Designer Peter Som on the Books that Shaped His Worldview
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Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE.com’s books column, in which authors share their most memorable reads. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to console you, move you profoundly, or make you laugh, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series, who, like you (since you’re here), love books. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.
Peter Som has put his own thoughtful spin on three basic needs: clothing (he’s a CFDA-nominated fashion designer who cut his teeth at Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Bill Blass and has dressed the likes of Michelle Obama and Beyoncé); shelter (he renovated his West Village apartment and designed a home collection for retailer the Inside); and food (with his lifestyle site and The Purist, where he’s a contributing food editor). Now, Som’s creative gifts for cooking, style, and entertaining can fit on a shelf as he releases his first book: Family Style.
The California-raised, New York-based lifestyle guru (and self-described homebody/beach bum/Francophile) knew he wanted to be a fashion designer in 5th grade; was at various points obsessed with Grease and My Fair Lady and Isaac Mizrahi; majored in art history at Connecticut College; and went to Parsons School of Design. In addition to designing for his namesake label, he has designed for Tommy Hilfiger and collaborated with Anthropologie, Brightland, and Rent the Runway. His Pinterest board, “Indigo, Girl!,” pays homage to his favorite color.
Likes: summer; tomatoes; Stan Smiths, Lancaster skincare; Rimowa luggage, champagne with St. Germain; Japanese cuisine; red Sharpies; Made In sauté pans; bodega flowers; old movies.
Covets: a La Cornue stove range; going on safari.
Culinary heroes: Julia Child and Jacques Pepin.
Coffee order: French press coffee with oat milk in the autumn and winter; cold brew with pistachio milk in the spring and summer.
Collects: Wooden cutting boards
Good at: Making turkey meatballs (among many, many other things); sleeping
Below, peruse the designer’s favorite books to add to your personal library.
The book that…:
…helped me through loss:
…kept me up way too late:
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.
…made me weep uncontrollably:
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.
…I recommend over and over again:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.
...shaped my worldview:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
...made me rethink a long-held belief:
The Stranger by Albert Camus.
...I read in one sitting, it was that good:
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten.
…made me laugh out loud:
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.
…I’d like turned into a TV show:
Showmance by Chad Beguelin.
...I last bought:
Ottolenghi Comfort: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi with Helen Goh.
...has the best title:
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe by Jane Wagner.
...has the best opening line:
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. “All this happened, more or less.”
...has the greatest ending:
Atonement by Ian McEwan.
…changed my life:
Angels in America by Tony Kushner.
…broke my heart:
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.
…has a sex scene that will make you blush:
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence.
…is a master class on dialogue:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
…should be on every college syllabus:
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
...I’ve re-read the most:
A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham.
...I consider literary comfort food:
My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl.
…I would have blurbed if asked:
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.
…sealed a friendship:
Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher.
...makes me feel seen:
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong.
...everyone should read:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.
...fills me with hope:
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.
…I consider the ultimate memoir/autobiography:
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Bonus question: If I could live in any library or bookstore in the world, it would be:
Library: Bibliothèque Mazarine in Paris. Bookstore: Three Lives and Company in New York City.
The literary organization/charity I support:
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Showmance by Chad Beguelin
Ottolenghi Comfort: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi with Helen Goh
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe by Jane Wagner
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham
My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
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