Writing about fashion requires two things-a daily mental consumption of reading material (i.e., books, newspapers, internet articles, etc.,) and at least five minutes a day of free writing in a journal. The good thing about both of these rituals is they can be done anywhere-at the bus stop, on a break at work or in the waiting room at the hospital-with a minimum of effort and equipment. They’re also an excellent way to take a break from the online world of cell phones, computers and other devices and gain inspiration old school.

Since fashion is my passion I buy as many books from the genre that I can to include in my own personal library for research. Below is a list of the top ten books I recently bought and think should go in any fashion book lovers library.

Victoria Moore’s Fashion Book List:

• Vogue, the gown, Jo Ellison
• Guo Pei Couture Beyond (Exhibit at the Bowers Museum)
• The Stylist, Rosie Nixon
• Adorned In Dreams, Elizabeth Wilson
• Fashion Brands, Mark Tungate
• buy-ology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, Martin Lindstrom
• Bonnie Cashin, Stephanie Lake
• Basics Fashion Design STYLING, Jacqueline McAssey and Clark Buckley
• Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography (Exhibit at the Getty Museum)
• Tonne Goodman: Point of View

Sadly the acquisition of these books will require persistent hunting, especially if you live in L.A., where the number of small independent bookstores are disappearing. Despite that I’ve given you a list of my favorite online and onsite places below.

On-site and On-line Fashion Book Resources:

• Goodwill Thrift Stores, http://www.goodwillsocal.org and http://www.goodwillbooks.com.
• National Council of Jewish Women Council Thrift Shops, http://www.ncjwla.org.
• Sideshow Books (Used Bookstore), 1639 LaCienega Blvd., L.A., CA. 90035 (310) 428-4631, http://www.sideshowbookstore.com. Hours: Open from 12-7:30 pm Tuesday-Sunday.
• Malik Books (African-American Bookstore), 3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ste. 245, L.A., CA. 90008 (323) 389-8040, http://www.malikbooks.com.
• Arcana: Books on the Arts (Great Sale Books), 8675 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA. 90232, (310) 458-1499, http://www.arcanabooks.com.
• LACMA Store (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., CA. 90036, (323) 857-6146, http://www.thelacmastore.org.
• The FIDM Store (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), 919 S. Grand Ave., L.A., CA. 90015, (213) 624-1200, Ext. 4144, http://www.thefidmstore.com. Hours: Open Monday-Friday: 8-4:30 pm.
• The Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., L.A., CA. 90013, (213) 488-0599, http://www.lastbookstorela.com.
• Mar Vista Branch Library (They have excellent buys at their regular book sales), 12006 CA-187, L.A., CA. 90066, (310) 390-3454, http://www.lapl.org. Hours: Open Mondays and Wednesdays 10-8 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 12-8 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays 9:30-5:30 pm.
• amazon.com (www.amazon.com)
• abebooks (www.abebooks.com)
• Dover Publications (www.doverpublications.com)