Instagram gets a lot of stick for promoting vapid self-obsession, but behind all the peacocking and narcissism is an invaluable image archive and research tool. Bursting at the seams with classic Margiela, eclectic street style, black and white modernist architecture, vintage Issey Miyake, faded magazine editorials and early Phoebe Philo, @rarebooksparis is one such account that fits the above description. Curated by an anonymous book collector based in Paris, @rarebooksparis compiles spreads from out-of-print art and architecture catalogues, fashion books and magazines, which, if luck would have it, are all available to buy via email.
Recent gems include a first edition of French sculptor, André Bloc’s De la sculpture à l’architecture, Oliver Sieber’s counterculture masterpiece, Imaginary Club, Miyake’s Body Works, Phoebe Philo’s visual research diaries, the self-explanatory and sublime-sounding, The Studio of Man Ray and Franca Sozzani’s cult style bible, Stile In Progress 1968-1998. That’s just a small taster of the rare and highly sought after gems in this archivist’s collection, featuring everything from Kate Moss and Chloe Sevigny to Louise Bourgeois and Sarah Lucas; old Raf Simons sits side by Richard Prince’s Women and archive copies of Self-Service, Art Forum and Purple magazines. Find yourself in need of an inspiration-boost, or a lesson or two in recent fashion and art history? Then @rarebooksparis is just the ticket.