1 year ago
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Inside the packed Rachel Comey store connected Crosby Street successful SoHo connected Thursday, the readings began astir halfway done the evening. When the assemblage applauded for the memoirist Vivian Gornick, who work from her publication “Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader,” she made an reflection astir her somewhat unfamiliar audience: “So it’s not conscionable clothes, it’s besides books that crook you on.”
Indeed. This was a manner lawsuit that had possibly an unusually precocious attraction of writers successful attendance. Many wore Comey designs from their closets, printed jackets and gangly boots, arsenic good arsenic the dresses, tops and pants that are portion of the designer’s collaboration with The New York Review of Books, the literate mag edited by Emily Greenhouse and creation directed by Leanne Shapton, a longtime person and originative spouse of Ms. Comey’s.
Fashion and lit mightiness marque an unexpected pairing, but it is 1 with immoderate caller precedent. The writer Ottessa Moshfegh wrote flash fiction for Proenza Schouler’s autumn 2022 collection, and models similar Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber often show their current reading arsenic portion of their off-duty style. This was the latest flirtation betwixt the manner and literate worlds, a courtship successful which each enactment gets to extract a spot of societal superior from the other. That mightiness explicate the interaction of self-consciousness successful the air, with writers seeming much alert of their outfits than usual.
We asked immoderate of the attendees — galore of whom enactment successful the mag and publishing worlds — what they were speechmaking and whether bully sensation successful books could construe into large sensation successful clothes, too.
Interviews person been edited.
Vivian Gornick, 87
Memoirist and critic
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What are you reading?
I’m speechmaking the memoirs of Lewis Mumford. I americium embarking connected a caller publication — I’m going to constitute a publication astir City College. My representation was of Lewis Mumford having gone to City College successful the 1920s. I work this publication years ago, so I anticipation I’m right! I’m astir a 4th of the mode through.
What bash you deterioration erstwhile you write?
You’re joking! What I wear? A T-shirt and sweatpants. I conscionable get up successful the morning, I propulsion them connected and I beryllium down.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you a amended manner sense?
Oh, yes. Ha-ha. Not successful the consciousness successful which we’re gathered here, I don’t think. I don’t know! They mightiness person ideas I’m not privy to astir the New York Review and these clothes. But surely successful presumption of the improvement of your ain language, the improvement of your societal being — absolutely.
Would you ever deterioration a garment with your ain byline connected it?
No. Would you?
Jade Mapp, 30
Program coordinator astatine Books Beyond Bars
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What are you reading?
There’s a publication called “The Joy of Being Disliked.” Part of the quality acquisition is realizing that we’re not ever likable and not everyone is going to privation to beryllium our friend.
What bash you similar to deterioration erstwhile you write?
I usually person a amusive sock connected — a set garment and cozy socks.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you amended manner sense?
Absolutely. Because I deliberation it helps you beryllium much fashionable due to the fact that you get to beryllium portion of idiosyncratic else’s world.
Sandeep Salter, 34
Owner of Salter House
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What are you reading?
“Speedboat.” It’s been bully due to the fact that I’ve been taking it retired with me, and the chapters are truthful abbreviated I tin bash it portion I’m connected the train.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you a amended manner sense?
I privation that were so. I deliberation it tin marque you a deeper, much analyzable person, and that volition construe into your idiosyncratic style.
Samantha Yadron, 27
M.F.A. pupil astatine Columbia University
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What are you reading?
I conscionable started a publication called “A Woman.” I’m taking a people connected Italian autobiography successful the 20th century. I’m besides speechmaking “Septology” — I’m astir done with that.
What bash you similar to deterioration erstwhile you write?
I usually don’t look this good. I thin to constitute successful the greeting successful java shops. I don’t adjacent shower; I spell consecutive to the Hungarian Pastry Shop connected 111th and Amsterdam and conscionable constitute for 2 hours. I’m usually successful my grey corduroy pants, and I person this greenish sweater that’s truly brushed and that I deterioration astir each day.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you a amended manner sense?
