"The most counterintuitive book of the summer thus far.... [Newman's]
surprisingly convincing thesis is that the sartorial choices authors
make are deeply connected to the narrative choices they make -- or, as
Beckett put it, 'the fabric of language' they use." -Vanessa Friedman,
The New York Times
Discover the signature sartorial and literary style of fifty men and
women of letters, including Maya Angelou; Truman Capote; Colette; Bret
Easton Ellis; Allen Ginsberg; Patti Smith; Karl Ove Knausgaard; and
David Foster Wallace; in this unique compendium of profiles--packed with
eighty black-and-white photographs, excerpts, quotes, and fast
facts--that illuminates their impact on modern fashion.
Whether it's Zadie Smith's exotic turban, James Joyce's wire-framed
glasses, or Samuel Beckett's Wallabees, a writer's attire often reflects
the creative and spiritual essence of his or her work. As a non-linear
sensibility has come to dominate modern style, curious trendsetters have
increasingly found a stimulating muse in writers--many, like Joan
Didion, whose personal aesthetic is distinctly "out of fashion." For
decades, Didion has used her work, both her journalism and experimental
fiction, as a mirror to reflect her innermost emotions and ideas--an
originality that has inspired Millennials, resonated with a new
generation of fashion designers and cultural tastemakers, and made
Didion, in her eighties, the face of Celine in 2015.
Legendary Authors and the Clothes They Wore examines fifty revered
writers--among them Samuel Beckett; Quentin Crisp; Simone de Beauvoir;
T.S. Eliot; F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald; Malcolm Gladwell; Donna
Tartt; John Updike; Oscar Wilde; and Tom Wolfe--whose work and way of
dress bears an idiosyncratic stamp influencing culture today. Terry
Newman combines illuminating anecdotes about authors and their work,
archival photography, first-person quotations from each writer and
current designers, little-known facts, and clothing-oriented excerpts
that exemplify their original writing style.
Each entry spotlights an author and a signature wardrobe moment that
expresses his or her persona, and reveals how it influences the fashion
world today. Newman explores how the particular item of clothing or
style has contributed to fashion's lingua franca--delving deeper to
appraise its historical trajectory and distinctive effect. Legendary
Authors and the Clothes They Wore is an invaluable and engaging look at
the writers we love--and why we love what they wear--that is sure to
captivate lovers of great literature and sophisticated fashion.
