CULTURE

The Best Coffee Table Books of 2025

From archival fashion deep dives to never-before-published photos, these are the monographs you won’t want to miss.

by Claire Valentine McCartney
A selection of the best coffee table books of 2025
Images courtesy of the publishers. Collage by Kimberly Duck
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From the runways of Paris to the streets of Manchester, this year’s coffee table book releases took readers on visual journeys around the world. Subject-wise, there’s something for everyone: for fashion fans, titles like From Louis to Vuitton and André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever deliver insider stories from the heart of the industry, while The Nineties x Anna Sui and Rick Owens: Temple of Love capture the rebellious, boundary-pushing spirit of two iconic designers. Art and photography enthusiasts will find pleasure in David Hockney, the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s companion book to the artist’s recent career-spanning retrospective. The 40th anniversary of Richard Avedon’s In the American West, meanwhile, journeys back in time through the photographer’s classic collection. For the culture obsessive, there are behind-the-scenes dispatches from the set of Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides and the raucous touring years of Oasis’s heyday. Whether for gifting or for enjoying yourself, these are the year’s photobooks you won’t want to put down:

For the Fashion Devotee

'From Louis to Vuitton'

A stunning deep dive into the history of the House of Vuitton, tracing its evolution from its founding in 1854 to the global luxury empire it is today.

'The Nineties x Anna Sui'

The designer, in her own words, on the kaleidoscope of interests that influenced her iconic ’90s creations.

'Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery'

Vivienne Westwood’s signature crystal-and-pearl-encrusted Orb may be experiencing a revival, but there’s so much more to the designer’s jewelry history, explored here.

'André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever'

A visually sumptuous archive of André Leon Talley’s eventful life and singular style, which was accompanied by this year’s SCAD exhibition celebrating one of fashion’s most influential luminaries.

'Stetson: American Icon'

This book captures the way the 1865-founded Stetson brand—and its most iconic item, the cowboy hat—has infiltrated every aspect of American culture, including film, music, fine art, and politics.

'Chanel Haute Couture'

Sofia Coppola gives the storied history of Chanel Haute Couture her trademark collage treatment, piecing together a visual story about Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Virginie Viard’s most unique creative expressions.

'Rick Owens: Temple of Love"

A thorough critical retrospective of Rick Owens’s work, with images and essays (including a foreword by Courtney Love) exploring the subversive designer’s enduring influence (its publication also coincided with the first comprehensive show of Owens’s work, at Paris’ Palais Galliera this summer).

'The Look: Michelle Obama'

Michelle Obama and her longtime stylist, Meredith Koop, offer an inside look at the challenges and opportunities of dressing the first Black First Lady and how clothing sends messages beyond the surface level.

For the Art Aficionados

'Pamela Hanson: The '90s'

Pamela Hanson opens her archives to relive the decade (and the images) that defined the supermodel era.

'Physique'

This collection of more than 250 rare “physique” photographs from the 1930s to the 1960s reclaims a visual movement and gay subculture of another time.

'David Hockney'

A thorough, detailed, deeply-researched look at the life, career, influences, and works of one of Britain’s most popular painters, put together by the Fondation Louis Vuitton in concert with its 2025 retrospective survey of the artist.

'In the American West: 40th Anniversary Edition'

Richard Avedon’s legendary 1985 trip through the American West and resulting project of 103 stunning black-and-white photographs gets a reissue after being out of print for more than a decade.

For the Culture Connoisseur

'The Virgin Suicides'

Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides helped define girlhood for a generation, and this book of never-before-seen set photos by British fashion photographer Corinne Day offers a dreamy, raw look at the creative process behind the film.

'Oasis: Trying to Find a Way Out of Nowhere'

The Gallagher brothers may have just reunited for Oasis’s first tour in 16 years, but photographer Jill Furmanovsky has been documenting the Manchester band’s ups and downs since 1994—the result being this decades-long, all-access backstage pass with a foreword from Noel himself.

'Patti Smith: Horses, Paris 1976'

Never-before-published photographs by Claude Gassian capture Patti Smith’s many visits to Paris in 1976, the year after she released her groundbreaking Horses album, changing music forever.

'Collaboration: Frank Ockenfels 3 X David Bowie'

Intimate photographs from 1991 to 2006, many of them previously unpublished, capture David Bowie’s chameleonic image and dynamic style.