I deliberation these days lit has go an aesthetic successful itself; you tin make an aesthetic based connected the thought that you bask reading. A amended mentation of that is if you person your ain autarkic speechmaking interests — possibly you’re ever speechmaking thing ace obscure and possibly that makes you much stylish.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied, 31
Writer
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What are you reading?
I conscionable started “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida,” which is the caller Booker winner. Very good. And besides I’ve conscionable started an audiobook called “Legends & Lattes,” which is seemingly “high phantasy and debased stakes.” It’s a bully combination.
What bash you similar to deterioration erstwhile you write?
The astir comfy clothes. I privation elastic.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you amended manner sense?
What leads you to work much widely, which is curiosity, tin pb you to beryllium much stylish. Curiosity leads you to much experimental dressing, and that tin beryllium rather fun.
Mieke Chew, 34
Editor and publicist astatine New Directions
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What bash you similar to deterioration erstwhile you edit?
I conjecture Covid has changed what radical similar to deterioration during the day. I’m a immense instrumentality of Rachel Comey, but I usually deterioration trousers and Commes des Garçons and T-shirts and things. Comfortable clothes.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you amended manner sense?
No, I don’t deliberation so. I don’t spot immoderate correlation, which I deliberation is beauteous evident if you spell to immoderate publication party. But that’s wherefore there’s thing truthful bully and astonishing astir this collaboration.
Rowan Ricardo Phillips, 49
Poet
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What are you reading?
I’m speechmaking a translation by an unthinkable Egyptian writer named Iman Mersal called “The Threshold.” It’s translated by Robyn Creswell.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you a amended manner sense?
Absolutely. Reading is thing that brings you wrong yourself. Some radical get truthful acold wrong themselves that their insides are reflected connected their outside, and I deliberation that’s what you spot present with these precise fashionable people.
Would you deterioration a garment with your ain byline connected it?
I would beryllium good with that. Once you constitute thing you benignant of fto it go, truthful immoderate happens to it aft is portion of the process of writing.
Heidi Julavits, 54, and Sloane Crosley, 44
Authors
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What are you reading?
Heidi Julavits: I americium speechmaking a publication called “Left for Dead” by Nick Ward, astir a idiosyncratic who sailed successful the 1979 Fastnet race. There was a precise unspeakable tempest backmost successful 1979, and helium was abandoned and near for dormant connected his boat. Not literary! But I’m learning however to past atrocious upwind and being abandoned by each who emotion me.
Sloane Crosley: I’m speechmaking a marginally older book, Meghan O’Rourke’s “The Long Goodbye.” I’m moving connected a publication astir grief. I besides conscionable finished the caller Emma Cline. Normally I concatenation fume books a small more.
What bash you similar to deterioration erstwhile you write?
Ms. Crosley: Whoever says thing different than “bathrobe” is simply a filthy liar. I deterioration 2 bathrobes: One is simply a afloat disgusting, old, formerly achromatic robe. One is simply a vintage kimono erstwhile I consciousness similar I privation to beryllium successful a movie astir a writer.
Ms. Julavits: I beauteous overmuch deterioration the pajamas that I slept in.
Hermione Hoby, 38
Novelist
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What are you reading?
I’m speechmaking “Septology” by Jon Fosse — astir apt similar a batch of ladies here.
What bash you similar to deterioration erstwhile you write?
I bash really similar to deterioration an outfit alternatively than, like, sweatpants due to the fact that I request to consciousness that determination is thing absorbing happening successful what I’m wearing. So I bash similar to get dressed to write.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you a amended manner sense?
Undoubtedly! Yes. It makes you a much absorbing person, and I conjecture being absorbing is the astir stylish happening determination is.
Chellis Baird, 39
Textile artist
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What are you reading?
I conscionable started speechmaking a publication connected the creation of missive writing. In today’s age, we benignant of person mislaid interaction with penning existent handwritten letters. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to brushwood up connected my penmanship a little.
Do you deliberation speechmaking tin springiness you amended manner sense?
Yes, I deliberation words tin astir beryllium similar wearing an accessory. It’s a large mode to adhd an attitude, oregon a motion oregon a feeling with the mode 1 presents themselves.
