David Armstrong: Fashion

Last updated: 19 October 2026

The three versions of David Armstrong: Fashion

• The MATTE magazine issue, $40: the original 2024 edition, a single monographic issue of MATTE magazine. MATTE listed it as in stock on 19 October 2026 and ships from the US.
• The hardback on Amazon UK, £32.95: a pre-order, against an RRP of £42. Amazon UK gives the release date as 8 December 2026 and sells and dispatches it itself.
• The hardback on Bookshop.org, £39.90: also a pre-order, from MATTE Editions, with 198 pages. Bookshop.org gives the publication date as 26 November 2026, and buying there supports independent bookshops.

The hardback lists the same editors, plus Ethan James Green as a contributor and text by the fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière. If you want it in your hands now, the MATTE issue is the only version shipping today.

Who David Armstrong was

Armstrong grew up around Boston, studied at the city's Museum School and was a close friend of Nan Goldin. The two are counted among the Boston School, a group of photographers who made intimate pictures of their friends, lovers and the queer scene around them in the 1970s and 1980s.

He came to fashion late. From the early 2000s he shot for French Vogue and InStyle, and for Anthropologie's catalogues, and he kept the soft focus of his personal portraits when he did. He photographed models with the same tenderness as the friends in his earlier pictures. He died in Los Angeles in 2014.

What is in David Armstrong: Fashion

The MATTE issue holds 107 photographs from his fashion years, alongside three interviews:

• Lisa Love, who met Armstrong at art school and is co-executor of his estate
• Marie-Amélie Sauvé, the fashion stylist
• Ethan James Green, the photographer who started out as Armstrong's model and assistant

"David just saw the beauty in everything," Love told Interview Magazine when the book came out in July 2024. The article runs a selection of the pictures and longer extracts from the interviews.

Who it suits

It suits anyone who collects photobooks, follows fashion photography or already owns Nan Goldin's books and wants the other side of the Boston School story. It is also a good present for a fashion student, because it shows editorial work made with a personal photographer's eye. For more ideas along those lines, see our gifts for photo lovers.

Limits to know before you buy

• The MATTE price is in dollars: MATTE sells from the US, so UK delivery and any import VAT come on top of the $40. Check the total at checkout before you pay.
• The hardback is not out yet: both UK shops list it as a pre-order, so it won't arrive before late November at the earliest.
• The formats differ: the MATTE issue is magazine-format, while the UK listings are for a hardback.

Where to buy David Armstrong: Fashion in the UK

MATTE sells the magazine issue directly from its online shop, where it was $40 and in stock on 19 October 2026. For the hardback, Amazon UK had it on pre-order at £32.95 and Bookshop.org at £39.90, both checked the same day.

Buy from MATTEBuy from AmazonBuy from Bookshop.org

David Armstrong: Fashion FAQs

How much is David Armstrong: Fashion?

The MATTE magazine issue is $40, plus delivery to the UK and any import VAT. The hardback was £32.95 on pre-order at Amazon UK and £39.90 at Bookshop.org on 19 October 2026.

Is there a hardback?

Yes. A 198-page hardback from MATTE Editions is on pre-order in the UK. Bookshop.org lists it for 26 November 2026 and Amazon UK for 8 December 2026.

How many photographs are in it?

The MATTE issue has 107, all from the fashion work Armstrong made from the early 2000s until 2014.

Who edited the book?

Vince Aletti, the photography critic, and Matthew Leifheit, who founded MATTE in 2010.

Who was David Armstrong?

An American photographer from Boston and a close friend of Nan Goldin, counted with her among the Boston School. He photographed his friends from the 1970s and turned to fashion in the 2000s. He died in 2014, aged 60.

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