This feature is in the October Style Issue. Click here to subscribe.

An image from Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle: Machine Dazzle for Heliotropisms (2019 performance still), Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University, Houston PHOTO BY NATASHA BOWDOIN/COURTESY OF RIZZOLI ELECTA

Coffee-table books are often used to decorate one’s living room as pieces of art or to spark conversations with visiting guests. These following selections all double as interactive art but also go beyond the typical coffee-table book as vessels to inspire creativity and innovation throughout the holiday season—and beyond.

PARIS: FASHION FLAIR

An illustration from the Valentino spring 2019 haute couture runway show PHOTO

Paris: Fashion Flair. PHOTO COURTESY OF RIZZOLI AND FLAMMARION

Marc-Antoine Coulon is known for his elegant illustrations for luxury houses like Dior, Cartier, Jean Paul Gaultier and Givenchy. Now, the artist’s watercolor offerings (inspired by René Gruau and Erté) are collected in this book that will transport readers to the City of Love. rizzoliusa.com

ANDRÉ SARAIVA: GRAFFITI LIFE

André Saraiva: Graffiti Life PHOTO COURTESY OF RIZZOLI

The artist captured in his element. PHOTO COURTESY OF RIZZOLI

Street art meets fashion in this debut monograph by Swedish-French visual artist André Saraiva. Featuring contributions from Virgil Abloh, Magda Danysz, Jeffrey Deitch and Glenn O’Brien, Graffiti Life is a vivid international journey through street culture, nightlife and style. rizzoliusa.com

QUEER MAXIMALISM X MACHINE DAZZLE

Machine Dazzle behind the scenes at Brooklyn’s Coney Island Mermaid Parade in 2006. PHOTO: BY EILEEN KEANE/COURTESY OF RIZZOLI ELECTA

Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle PHOTO: BY GREGORY KRAMER/COURTESY OF RIZZOLI ELECTA

Designer and artist Matthew Flower, aka Machine Dazzle, has been creating electrifying looks for the queer community since the early ’90s. Queer Maximalism serves as a retrospective for his respected career that remains filled with over-the-top extravagance. rizzoliusa.com

JEFF STAPLE: NOT JUST SNEAKERS

Jeff Staple’s portrait of rapper and actor Yasiin Bey PHOTO COURTESY OF RIZZOLI

Jeff Staple: Not Just Sneakers. PHOTO COURTESY OF RIZZOLI

Jeff Staple has been a, well, staple in the streetwear industry for 25 years. Not Just Sneakers is the perfect name for this monograph, as the designer, businessman, artist and DJ’s brand goes beyond footwear to make a legendary imprint in urban culture. rizzoliusa.com

DIOR: THE LEGENDARY 30, AVENUE MONTAIGNE

Dior: The Legendary 30, Avenue Montaigne PHOTO: COURTESY OF RIZZOLI

The maison’s spring/summer 1957 haute couture collection that embodies the “Age of Dior” era. PHOTO: BY LOOMIS DEAN/COURTESY OF THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION AND SHUTTERSTOCK

Sophistication, allure, drama, romance, power. These are just a few words that describe Dior. In celebration of the maison’s 75th anniversary in 2022, this book is a stunning ode to Dior’s mythical haute couture headquarters and ateliers. rizzoliusa.com

LOUIS VUITTON: VIRGIL ABLOH

Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh PHOTO: COURTESY OF ASSOULINE

The designer launches a paper plane on the runway at his Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2019 show in Paris’ Palais-Royal garden. PHOTO: BY BOGDAN “CHILLDAYS” PLAKOV/COURTESY OF ASSOULINE

During his tenure as men’s artistic director of Louis Vuitton from 2018 until his passing in 2021, Virgil Abloh spun the luxury house—and the fashion industry at large—on its head. This first book on the visionary is filled with career highlights that are interspersed with quotes from Abloh himself, or “Abloh-isms.” assouline.com