Vintage or cutting-edge independent fashion magazines, brands’ lookbooks and catalogues, thematical books and trend forecasting reports. Fashion libraries and book stores are always treasure islands for designers and fashion students, magic places where they can find inspirations and new ideas for their collections.
Event though there are many resources in internet and apps like Pinterest to collect and sharing images, for a fashion designer the best way for making a good and in-depth research is still a book. Or rather, more than one. At the basis of each new collection there’s a serious work of research, analysis, comparison and revision of photos, concepts, colors and materials which could come from the most disparate sources.
In internet there are many useful and often free resources, but many rare informations are available only on paper and the only way to have them is to leaf through the pages. The designer who wants to discover new worlds and aesthetics, will spend great part of his research time between old and new fashion magazines, vintage catalogues and trend books.
Here the list of the best fashion libraries and fashion book stores in Italy (in alphabetical order).
ACCADEMIA DI COSTUME E MODA’ S LIBRARY
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| The first issue of “Harper’s Bazaar” is part of the collection of fashion magazines of Accademia di Costume e Moda’s library |
In Rome, Accademia di Costume e Moda, one of the most important fashion schools in the world, has an historical fashion library with more than 4500 monographs and 5000 fashion magazines. The school’s library has been enriched by important private collections and donations (the Rosana Pistolese Fund and Bruno Piattelli Fund).
There you’ll find authentic rarities like the first issue of the American magazine Harper’s Bazaar, the first edition of the menswear magazine Club, many vintage issues of Vogue Italy, Vogue America, L’Officiel, Margherita and Bellezza. There are also the collection of fashion illustrations, set designs and costume sketches part of the Elio Costanzi Fund and those of press releases donated by the fashion journalist Pia Soli.
Informations:
Open to public (free) from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm
Via della Rondinella 2 – Rome
+39 06 6864132
biblioteca@accademiacostumeemoda.it
BOOK VILLAGE FASHION BOOKSTORE
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| Some fashion magazines at Book Village Fashion Library |
Book Village is a fashion book store in Milan opened since 2012 and official partner of Mode Information, an important independent publishing company and distributor of many publishers. Book Village is specialized in trend books for fashion forecasting and there you can buy a wide range of international fashion magazines, designers monographs, inspirational thematical books and publications, besides of the complete Pantone’s color system.
In a specific area of the bookstore, the clients have the possibility to take a look to all the publications and choice with calm the best products. Book Village is also present at every important fashion fair, like Milano Unica and White Show.
Informations:
Open to public from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 1 pm and from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Via Morimondo 26 – Milan
info@bookvillageshop.com
DIP & DYE FASHION BOOKSTORE
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| Dip & Dye fashion bookstore |
Dip & Dye is a fashion bookstore in Milan born in 2009 initially as exclusive agent of the French style bureau Promostyl, one of the most important trend forecasting agency of the world. Then the company expanded its range of products including other types of trend books, fashion magazines regarding catwalk and textile reports for every field of fashion design, the Pantone’s color coding cards, specific books for graphic design and many books about prints and patterns.
It’s possible to buy the publications online or to consult them in the showroom by appointment only. In addition, during the year Dip & Dye organizes many workshops and video trend presentations.
Informations:
Online shop
Showroom open by appointment
Via S. Galdino 8 – Milan
+39 02 33605915
info@dipdye.it
FASHION ROOM BOOKSTORES
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| Fashion Room Bookstore in Florence |
Fashion Room Bookstores is an interesting realitity in the textile district between Florence and Prato, with two headquarters in both the cities and a very well-stocked online shop. For Tuscany and the centre of Italy is surely a reference point for fashion companies, designers and fashion students, but it also partecipate to the various trade fair of the sector and is one of the favourite destination of the insiders during Pitti’s events.
It’s specialized in trend books, color code systems (Pantone and RAL), independent and prestigious fashion magazines, fashion design books and designers’ monographs, Japanese magazines and interesting publications dedicated to sustainability.
Informations:
Online shop
Open to public from Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm
Via II Prato 7/R – Florence
+39 055 213270
infotoscana@fashionroom.it
MEDE FASHION BOOK STORE
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| A selection of fashion magazines available in the fashion book store Mede |
The fashion book store Mede in Noventa Padovana, near Padova, was born in 1995 from the passion of its founders, who personally select the publications and try to offer the best services to their clients, often making also a real work of research for rare publications.
