• Home
  • Beauty & Skincare
    • Beauty Supply
    • Nails How-Tos and Tips
    • Natural Beauty 101
    • Quick Beauty Tips
    • Skin Care Advice & Products
  • Makeup
  • Hairstyle Tutorials
    • Women’s Hairstyles
    • Men’s Hair
  • Fashion & Style
    • Baby Clothes
    • Budget Style
    • Celebrity Style
    • DIY Fashion
    • Jeans and Denim
    • Men’s Fashion
    • Lingerie – A Style Guide
    • Personal Style
    • Plus-Size Fashion
  • Tattoos & Piercings
  • Lifestyle
    • Career Management Tips, Advice
    • Cultural Feature Stories
    • Education
    • Food & Drink
    • Health and Wellness
    • Homes and Interiors
    • Travel
    • Dating and Relationships
  • Shoes, Bags
  • Accessories
  • Jewelry
    • Diamonds Guide
    • Engagement Rings
    • Gemstones Buying Advice
    • Jewelry Advice & How To’s – Jewelry Tips
    • Jewelry Trends & News
  • More
    • Special Occasions
    • Fashion Blog
  • Contact
  • About
What's Hot

Jewelry Gift Ideas for Your Bronze Marriage Anniversary

March 19th, 2023

Men’s Fashion Pinstripe Suits

March 19th, 2023

What Does A Virgin Look Like?

March 19th, 2023
Facebook Instagram Pinterest
Blufashion – Best Beauty BlogBlufashion – Best Beauty Blog
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Beauty, Skincare & Hairstyles
    • Women’s Hairstyles
    • Men’s Hair
      • Care & Styling
      • Product Reviews
    • Hairstyle Tutorials
    • Skin Care Advice & Products
    • Natural Beauty
    • Beauty Tips
    • Beauty Supply
    • Makeup Tips & Tutorials
      • Body Basics
        • Face Fundamentals
    • Nails
    • Tattoos & Body Piercings
  • Fashion
    • Women’s Fashion
    • Men’s Fashion
    • Personal Style
    • Shopping Tips
    • Budget Style
    • Celebrity Style
    • DIY Fashion
    • Jeans & Denim
    • Plus-Size Fashion
    • Swimwear & Bikinis
    • Lingerie
    • Baby Clothes
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Wellness
    • Homes and Interiors
    • Travel
    • Career
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Finance
    • Tech
  • Shoes, Bags & Jewelry
    • Bags, Handbags and Purses
    • Jewelry
      • Engagement Rings
      • Antique Jewelry
      • Jewelry Tips
      • Jewelry Trends
      • Body Jewelry
      • Diamonds Guide
      • Gemstones Buying Advice
      • Earring – Shop for Earrings
      • Pearls
    • Accessories
    • Watches
    • Shoes
      • Women’s Shoes
      • Men’s Shoes
      • Kids & Baby Shoes
      • Shoe Styles
      • Online Shoes Stores
      • Shoe Repair, Care & Storage
  • More
    • Special Occasions
    • Tattoo
    • Eyeglasses and Sunglasses
    • Fashion Blog
    • Pet Care
    • Parenting
    • Dating and Relationships
Blufashion – Best Beauty BlogBlufashion – Best Beauty Blog
Home»Lifestyle»Education»How Have Books Influenced Your Sense Of Style?
Education

How Have Books Influenced Your Sense Of Style?

Iskra BanovićBy Iskra BanovićJuly 23rd, 2022Updated:February 16th, 2023No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Telegram Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

What did you love to read growing up, and how have those books influenced the way you dress today?

How Have Books Influenced Your Sense Of Style?

Books have had a profound influence on my sense of style. From iconic characters like Anna Karenina and Holly Golightly to gender-fluid novels like Orlando, literature has given the fashion world some of its most enduring icons. Books can also broaden our worldview and give us insight into how other people live. College students in the 20th century changed fashion, as discussed in a new book, while authors use specific techniques to create their own unique styles.

A few days ago, The Cut published a short interview between actress Chloe Sevigny and perennial favorite fiction writer Judy Blume. Sevigny kicked off the conversation by sharing that she grew up dreaming about the wardrobe of one of Blume’s most beloved characters, Davey Wexler.

“There is… a simplicity in your characters’ outfits. When I was a teen, I always wanted to dress like Davey from Tiger Eyes. I had this idea of her in these perfect jeans, a white button-down, and hiking boots. It seemed so pared down. I felt like I was always forcing it with fashion, whereas your characters were always very simple.”

