Fabric for Fashion is an excellent bookshelf addition for any beginning design student or aspiring designer. It is used as a required reading at several top design schools, including Parsons. The book details a variety of natural fabrics derived from animals and plants. The well pedigreed and knowledgeable authors provide an easy understanding of the properties of each type of fabric: Wool, Luxury Animal Products, Silk, Cotton, Linen, and Sustainable Plant Products. Insights are provided as to how the fabrics are manufactured, the fabric properties, how sustainable the products are, where to get more information, and how best to use each of the fabrics in terms of construction is all accessible even to those without a textiles background.
This book along Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book (also by Clive Hallett) provides additional information for understanding the properties of fabrics, which is essential to draping and fit for those starting out. Although for many readers would be wise create their own swatch catalogs tailored to their own aesthetic and understanding.
Of note, the book does not discuss man-made fibers and textiles, and it is not provided in e-book format at this time (which is ironic for a book that discusses sustainability and the environment in such detail).