They are partner of Mode Information and in the store you’ll find a wide range of trend forecasting books, catwalk report magazines, international fashion magazines, an interesting collection of Japanese books and magazines, fashion design and monographic books, the complete color system of Pantone and RAL.
Informations:
Via Oltrebrenta 19 – Noventa Padovana (Padova)
+39 049 9801451
info@medesrl.it
MILANO FASHION LIBRARY
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| Milano Fashion Library |
Milano Fashion Library is one of the most provided in Italy, born by a private collection and now with more than 70000 publications from the end of 19th century to today. In the large and confortable rooms of the library is possible to find national and international fashion magazines, monographic and thematical books, many brands’ lookbooks and catalogues and trend books, as well as media press materials and Dvd of fashion shows, documentaries and movies.
The librarians can help students and designers in discovering sources and publications, while for the companies is available also a service of research consulting. Because the library is private, to gain access is requested a registration and to buy an access card, with many different payment plans.
Informations:
Open to public from Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 1 pm and from 2.30 pm to 6 pm
Via Alessandria 8 – Milan
+39 02 83311211
info@milanofashionlibrary.it
MODATECA DEANNA
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| Inside the fashion library Modateca Deanna |
Modateca Deanna Centro Internazionale di Documentazione Moda is part of one of the most interesting and rich fashion archive in Italy, those of the knitwear company Miss Deanna, founded by Deanna Ferretti Veroni. The library collects more than 20000 pieces among international fashion magazines from 1980 to present day, monographic and thematical books, fashion design technical manuals. But also rare publications, vintage books and several thesis projects of fashion students.
The library is part of a wonderful large space (more than 3000 sqm) dedicated to fashion research, where the visitors have the possibility to consult a rich technical archive of knit and fabric samples, vintage accessories and clothing, the sample collections of many great designers.
Informations:
Via della Resistenza 35 – San Martino in Rio (Reggio Emilia)
+ 39 0522 695798
info@modatecadeanna.it
Website link
MODATECA IGOR PALLANTE
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| Modateca Igor Pallante, a fashion library inside the Mediateca di San Lazzaro di Savena |
The Modateca Igor Pallante is a fashion library part of the Mediateca di San Lazzaro di Savena, near Bologna. It’s a cultural space born in memory of Igor Pallante, founder of Arte Vetrina Project and a real genius in the art of window display, a creative men who had always desired to share his knowledge and experience.
MIP is born with this intent and there fashion students, designers and researchers can find hundreds of books, fashion magazines manuals, catalogues and monographs dedicated to fashion, design, art, graphic and visual merchandising.
Informations:
Open to public (free) on Monday from 2 pm to 7.30 pm and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9 am to 7.30 pm
Via Caselle 22 – San Lazzaro di Savena (Bologna)
+39 051 6228060
mediateca@comune.sanlazzaro.bo.it
POLIMODA’S LIBRARY
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| The beautiful rooms of the Polimoda’s library Centro di Documentazione Matteo Lanzoni |
The Centro di Documentazione Matteo Lanzoni is the library of the internationally famous fashion school Polimoda, in Florence. It’s one of the largest library of Italy, with 24000 publications divided into four thematical areas, textile and clothing, arts, photography and innovation management.
There you can find hundreds of fashion magazines from the second half of 19th century to today, lookbooks and commercial catalogues, thousands of fashion shows video and documentaries, plus the databases of Vogue Archive, the Berg Fashion Library, WWD and Dazed Media Archive. The library is for free for Polimoda’s students and alumni, while external researches, fashion companies, designers and other schools students have to pay a registration fee (different for each category of users).
Information:
Open to public from Monday to Thursday from 8.30 am to 7 pm and Friday from 8.30 am to 6 pm
Via Curtatone 1 – Florence
+39 055 2750628
TREMELLONI LIBRARY
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| A vintage fashion magazine at Biblioteca Tremelloni |
The Biblioteca Tremelloni of Textile and Fashion, hosted in the POLIteca inside the Politecnico’s Design Department in Milan, was opened in 1983 thanks to the heritage of Attilio Tremelloni, founder of the knitwear magazine Maglieria, who in the years collected thousands of publications regarding different fields of fashion industry.
Now the library is enriched by the donations of private collections and there you can find thousands of fashion books, monographs, brands’ catalogues, lookbooks, vintage fashion magazines and new publications.
Informations:
Via Durando 10 (building 7) – POLIteca Design Department – Politecnico di Milano – Milan
+39 02 23997121
info@bibliotecatremelloni.org
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