American Fashion Travel: Designers on the Go

American Fashion Travel: Designers on the Go, a colorful new photography book from Assouline, features the collective travel wisdom of dozens of contemporary fashion designers, from Tory Burch to Vera Wang. The format is simple: Members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America were invited to respond to a general travel questionnaire as well as to submit photographs, sketches and souvenirs. Replies ranged from brief answers and a snapshot (Tommy Hilfiger) to whimsical, scribbled photomontages (Betsey Johnson). The result is a diverting, lighthearted scrapbook that manages to be both escapist and informative. A helpful concluding index lists all the museums, hotels, shopping streets, stores, markets and restaurants mentioned by the designers. A few of my favorite responses:

• My favorite market: “Turkish Bazaar, Istanbul.” — Tommy Hilfiger
• My favorite beach: “Pink Sands, in Harbour Island, Bahamas.” — Diane von Furstenberg
• The best snow: “Corviglia, St. Moritz, Switzerland. The views from the gondola ride are breathtaking.” — Tory Burch
• The world’s best shopping street: “Avenue Montaigne in Paris, Sloane Street and Bond Street in London, and Aoyama in Tokyo.” — Vera Wang
• The best hotel or place to stay: “COMO Shambhala in Bali, Indonesia.” — Donna Karan
• Jet lag remedy: “Two paths: sun, water, Bikram yoga, Japanese fare. [Or] : denial, liquor, espresso, loud music.” — Shane Baum
• The best museum: “The doll museum in Paris. Incredibly creepy.” — Lisa Mayock
• Always in my carry-on luggage: “A bikini and a cocktail dress.” — Nanette Lepore
• I’m always looking for the perfect: “Old hotel bar.” — Sophie Buhai
• Plane, train, boat, motorcycle, or car?   “Plane, although I HATE to fly. I don’t like ‘bumps,’ so I travel ‘liquidly.’ ” — Betsey Johnson**
• “Love, love, love a train. Very Doctor Zhivago.” — John Bartlett

Images © Assouline