The interview got me thinking about the ways in which my own personal style has been influenced by the books I read while growing up, many of which were written by Blume. When I was in the tenth grade, I fell in love with Summer Sisters, one of Blume’s few novels for adults. At one point in the book, a character named Caitlin goes to Martha’s Vineyard airport in her bare feet, wearing a t-shirt that reads Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. Blume describes Caitlin as smelling of “seawater, suntan lotion, and something else.” That image has stuck with me, and for the past 10 years, I’ve harbored a secret fantasy of being a person who wanders around east coast beach towns barefoot, smelling like the ocean and wearing clothing that can only be described as “minimalist chic.”

In NYC Charter Elementary School, I was a ride-or-die fan of Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley series, and I loved poring over the detailed descriptions of what the “perfect size six” California twins wore each day. Now that I’m an adult, I know it’s bullshit to think that a particular size of clothing can be “perfect,” but I still prescribe to the Sweet Valley sense of style. Elizabeth Wakefield was a proponent of looking laid back but neat, while her twin sister Jessica wouldn’t be caught dead in anything that wasn’t short and tight. (And in case you were wondering, I’m an Elizabeth from Monday to Friday and a Jessica on the weekends–duh.)

Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club was another series that resonated with me as a kid. Anyone who read those books will undoubtedly remember that the second chapter of each one was devoted to describing the members of the club and their personal senses of style in painstaking detail. Growing up, I wore safety pins in my ears like kooky artist Claudia and asked my parents for hiking boots like the pair favored by crunchy California girl Dawn. As an adult, I have a deep respect for women who can pull off contrasting patterns like Claudia did, and I think my love of tulle skirts as streetwear comes from Jessi, the Club’s resident ballerina.

In the years that have passed since I first read Blume’s Summer Sisters, I’ve scoured dozens of second-hand stores for a shirt reminiscent of Caitlin’s “simplify” tee. I still gravitate toward fragrances that smell like the beach. Two winters ago, I bought a monogrammed fisherman’s sweater after years of dreaming about owning one like all of the Weasley children does. The main characters in my favorite book of all time, White Oleander, wear threadbare dresses they bought at the Venice beach boardwalk, so that was the first place I went during a trip to Los Angeles in 2010.

The books that I cherished in my formative years are currently gathering dust in my mother’s attic, alongside the Nancy Drew novels that inspired her as a kid (“Nancy wore ‘crisp’ and ‘smart’ clothes, so that’s how I wanted to dress too,” she said). It’s been years since I last cracked the spine on a BSC or Sweet Valley book, but the sartorial lessons I learned while reading them have stuck with me. And now I’m curious: how have books influenced your own sense of style? What did you love to read growing up, and were you interested in what the characters in those books wore? What about the books you read today? Are there any fictional characters whose sense of style you admire or emulate? Let’s talk books and style in the comments section, shall we?

(Featured image: Shutterstock)

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Iskra Banović
Iskra Banović
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Hello out there to all you fashion-hungry Blufashion.com readers! My name is Iskra Banovic, and I'm a fashion writer. As the fashion expert for www.blufashion.com, I wish to bring a creative, informative, and inspiring aspect to the fashion content you have come to trust.

More Great Posts:

A Guide To Developing A Discipleship Training Program That Will Change Lives

Beyond Federal Student Loans: Exploring Alternative Ways to Fund College

7 Steps to Writing a Better Philosophy Paper

How to Deal With Anxiety and Nervousness As a Student

An Exploration of the Global Reach of International Schools

Navigate College Admissions with the Help of a Coaching Expert

Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Articles

Jewelry Gift Ideas for Your Bronze Marriage Anniversary

March 19th, 2023

Men’s Fashion Pinstripe Suits

March 19th, 2023

What Does A Virgin Look Like?

March 19th, 2023

What Exactly Is a Skincare Booster?

March 19th, 2023
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Don't Miss

Semi Precious Stones Chart

We attempted to compile a comprehensive list and chart of semi precious stones. We personally…

How to Make The Mother of all DIY Face Peels

August 27th, 2018

5 Tips to Increase Jewelry Store Sales

October 23rd, 2022

LoweLew Review – High Quality Designer Replica Handbags

April 18th, 2020
Pinterest Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Facebook
  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Team
  • Disclaimer
  • TOS
  • Privacy Policy
  • Ethics Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
© 2023 Blufashion - Best Beauty Blog.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.