Author Fashion Inspo
By Camryn Garrett
Are you ever so blown away by an author that you want to emulate their style? I don’t mean their refusal to use quotation marks or their addiction to writing about doomed marriages, but their physical style – how they dress.
Recently, I was reading an article about how the Bloomsbury group (which included members such as Virginia Woolf and EM Forster) is "back in vogue" and inspiring current fashion. It made me think about what other authors might inspire how book lovers dress today. I asked other staff members if any specific authors inspired their style and why.
Isabella: Esme Shapiro, author and illustrator of several books including My Self, Your Self
“I like that she’s doing something with this cute aesthetic. Like, I too am small and cute and have not wanted to embrace it because of how people would perceive me and write me off as not serious, but Esme Shapiro is a goddamn genius and I can dress cute and also be a goddamn genius, too. And I love her whole woodland fairy aesthetic.”
Bex: Hanif Abdurraqib, poet and author of books such as A Little Devil in America,They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, and Go Ahead in the Rain
“He wears good band t-shirts and that’s also all I wear.”
Kristina: Ruth Chan, author and illustrator of Thank You, Neighbor! and Dasha Tolstikova, author and illustrator of The Bad Chair and A Year Without Mom
“I feel like Dasha and Ruth always have a great combo of texture, color, and print in their outfits.”
Aatia: Raven Leilani, author of Luster
“My own style is a little hard to pin down, as I tend to veer from trendy brands and silhouettes to vintage cuts and accessories. When I was a kid developing my own personal style, thrifting was a fun and affordable alternative to mall shopping, though those days are gone. I've always had a soft spot for the 70's--my mother's high school years and the decade that brought on the boom for popular horror films (think the Halloween franchise, I Spit on Your Grave and Carrie) Based on her Instagram, Raven Leilani's personal style infuses vintage-- the good fabrics like touch-soft silks and cotton-- with simplicity. She wears the clothes, she shines in them, and the clothes always compliment her. If you want further reading, I suggest her interview with SSENSE and her novel Luster, of course.”
Kevin: Alan Moore, author of many books including Watchman, V for Vendetta, and Illuminations
“He gives ‘angry wizard on the mountain energy.” Also he is wildly angry self identified anarchist and tbh same.”
Anna: Phoebe Wahl, author and illustrator of several books including Little Witch Hazel, Phoebe’s Diary, and the Blue House
“She’s fun, flirty, and feminine. I also think that she has this cool energy of like ‘I’m just gonna design the stuff I want, like fairies and mushrooms and the woods, and say the things I want to say about myself and my body and try my best to not let other people’s opinions affect me.’ I like that she just goes for it.”
Camryn: Samantha Irby, author of author of several books including Quietly Hostile, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, and Wow, No Thank You
“I like that she’s really super cool but always looks comfortable in everything she wears, whether she’s in an author photo or at an event. I strive to project that confidence in everything I wear.”
