Books, one of the greatest joys in life. I love all kinds, but I’ve always found something extra special about a beautiful coffee table book – pages of adventure, beautifully bound to be displayed in your home, and enjoyed by all. For me, a good coffee table book is an essential part of my home, and so as you can imagine… I have rather a few.
Dior Catwalk: The Complete Collections by Alexander Fury and Adélia Sabatini
I’ve wanted this book for so long. I’m always mentioning Dior on here, and how he is my favourite designer – a lot of this is to do with the fact that throughout his life, his designs were highly inspired by his interest in fortune telling, tarot, and astrology – all things I adore myself (you can read more about that here, and here). The Christian Dior design house have carried a lot of those inspirations forwards, and this book is a celebration of past and present designs and collections. It’s such a beautiful book, even before you open it! And if you love Dior, or just fashion in general, this really is a must for your collection.
Pretty City London
I love this book. I can’t believe I’ve only just discovered it! It’s SO pretty, and so very very special. If you enjoy visiting London, and you enjoy Instagram – I think you’ll particularly enjoy this book. The pictures are that stunning, just those would do themselves! But actually, there’s lots of cool information and advice that will really help you make the most of your visit, and discover lots of hidden treasures that the city has to offer. I’m not joking when I say that this book is stunning, I literally can’t put it down at the moment.
The New Fashion Rules by Victoria McGrath
Written by one of the bloggers that inspires me the most, Inthefrow, this gorgeous little hardback is another one you may want to consider if you’re into your fashion. It’s exceptionally well researched and written, and really stands out from what’s starting to become an overly saturated market of “blogger books” – which don’t get me wrong, I think are fab, but some of them can often come across as lazy and quite “samey” in comparison to what others have produced. Not this one. To me, it’s a real celebration of the fashion world, with a walk through of some of the most stand out and important moments in the evolution of the industry. There’s a nice mix of high end and high street, and it can be devoured for hours, or simply dipped in and out of whenever required.
Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts) by Russell Norman
One of the most wonderful cookbooks I think I own. Probably not for the beginner cook, there are some recipes in here that require a bit of determination, and to know what you’re doing on occasion. Some of the ingredients can be harder to source than just popping into your local supermarket too; but if you enjoy cooking, you’ll adore this; and it would make the most beautiful gift. Even if you never make a single recipe from it, it’s just a lovely book to flick through and enjoy all the stunning pictures. There’s also some cocktail recipes at the back, which I thought was a nice touch!
Hemsley Hemsley: Good + Simple by Jasmine Hemsley and Melissa Hemsley
A colourful, exciting delight of a cookbook that celebrates all that is fresh and good for you. Again, possibly not for the novice cook, but you don’t particularly have to be a master chef either. Nutritious and tasty recipes adorn the pages, and whilst some can be a bit of an effort – this isn’t something I’d cook from every night – I love picking this up when I want to have a nice evening in, and cook up a huge feast. I’d rather pick this up than a takeaway any day.
