Anna Sui’s Book List
I find it so important to maintain the spark of curiosity, the romance of adventure, the discovery of unknown worlds, the charm of an unexpected surprise, learning about something new. Films, exhibitions, music, travel, and flea markets—all help do that for me. And books!
all genres
- filter by:
- all genres (0)
Michael Cooper was the photographer and a friend of the Rolling Stones—part of their inner circle. He did the Their Satanic Majesties Request album cover, and the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover for The Beatles. He was also close friends with many artists and writers, such as Robert Fraser, Francis Bacon, Peter Blake, David Hockney, Jean Genet, Terry Southern, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.
Antonio Lopez was such a strong influence on everything I love about fashion. He was a singular creative force. His legacy covers much more than just his amazing fashion illustrations. Antonio also influenced urban style and dance music (and introduced so many famous faces— including superstar models Cathee Dahmen, Jerry Hall, Grace Jones, Paloma Picasso, Donna Jordan, Marisa Berenson, Jane Forth, Loulou de la Falaise, and Jessica Lange). I love his energy, optimism, and joie de vivre.
This is Iain Webb’s celebration of the iconic 1980s English style magazine Blitz (1982–87); featuring Boy George, Nick Knight, David LaChapelle, Anna Piaggi, Judy Blame, John Galliano, Katharine Hamnett, Pam Hogg, and Stephen Jones. There was so much creativity during this time. I remember shopping at Kensington Market, and meeting Leigh Bowery and Rachel Auburn. I loved their designs, and those of Body Map. They told me to go to Taboo!
Beauty and elegance without irony or exaggeration. Photographer Jerry Schatzberg captured the strength and glamour of the most beautiful women from the 1950s and ’60s.
This book aptly documents the graphic art of the Punk period: posters, fanzines, Xeroxed handbills, and ephemera. This was the way the news traveled then—it was how you knew what was going on, who was playing, and where.
This is a beautiful book by Simon Barker, who worked at Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s Seditionaries store in the 1970s, is full of very personal photos of everyone from that scene. Simon was a member of the Bromley Contingent (Sex Pistols followers and fans, Siouxsie Sioux, Jordan, Debbie Juvenile, Philip Salon, Tracie O’Keefe, Soo Catwoman, Steve Severin, and Billy Idol).
Photographer Mick Rock had unlimited access to this world. These photographs portray Bowie’s early glam period.
John William Waterhouse is my favorite Pre-Raphaelite painter. Peter Trippi has a lively spirit, and is a most extraordinary scholar. I based my Spring 2014 fashion show on this theme.
Beautifully done, this is Andrew Bolton’s gorgeous catalogue for the Metropolitan Museum’s exhibition that illustrated how punk style and iconography are interpreted by fashion designers.
The lavish photo selection is really incredible! Not only are her iconic fashion pictures included, but also very intimate ones from her personal collection.
Sheila (the ex-wife of Mick Rock) documented the early days of punk rock: The Clash, the Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, and the King’s Road boutiques, SEX and BOY. She also worked extensively for the magazine The Face. The book includes interviews with Paul Simonon, Glen Matlock, Steven Severin, Chrissie Hynde, and John Savage. The deluxe version comes with a limited-edition photograph to frame.
Zandra has always been a big influence for me—my favorite. I collect her incredible printed chiffon pieces from the early 1970s. I love the fantasy of her clothes.
Announcements
Now is Better by Stefan Sagmeister
Now is Better
By Stefan Sagmeister
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Published: October 2023
Combining art, design, history, and quantitative analysis, transforms data sets into stunning artworks that underscore his positive view of human progress, inspiring us to think about the future with much-needed hope.
Design Emergency: Building a Better Future by Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli
Design Emergency: Building a Better Future
By Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Published: May 2022
Rawsthorn and Antonelli tell the stories of the remarkable designers, architects, engineers, artists, scientists, and activists who are at the forefront of positive change worldwide. Focusing on four themes—Technology, Society, Communication, and Ecology—the authors present a unique portrait of how our great creative minds are developing new design solutions to the major challenges of our time, while helping us to benefit from advances in science and technology.
.png)
Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World’s Most Creative People by Debbie Millman
Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World's Most Creative People
By Debbie Millman
Publisher: Harper Design
Published: February 22, 2022
Debbie Millman—author, educator, brand consultant, and host of the widely successful and award-winning podcast “Design Matters”—showcases dozens of her most exciting interviews, bringing together insights and reflections from today’s leading creative minds from across diverse fields.
Milton Glaser: POP by Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić, and Beth Kleber
Milton Glaser: POP
By Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić, and Beth Kleber
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: March 2023
This collection of work from graphci design legend Milton Glaser’s Pop period features hundreds of examples of the designer’s work that have not been seen since their original publication, demonstrating the graphic revolution that transformed design and popular culture.
.png)
Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall by Alexandra Lange
Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall
By Alexandra Lange
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: June 2022
Chronicles postwar architects’ and merchants’ invention of the shopping mall, revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent. Publishers Weekly writes, “Contending that malls answer ‘the basic human need’ of bringing people together, influential design critic Lange advocates for retrofitting abandoned shopping centers into college campuses, senior housing, and ‘ethnocentric marketplaces’ catering to immigrant communities. Lucid and well researched, this is an insightful study of an overlooked and undervalued architectural form.”
Die Fläche: Design and Lettering of the Vienna Secession, 1902–1911 (Facsimile Edition) by Diane V. Silverthorne, Dan Reynolds, and Megan Brandow-Faller
Die Fläche: Design and Lettering of the Vienna Secession, 1902–1911 (Facsimile Edition)
By Diane V. Silverthorne, Dan Reynolds, and Megan Brandow-Faller
Publisher: Letterform Archives Books
Published: October 2023
This facsimile edition of Die Fläche, recreates every page of the formative design periodical in full color and at original size, accompanied by essays that contextualize the work, highlighting contributions by pathbreaking women, innovative lettering artists, and key practitioners of the new “surface art,” including Rudolf von Larisch, Alfred Roller, and Wiener Werkstätte founders Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann.
Popular NowWeekMonth
- The Book We Need Now: New from Stefan Sagmeister
- Quote of the Day: Witold Rybczynski & Paradise Planned
- Summer Reading for Design Lovers: The Story of Architecture
- One Book and Why: Design School Dean Frederick Steiner Recommends . . .
- One Book and Why: Graphic Designer Stefan Sagmeister Recommends . . .
- Book List of the Week: Milton Glaser
- Imagining Information: Symbols, Isotype, and Book Design
- “The Notebooks and Drawings of Louis I. Kahn” To Be Reissued in a New Facsimile Edition
- Do We Need a Completely New Approach to Marketing Books?
- Question Everything: A Conversation with OK-RM’s Rory McGrath
Recent Articles
