4 fashion and art books to grace your coffee table, about Diane Keaton and Iris Apfel’s inimitable styles, legendary Japanese artist Hokusai, and French sculptor and fashion designer Madame Grès

Nov 27 , 2024

The cover of Fashion first, which documents Diane Keaton’s style. Photo: Handout

Whether they’re fashionistas or art enthusiasts, your friends will love these beautiful books this Christmas

Books are the gift that keep on giving, and these four will make excellent conversation starters on any coffee table. Impress your guests with these beautiful tomes – two from style icons with very different outlooks, another focusing on a true artiste of fashion creation and, finally, the ultimate Hokusai compilation.

1. Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton’s oversized, eye-catching style. Photo: Getty Images

If there is one person who embodies the “very demure, very mindful” aesthetic that has gone viral in recent months, it is the one and only Diane Keaton.

The Oscar-winning actress has been a fashion icon since the 70s; when we first saw the menswear-inspired outfits she wore in the 1977 film Annie Hall, which have come to define her personal style. Director Woody Allen gave her free rein to come up with her own wardrobe for the film and Keaton dressed the part, cementing her status as a true original.

Fashion First, a beautifully illustrated book published by Rizzoli New York, is a compendium of Keaton’s style moments over the years, from her bold red-carpet get-ups to her covered-up daily outfits accessorised with hats, spectacles, gloves and more chic accoutrements.

Pictures from photographers including Annie Leibovitz and Ruven Afanador are juxtaposed with more candid shots, while luminaries such as Giorgio Armani, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nancy Meyers and Thom Browne share anecdotes about Keaton and her inimitable style. Ralph Lauren, one of her favourite designers, penned the foreword.

2. Madame Grès

Madame Grès next to one of her models. Photo: Handout

Madame Grès (1903–1993) was one of the leading fashion designers of the 20th century. Trained as a sculptor, she was known for her signature draped and asymmetrical dresses. Edited by fashion historian Olivier Saillard, Madame Grès Haute Couture Paris is the definitive monograph of her remarkable oeuvre.