Hey guys.

I’m looking for good books/blogs/websites to help me improve my Fashion Knowledge.

Basically, I want to be able to hold a conversation with someone on the subject, and I want to start to have more of an idea/opinion about what looks good, and what works or doesn’t work, and why (I’ve been leaving it up to the stylist and trusting in their eye, but I really feel that knowing more will make me better at my job).

Some things I think I should know are:

- Current Trends
- Fashion History (Influential Designers, pieces and past looks etc)
- Terminology / Glossary
- General Industry Knowledge
- Anything else you think I should have a grasp of. ☺

So, if you have any suggestions for good resources (or advice of your own), I’d love to hear them. ☺

Thanks in advance!

Ben

First and foremost Fashion is commentary, a narrative of style…

Fashion is about conveying a lifestyle that seeks to influence people to covet that lifestyle and by extension the items, substance and objects associated with that lifestyle… domestic residences and automobiles, are the big ticket items of merit… clothing falls significantly lower in echelon of fashion albeit it appears that is your focus from the parameters you’ve listed…

Elementfoto since you have a degree in photography and have been assisting some of Melbourne and Sydney's Best for over three years I’m couching this reply directly to one at that level of attainment…

help me improve my Fashion Knowledge…

From your list…

- Current Trends : Have you considered attending local fashion events in your market?  i.e. fashion shows, trunk shows…  please try to understand what is relevant in one market may not be so in another…  In my market WWD is considered rather authoritative…

- Fashion History : Might study The World's Most Influential Fashion Designers: Hidden Connections and Lasting Legacies of Fashion's Iconic Creators it’s an excellent read if you are indeed interested in the aforementioned…

- Terminology / Glossary: If you are sincere about your quest I would suggest you invest quality time in the stylist form via the Search Function… here is a recent Glossary posted by a tenured make-up artist.

- General Industry Knowledge: This is why there is absolutely no substitute for assisting… the Lion’s share of my industry knowledge has indeed come from assisting other commercial shooters in my market…

- Anything else you think I should have a grasp of: Fashion photographers who think it's about the clothes are shooting product, not fashion… this is possibly the most challenging thing for an emerging lens person to get their head around…  It's all about making statements of style.

The most oft misconception of clothing “fashion” is the concept of  Haute Couture  a.k.a. High fashion which in essences is a fantasy world, it just is. 

Insight: There is a perilous gray area between fashion and costume…

Fashion is what you adorn yourself in before going out into the world at large, i.e. what your actual persona is…

Costume instead involves becoming something you are not… it is a masquerade, a veil of camouflage whose intent is to mask the wearer’s true persona… the media circus of Milan, Paris and New York’s Fashion Week are examples of the aforementioned…

Yes I shoot fashion, albeit currently very little of it is for the clothing industry… architectural now comprises the lion’s share of my fashion revenue stream…

All the best on your journey Elementfoto

Websites:

http://fashionphotographyblog.com/
http://bentrova.to/
http://www.hungertv.com/features/fashion/
http://fashiongonerogue.com/
http://www.fashiontography.net/
http:// www.vogue.com
http://www.neilsnape.com/blog/

Books:

http://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Photograp … graphy+101

http://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Photograp … pd_sim_b_6

http://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Photograp … hotography

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Shoot-50-Fa … pd_sim_b_1

http://www.amazon.com/Vogue-Illustrated … hotography

http://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Book-Edit … hotography

http://www.amazon.com/New-Fashion-Photo … hotography

Vogue Italia is my personal favorite. I try and just stick to getting the Spring and Fall Issues since it's pretty expensive here.

Trends in fashion tend to be cyclical, so it's important to know about their history and how they grew.
Icons of Fashion: the 20th Century is a great for learning about the evolution of fashion and all the it's pioneers.
http://www.amazon.com/Icons-Fashion-20t … th+century

100 years of Fashion
http://www.amazon.com/100-Years-Fashion … of+fashion

Miami Fashion Network is being launched by my friend and fashion stylist Jessica Rae Anderson within a few weeks.  Her mm number is 1556587  Of course its about Miami fashion but also very insightful and right on trend.  R-

Here are some of my favorite websites:
http://www.refinery29.com/
http://www.fashionindie.com/
http://www.thesartorialist.com/
http://www.stylelist.com/
http://www.whowhatwear.com/
http://www.luckymag.com/
http://weworewhat.com/
http://www.vogue.com/

hope this helps

Magazines: first and foremost, any flavor of 'Vogue'. Actually, unless you have a lot of free time on your hands to devote to reading and study, that's probably all you need. Ditto with regard to websites.

Make Up related

www.makeupenthusiasts.com