Odds are someone you know and love will soon be unwrapping a piece of jewelry, a sweater or a pair of jeans. The gift lineup probably is similar to last year’s – and the year before.

But how about gaggles of gems and dozens of dungarees? That would be different, at least, even if we’re talking about photographs of these items in beautiful fashion-themed books that belong on the coffee table, not in the closet.

“The Blue Jean” by Alice Harris (PowerHouse) traces America’s contribution to the fashion world from its 19th century roots when it was known as denim waist overalls to President Bush, Venus and Serena Williams and Karl Lagerfeld in their very modern denim duds.

The main character in this book is a pair of Levi’s from the 1800s that was unearthed in a pile of miners’ junk in 1998 and the Levi Strauss & Co. bought back for $46,532.

His lamps and glasswork are famous, as is his name, but the details of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s life and his contributions to the family business were largely unknown until John Loring collected them for the book “Louis Comfort Tiffany at Tiffany & Co” (Abrams).

Tiffany’s (the man) signature use of color and light was a nice match for the gems and fine glass that Tiffany’s (the store) has always been famous for, and their marriage is featured in detailed photos that look as if they have been taken for a museum exhibit.

Elizabeth Taylor’s affinity for jewelry is well documented but, as she explains in a new book, she considers herself the custodian, not the owner, of fine pieces such as the Taj Mahal diamond necklace and Bulgari’s emerald-and-diamond Grand Duchess Vladimir Suite.

In “Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry” (Simon & Schuster), Taylor shares personal stories about what makes each bauble precious, including who gave it to her and why. The first time she bought a piece of jewelry it was a gift for her mother; it was a floral pin and even holding the box was exciting, she writes.

David Ellwand designs clothes for a very specific client, one who favors fantasy and whimsy and who doesn’t much care about practical issues like sitting down or stepping out into the rain since his wares are made from leaves, feathers and flowers.

The House of Ellwand boasts it is the leading couturier of “fairie fashion,” and “Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection” (Candlewick Press) serves as a catalog full of hats, jackets, trousers and even hydrangea hip-huggers.

The late Gianni Versace lived in a fantasy world of sorts, mingling with celebrities and dressing them in often outrageous outfits – Elizabeth Hurley’s safety-pin dress, for example. But underneath all the gold and glitz, including Linda Evangelista’s shimmery, painted-on paisley outfit that she wears on the cover of “The Art and Craft of Gianni Versace” (Abrams), Versace also was a master of the traditional craft of dressmaking.

Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection serves as a catalog full of hats, jackets, trousers and even hydrangea hip-huggers.

His incredibly detailed gowns are the focus of Claire Wilcox, Valerie Mendes and Chaira Buss’ book, which is a companion to an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Individual pieces designed by Bill Blass are not instantly recognizable but when culled together, Blass’ designs have an obvious, cohesive look that is as simple and elegant and Versace’s is over the top.

“Bill Blass: An American Designer” by Helen O’Hagan, Kathleen Rowold and Michael Vollbracht serves as a retrospective of 50 years worth of sportswear and evening gowns. This book is a catalog to an exhibit at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

One of the most famous names in the fashion industry belongs to the late Diana Vreeland, editor in chief of Vogue, and her life as a stylish international jet-setter is chronicled in “Diana Vreeland” (William Morrow) by Eleanor Dwight.

Vreeland’s days at a wartime version of Harper’s Bazaar to the galas and exhibitions she orchestrated for the Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum are shared through pages and pages of snapshots.

“Unseen Vogue: The Secret History of Fashion Photography” (Little, Brown) shows readers the cutting room floor at a fashion magazine. The book’s hundreds of previously unpublished photos taken by the likes of Helmut Newton and Patrick Demarchelier were rejected by British Vogue.

It turns out that even beauties, including Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington, can take an unflattering picture.

The book explains why some of the photos were rejected (awkward positions, bad light, overstyled poses are among the reasons), while some pictures speak for themselves.