The Fashion Spot

Literary inspirations
Second only to my love of pretty things is my love of books. Even better are really pretty things with literary components. That is the best of all worlds.

For example, did you hear that Betsy Johnson is going to design an Eloise-inspired suite at the Plaza Hotel in New York? Rates will start at $895 per night, or $3,595 for the "Live Like Eloise Slumber Party Package," which includes ice cream sundaes. My question is: 'Can I pour a pitcher of water down the mail chute?' Or, 'Can I take the elevator up and down and up and down for a couple hours?'

Ooooooooo I absolutely love the Plaza.



If $3,595 is not part of your nightly hotel budget, or, if for some reason you have no interest in wearing toe shoes on your ears or a box of Kleenex on your head a la Eloise, then you have a few other options for integrating the literary into your fashion, and the fashion into your literature.

For example, fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo took three classics - Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, and Wuthering Heights - and gave them a couture makeover.



I'm also a big fan of typewriter jewelry:



Or of this banned books bracelet:



(I also have a bracelet that says "I F*CKING READ BANNED BOOKS," which I find hilarious, but is not so great for formal events.)

If you want to exhibit your literary devotion in a more permanent way, you can always go the tattoo route. There are whole websites about this, like contrariwise.org, where books lovers just post photos of their literary tattoos. For example, some person has a tattoo of W.A.S.T.E., from The Crying of Lot 49:



How cool is that? And my friend Allie has a tattoo of Sherlock Holmes on her arm:



That is true love. And then, once you've adorned yourself in typewriter jewelry and Thomas Pynchon tattoos, you can check yourself out in this pocket mirror:



Dressing yourself up in books can be a wonderful tribute to your favorite works.

One time I actually dressed myself up as a book for Halloween, age 10. I wrote and illustrated the story myself, and as I went trick-or-treating, I made people write "review quotes" on my back. So as we can see, it's possible to take this whole idea a little too far...