Fashion Literacy

By Kate Novack

Ever wonder what was in Tom Ford's first collection for Gucci or where the idea for Donna Karan's signature bodysuit came from? Now is the perfect time to bone up on your fashion history. This fall Assouline is publishing a trio of designer biographies--The Journey of a Woman: 20 Years of Donna Karan (228 pages), Carolina Herrera (208 pages) and Marc Jacobs (80 pages). On the heels of Ford's final catwalk bow comes Tom Ford (Rizzoli; 384 pages), which catalogs the meticulous designer's decade of work for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. And when the edifying is done, these books work even better on the coffee table than by the bedside. --BY KATE NOVACK