Stylish page-turners

Several of fashion’s movers and shakers have released books in the past few weeks, covering topics ranging from interior design to our American desire to buy, buy, buy. Here, in a Fashionista special report, is what we recommend you scoop up.

TITLE: “Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady”
AUTHOR: Derek Blasberg
PAGES: 256
PRICE: $16.99

Man about town Derek Blasberg’s book does not define class as donning a cheap black cocktail dress and having champagne with your sorority sisters. According to Blasberg, who can boast contributions to Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar on his résumé, earning the title “classy” requires a little more work than that.
Though “classy” is technically targeted toward the young adult market interested in becoming mini Blair Waldorfs, there’s no reason why college girls shouldn’t pick it up. Confused about which ensembles whisper “lady” and which scream “tramp?” He’s got it all laid out for you.
Also inside its pages are lessons on men and how to get the ones you want without looking like a freak and how to delicately climb the social ladder. Blasberg should know about that one, he rubs elbows with such fashion muses as Chloë Sevigny and Leigh Lezark of the MisShapes.
“Classy” is a bit juvenile and saccharine, a how-to book for those who’d rather read Vogue and Us Weekly than Sartre or Edith Wharton , but it’s frothy, breezy fun.

TITLE: “The Selby is in Your Place”
AUTHOR: Todd Selby
PAGES: 256
PRICE: $35.00

Speaking of dudes who hang out with luminaries, photographer Todd Selby has the privilege of getting inside access to the abodes of esteemed creative types, including Barney’s New York’s resident mad genius Simon Doonan and his husband, interior designer Jonathan Adler . His portraits of these folks in their personal spaces, rife with quirky personal artifacts, made their way to his website, The Selby.
Which designers, models and artists are packrats? Who prefers minimalistic cool versus a jumble of books, shoes and framed art? Clicking through the site will fill you in. Selby’s snoopy lens became so popular with design-oriented peeping Toms that it sprawled into a book of over 33 apartments, mansions and country homes from Tokyo to New York City.
Even if you’re not familiar with the work of the people included in the book, “The Selby is in Your Place” can also serve as an interior design how-to. Soon, you won’t be living in dumpy college digs, and “The Selby is in Your Place” provides ample inspiration no matter your budget.
Selby’s camera captures vivid colors. His eye for details within the walls of someone’s home makes for not just a charming peek into the lives of the rich and relentlessly creative but an inspiring tool for transforming your humble home.

TITLE: “Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today?”
AUTHOR: Kate Bingaman-Burt
PAGES: 206
PRICE: $19.95

Can you imagine drawing a picture of everything you’ve purchased since 2006? How many lattes, packs of cigarettes and pairs of shoes would you have to draw?
Artsy chick and graphic designer Kate Bingaman-Burt decided to document her purchases via pretty pictures, price attached, after getting burnt out on her job as an art director for a gift company. She pondered our attachment to the things we buy and channeled these ideas into her blog and its accompanying monthly magazine, Obsessive Compulsion.
The pictures she drew of skinny jeans and sodas gave Bingaman-Burt a wake-up call: She noticed how rampant her spending habits were and used the pictures to help her reign it in.
Now in book form, Bingaman-Burt’s drawings of her haircuts and cups of coffee are whimsical renderings of how we choose to distribute our income. Her book isn’t preachy, just a bit sweet and twee. It makes you think, “Do I really need this pack of cigarettes or this cup of soup?”