions are strong and there’s one scene that will make you rethink shopping at Zara.
The New Girl by Harriet Walker, the fashion editor of The Times, is another favorite set at a fashion magazine. The plot touches on conflicting emotions about motherhood, power dynamics, careers, and age. Editor Margo is about to go on maternity leave and selects Maggie as her maternity cover at Haute, creating a Single White Female undertone that plays out on social media and in real life once Maggie starts dating someone in Margo’s circle. The book also has flashbacks to Margo’s relationship with her best friend, a connection that was abruptly severed at the beginning of the book.
Y2K Era
Nostalgia for anyone who lived as an adult in the noughties and anemoia for anyone who didn’t, these books are pure Y2K in fashion and cultural attitudes.
Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes is the ultimate Y2K book, a truly funny satire of Park Avenue heiresses inspired by the author’s experience working at Vogue. The book follows Moi as she navigates PHs, PJs, FRGs, and HRHs*. If you want to learn more about the story behind the book, watch
’s incredible interview with Plum and Lucy Sykes (and read her Substack - Liana’s writing and secondhand fashion advocacy are beyond). I love everything that Plum Sykes has written and recommend her 2024 book Wives Like Us, and also Party Girls Die in Pearls and The Debutante Divorcee for the eighties and noughties vibes. For any Kindle readers, all four books are on sale right now for $2.99 or less.Sushi For Beginners by Marian Keyes is a more lighthearted take on this genre, although it touches on themes of depression, adultery, and divorce. The plot has several character storylines, the most important being Lisa, a London fashion editor who’s been dispatched to Ireland to set up a new women’s magazine called Colleen, and Ashling, who struggles to fit in when she’s hired to work for Lisa.
Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones is an expose of the fashion industry that centers on the fictional designer of a small British fashion brand. It covers a six month period including Fashion Week and a potential perfume deal. The author credits “Anonymous”, a group of fashion insiders, for sharing their real-life stories that are used in the book. The author also wrote similar exposes on the air, travel, and restaurant industries that would be interesting reads if you can find any secondhand since they’re no longer in print.
Fabulously Fashionable by Holly McQueen follows Isabel Bookbinder on her quest to become a muse for a top fashion designer. The Goodreads reviews show that it’s a love it/ hate it book, so if you love Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series, you’ll probably like this one. Also read this for Isabel’s friend Barney, proprietor of the Coffee Messiah coffee cart, where the only thing on offer is espresso.
*PH = Prospective Husband, PJ = Private Jet , FRG = Front Row Girl, and HRH = His Royal Highness
Series
Sharing some of the best fashion fiction book series below, ranked from oldest to newest. I’m leaving out a few options for brevity, but I’m happy to share these in the comments if you’re looking for more options.
Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella is my favorite book collection, although it’s another love it/hate it since MC Becky Bloomwood’s decision making process is somewhat questionable. The books chronicle Becky throughout her career, starting as a financial writer trying to hide her enormous shopping debt, before moving on as a tv presenter, personal shopper, stylist, and finally, a shop manager. I struggle with books where romance is the central plot point and appreciate how Sophie Kinsella writes about careers, friendship, and family with romance as a side story. I also love a Christmas book, so Christmas Shopaholic is my favorite book of all, saved to be read once a year in December.
Annie Valentine by Carmen Reid was first published in 2007 and captures the high/low fashion consumption that was a hallmark of the late 2000s. Annie starts the series as a personal shopper and eBay entrepreneur who’s constantly on the prowl for deals. She evolves to be more intentional in the Annie in Paris book that came out this year, and it felt like a happy ending to see her shift from buying everything to focusing on a forever wardrobe and consuming less.
The Stylist by Rosie Nixon, the editor in chief at Hello!, follows Londoner Amber Green as she temporarily fills in as the assistant to top Hollywood stylist Mona, a Rachel Zoe-adjacent character. She then moves to New York with her boyfriend, and becomes an overnight fashion influencer thanks to a viral Instagram.
B*tches of Fifth Avenue by Toni Glickman, a former retail executive, is a fun read once you get past the name. It’s a two book series about Olivia, who goes from a wealthy DC socialite to a broke single parent living with her mother in New Jersey at the beginning of the first book. She gets a job as a sales associate at Harper James (think: Bergdorf Goodman) and rises through the ranks to become a personal stylist, clashing with the Gen Z lead stylist Zoe. I’m hopeful that book three comes out soon since the last book ended on a cliffhanger.
40+ Year Old Protagonists
While I enjoy reading books with main characters of all ages, it’s refreshing when a story isn’t told from the standard 20 or 30 year old POV. I’m always looking for more of these across any genre.
The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and
is a favorite read or listen - the audiobook is narrated so well that I’ve read/listened to this eight times since it was published in 2015. Editor in chief Imogen Tate comes back from a health-related leave to find her magazine has been taken over by her former assistant Eve. Not only that, Eve’s changed Glossy from print to digital. The Knockoff explores how tech and social media changed the magazine landscape and the work dynamics between Millennials and Gen X.Fitness Junkie also by Lucy Sykes and
is another favorite book and audiobook. Janey Sweet, the newly divorced CEO of couture bridal brand B, is being pushed out out the company by her best friend and business partner Beau for breaking an obscure weight clause in her contract. Janey gets mixed up in the over-the-top 2010s wellness industry as she tries to get her job back.Fashion Orphans by Randy Susan Meyers and M.J. Rose has a unique premise: main characters Gabrielle and Lulu are left with a walk in closet stacked with Chanel when their mother passes away. The semi-estranged sisters have to work together to decide what to do with their inheritance (suggestion: give it to me?).
Other Things I’m Reading and Listening To
I was excited to come across this gem at the library, published in 1989. I even found a very nostalgic stamped checkout card in the front of the book.
I’m listening to Funny Story and it’s been a bit of a slog since it’s more romance-forward than I thought. It’s well written and I really enjoyed the first few chapters, but now I’m stuck in a “will they/won’t they” loop. Hoping for a happy ending where Daphne’s fiancé comes crawling back to her only to be kicked to the curb.
For anyone who works in merchandising or product development (or wants to work in merchandising or product development) listen to the Nordie Pod podcast on the Nordstrom Product Group. It’s all about their approach to private label and is so informative and honest about the not-so-glamorous behind the scenes.
Thanks for reading and please share any book recs or secondhand shopping questions in the comments. See you next week!
I love this connection between your two loves. Have noted a few books for my reading list!