Guo Pei’s Book List
Ever since my childhood, I have loved reading books. Reading even just one book makes me feel as if I have been on a journey of a thousand miles.
When I was growing up in China in the 1980s, however, books were really scarce. There were very few titles available on the market and books from abroad were unheard of. Low living standards also meant that published material was mostly unaffordable for the masses. Some publications were even priced as high as $100-200!
I have continued to buy books ever since I saw my first book nearly 30 years ago. Just recently, for example, my husband and I returned to China with around 220 pounds of books from Europe! We have whole rooms dedicated to books in both our house and at my studio, and I often buy more than one copy of the same book in order to share my collection with others.
Books have also played a vital role in shaping my career as a fashion designer. When I was studying, I did not learn much from my teachers: there was no support for design education back then. I can say with confidence that most things I have learned have come from books.
郭培的书单
我从小就爱读书，读一本书，胜过行千里路。
我念书的那会儿是80年代，那时候书在中国是稀缺商品，不仅数量非常有限，外文书更是听都没听说过。那个年代收入很低，大多数出版物对普通大众来说，都是遥不可及的。有些书的标价甚至高达100到200美元！
从我三十年前看到自己的第一本书，就再也没法停下买书。比如，最近我和丈夫从欧洲归来，随行带回了220磅重的书！我们家有一间书房，我的工作室也有一间，我还经常同一本书多买几册，好与他人分享。
书对我的时装设计工作有不可或缺的影响。我还是一个学生的时候，从老师那里学到的不多，因为那时的设计教育非常落后，缺乏支持。我可以自信地说，我的大部分知识都是从书中得来的。
Chinese translation by Lynn Zhang.
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I believe that design can never be too far away from the past. Designers should learn about the past to inform their own designs and become a part of history themselves. From this standpoint, you can see the influence of what I've learned from this book on my work today. This book has had such a great influence on me that I even donated it to the China Fashion Association library to inspire others.
戏服的历史
我相信设计离开历史，是走不长久的。设计师应该从经典中汲取精髓，完善自身的同时，也让自己成为设计史的一部分。你可以在我的设计中看到这本书对我的影响，它对我影响太过深远，我甚至向中国时装协会图书馆捐了一本，也让他人从中获益。
I am especially interested in books that focus on fashion history because they reveal how we appreciated beauty in the past. They are a record of history and, therefore, have a great impact. I’ve actually bought this book twice: first in Paris, and then again in Japan after seeing an exhibition at Kobe Fashion Museum!
This is also the book that has pushed me to want to build China’s first fashion museum. I have two dreams in life: to build a fashion museum, and to create a fashion library to inspire future generations. I think that books are vital to the development of Chinese design and design education: much like planting a tree in order to let it blossom and grow, rather than placing a flower in a vase that will eventually wilt and die.
时装：京都服装研究所典藏，18至20世纪时装史
我对关于时装史的书一直很有兴趣，因为它们展示了过去人的审美关。它们纪录了历史，因此影响深远。这本书我买过两次：一次是在巴黎，后来我去参观神户时装博物馆看展览，竟又购入一本。
The military uniform has been a great inspiration for me. My first haute couture fashion show, “Samsara,” included dresses inspired by military uniforms. When I visited Paris for the first time, I saw many European military uniforms in a museum, which made a major impression on me. This book (“Military Engravings,” from 1944) includes many drawings made by hand. I found it in a vintage bookshop in Geneva.
军装制服版画
军装为我提供了很多灵感。我的第一次高级定制时装秀“Samsara（轮回）”，有多件高级定制的灵感都来自军装制服。我第一次去巴黎，在一家博物馆看到许多欧洲制服，印象深刻。这本书（《军装制服版画（Military Engravings）》），1944年出版）里有很多手绘稿，是我在日内瓦的一家二手书店找到的。
Examining this book (and the others in the same collection, which includes five books) was the first time I saw Occidental patterns. Occidental clothing patterns are quite different from Oriental ones. For an Oriental fashion designer, it's very hard to find and learn about Western patterns and pattern-making. So this moment was very precious for me.
时装图样：男女装裁剪与构建 1560－1620
这本书（以及同系列的其他四册）是我第一次接触西方图样。西方的服装图样与东方大不相同。对一个东方服装设计师来说，很难找到西方图样和制图的书，向它学习，因此我非常珍视那一刻。
I recently bought this set of books from a museum in Paris. This is 50 years of history—from when Yves Saint Laurent studied as a young designer until he passed away in 2008. Each book features sketches and hand drawings, and the contents are deeply moving. The entire set weighs 88 pounds in total, but it was definitely worth bringing back to China!
圣罗兰设计稿完整珍藏版 1962－2002
贝杰－圣罗兰基金会
这套书是我最近在一家巴黎的图书馆购入的。这是一部50年的历史－从圣罗兰刚踏上设计道路的学生时代一直到他2008年去世。每本书都收录了他的素描和手绘稿，内容非常感人。整套书重达88磅，但绝对值得带回中国。
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