Hollywood writing the book on fashion this season

? Hollywood Boulevard meets Seventh Avenue in this year’s crop of fashion gift books, with the likes of Gwyneth and Halle edging out the Calvins and the Versaces — at least for the moment.

“The Complete Book of Oscar Fashion” (Reed Press) documents Hollywood’s biggest night and features the top looks from all the ceremonies to date, from Grace Kelly’s ice blue silk gown in 1955 to a micromini-clad Inger Stevens in 1967 and Cher’s over-the-top black feather headdress in 1986.

Instead of awards show fashion, “Costume Design” (Focal Press) looks at what actors wear on screen. Interviews with costume designers chronicle the creation of elaborate get-ups in such films as “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Batman,” “The Cell” and “Velvet Goldmine,” and costumes that became iconic images from “A Clockwork Orange,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Grease,” “The Blues Brothers” and “Bonnie and Clyde.”

Two other photo books come from the fashion world, with a Hollywood twist: “Photography: No Particular Order” (Filipacchi), which features photographs by Elle magazine publications director and chief photographer Gilles Bensimon, and “Hollywood: Dolce & Gabbana” (Assouline).

In his 30-year career, Bensimon has photographed a variety of actresses and pop stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez, Isabella Rossellini, Tina Turner and Madonna. The supermodel era is well represented here as well, with 1980s and 1990s photographs of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington and Stephanie Seymour.

Getting more playful

Bensimon’s photos evoke sensuality and glamour, but fashion designers Dolce & Gabbana’s “Hollywood” has a more playful feel. Both John Leguizamo and Kim Basinger channel Elvis in separate photos — Leguizamo in a black leather suit with a 1950s-style microphone, and Basinger in a man-tailored suit with a short black pompadour.

Elsewhere, Renee Zellweger plants a kiss on a poodle wearing a scarlet beret that matches her overly made-up ruby lips, and Ellen DeGeneres insouciantly smokes a cigarette while wearing a black bra, an open white shirt, short shorts, fishnet stockings and stiletto heels. The duo ends the 222-page book with a photo of themselves, “Hollywood” sign in the background.

Another Hollywood favorite is remembered in “Kevyn Aucoin: A Beautiful Life” (Atria), which tells the story of the late makeup artist’s life from his birth in Louisiana in 1962 to his “cover boy years” (1986-1989) and finally to his “legend years” (1999-2002). There also are several tributes to Aucoin written by celebrities, including Paltrow, Rossellini and Campbell, accompanied by photos for which Aucoin did the makeup.

Shocking!

Designer Elsa Schiaparelli designed film costumes in the 1930s, but her fame extends far beyond Hollywood’s borders. “Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli” (Yale University Press) was published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which launched a Schiaparelli exhibit of the same name in September. The exhibit runs through Jan. 4.

The Italian-born designer is considered by many to be one of the style icons of the 20th century, and she collaborated with artists Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacometti in addition to costuming stars such as Mae West. Her 1920s and 1930s designs, acclaimed for their architectural silhouettes and their use of unconventional materials like colorful plastic zippers, are startling modern even today.

Uplifting fashion

For the jewelry fanatic on your list, “Tiffany in Fashion” (Abrams) has more than 250 photographs dripping with diamonds, pearls, emeralds and other gorgeous, expensive little things. The volume includes work by renowned photographers Man Ray, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Francesco Scavullo and Robert Mapplethorpe. “Tiffany Flora & Fauna” (Abrams), a two-volume set, was also released in 2003, and focuses on colorful, nature-inspired jewelry pieces. Both books were written by John Loring, design director at Tiffany & Co. since 1979.

Other fashion books on the shelves include:¢ “Elle Style: The 1980s” (Filipacchi) documents the decade that produced some of the most outrageous, fanciful fashions of the 20th century — shoulder pads, leg warmers and all.¢ “Bravehearts: Men in Skirts” (V&A Publications) is a companion piece to an exhibit at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which runs through Feb. 8.¢ “Dreams Through the Glass” (Assouline) is written by Bergdorf Goodman’s window designer, Linda Fargo, who explains the imaginative scenes she has created for the retailer’s windows.

Particularly interesting in “Tiffany in Fashion” is Loring’s analysis of early magazine photos featuring Tiffany’s jewelry. Many published during the depths of the Great Depression exude luxury, all slinky satin and diamonds, as part of what Loring says was an effort by the fashion press to lift readers’ spirits. In one 1934 photograph, a model wears $90,000 worth of Tiffany jewels at a time when working Americans earned about $1,000 a year and almost one out of four workers were unemployed, Loring says.

If you’re looking for a fashion book with international flair, there are a couple of new choices. “Marimekko Fabrics, Fashion, Architecture” (BGC Yale) tells the story of the influencial Finnish design house founded in 1951 by husband and wife Arma and Viljo Ratia. “The Sari” (Berg) looks at the changing significance of the traditional dress of India, a garment made of hand-woven fabric that is intricately wrapped in a way that fits each woman differently. Individual women’s stories pepper the narrative, imparting a human element to the subject at a time when the iconic garment’s popularity is giving way to international products like jeans and T-shirts.

Marimekko