Last night I skipped my evening constitutional to instead attend a forum on one of this country's truly pressing topics--dandyism. Hosted by Lord Whimsy (author of The Affected Provincial's Companion), the event included speakers Alex Wilcox (owner of one of our favorite men's stores, Lord Willy's), Ellen Colon-Lugo (owner of Ellen Christine Millinery), and fashion journalist and man-about-town Cator Sparks. The crowd at the Housing Works Used Book Cafe, adorned with feathers, bows and various other nostalgic accoutrements, seemed dressed for a far more genteel era.

A few of the things I learned:

• The father of dandyism, Beau Brummel (1778-1840), would have certainly jumped on the skinny jeans trend, as he abandoned breeches for snugly-tailored dark pantaloons.

• Oscar Wilde is probably the most well-known dandy, but French poet Charles Baudelaire was also a staunch proponent of dandyism, once stating "Contrary to what a lot of thoughtless people seem to believe, dandyism is not even an excessive delight in clothes and material elegance. For the perfect dandy, these things are no more than the symbol of the aristocratic superiority of his mind."

I know this is a fashion blog, not a bookstore blog, but I recently heard some truly disheartening news. Coliseum Books filed for bankruptcy last week, and is in danger of closing. The store had originally closed its 57th Street location in 2002, only to reopen the next year on 42nd Street, right next to Bryant Park. Coliseum Books was a great place to pop in and buy some reading material while preparing to endure the hellish lines of nearby Fashion Week. The store is still open, and there is a chance that it won't close down, so make sure to go in and support the independent bookseller by grabbing a latte in the cafe or purchasing a book.

Fashion Geek's list of fashionable reading material:
Veronica by Mary Gaitskill—A poignant tale of a fallen model
Balenciaga Paris by Pamela Golbin and Fabien Baron—Traces the legendary line from 1937 to 2006
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg—This book has nothing to do with fashion. But it is a charming novel involving both a spelling bee and Jewish mysticism.

I know it's over a month away, but Fashion Geek is pretty excited over the opening of the new Taschen store in Soho. Designed by Phillipe Starck, this 1,700-square-foot boutique will be home to a plethora of the quirky art-book publisher's work. Rich bastards can order one of the 9,000 limited-edition GOAT (Greatest of All Time), a $4,000 massive tome on Muhammad Ali signed by Ali himself and bound by the official bindery of the Vatican, in pink leather no less. Fashionistas can check out Fashion History, a slightly less expensive ($50) book detailing the history of fashion from the 18th century until now. And for poor students born in the 80s, there is, like, the totally awesome Best Movies of the 80s for a mere $12.99. Now if only I could make like Marty McFly and drive my DeLorean one month in the future…

Taschen opens on October 26 in Soho at 107 Greene Street.