Well Souled: World Fashion

Mital Shah left her high-profile job as a Vera Wang executive in New York City and set off on a quest to define what style means in different countries around the world. She documents her discoveries in a coffee-table-book series, Well Souled. The first of five installments centers on South Africa; interviews with trend-setters share the spotlight with local jazz musicians and leopards lurking in the bush. Next up: India, coming in 2009. 800/627-1059; wellsouled.com; $110.

• America’s Favorite Cities