What immediately comes to mind when you think of ‘fashion and literature’? Fashion signals runways, artifice and luxury, and literature is often associated with intellect, honesty, and learning. And yet, fashion and literature have intersected throughout history, as writers like Colette, Charles Baudelaire, Anaïs Nin and Oscar Wilde were arbiters of culture, who may have rubbed shoulders with the fashion gatekeepers of the time. The rise of the fashion industry in the late nineteenth to twentieth century helped authors project images reflecting the new wardrobe of modernity, ranging from Charles Baudelaire’s glamorous dandyism, Ernest Hemingway’s sportswear, or Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the groundbreaking influence of the “little black dress.”
In this course, we will examine how fashion is a meaningful tool used by authors in literature, and how this has shaped culture at large. As Elizabeth Wilson puts it, fashion provides an “armor” against the world, a form of protection via gendered, racial and/or class dimensions, and which is often used as a mechanism of upward mobility or a statement against the status quo. Within the text, writers often use fashion to build characterization, deepen the atmosphere, or as a form of social critique. We will explore the writings of Jean Rhys, Colette, Truman Capote, Sei Shonagon and more to look at the role fashion has played in storytelling, and how clothes, beauty and accessories heighten the experiential depth of the text, while also often making a concrete point about the society we live in.
Beyond the text and in the real world of runways, magazines, and public relations, tastemakers have long united the literary world with the design and consumerism of fashion. We will examine the author image and the decisions of creative directors to feature writers like Joan Didion and Zadie Smith on magazine covers and/or ads, and finally, we will look at how designers like Miuccia Prada, Vivienne Westwood, Grace Wales Bonner and more have found inspiration in literature for their luxury collections.
August 3, 2024 | 11am — 1pm ET
This course is taught by Iman Sultan. She is a writer and creative consultant living in New York City. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Al Jazeera, Allure, W, i-D, LA Review of Books, Vogue Arabia, and many other publications.
All sales are final; we are unable to offer refunds. Lectures take place over Zoom—a meeting link and passcode will be emailed to you the day of the event. Only those who have registered for the lecture will be admitted. Please send all inquiries to info@sotextual.com.
What immediately comes to mind when you think of ‘fashion and literature’? Fashion signals runways, artifice and luxury, and literature is often associated with intellect, honesty, and learning. And yet, fashion and literature have intersected throughout history, as writers like Colette, Charles Baudelaire, Anaïs Nin and Oscar Wilde were arbiters of culture, who may have rubbed shoulders with the fashion gatekeepers of the time. The rise of the fashion industry in the late nineteenth to twentieth century helped authors project images reflecting the new wardrobe of modernity, ranging from Charles Baudelaire’s glamorous dandyism, Ernest Hemingway’s sportswear, or Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the groundbreaking influence of the “little black dress.”
In this course, we will examine how fashion is a meaningful tool used by authors in literature, and how this has shaped culture at large. As Elizabeth Wilson puts it, fashion provides an “armor” against the world, a form of protection via gendered, racial and/or class dimensions, and which is often used as a mechanism of upward mobility or a statement against the status quo. Within the text, writers often use fashion to build characterization, deepen the atmosphere, or as a form of social critique. We will explore the writings of Jean Rhys, Colette, Truman Capote, Sei Shonagon and more to look at the role fashion has played in storytelling, and how clothes, beauty and accessories heighten the experiential depth of the text, while also often making a concrete point about the society we live in.
Beyond the text and in the real world of runways, magazines, and public relations, tastemakers have long united the literary world with the design and consumerism of fashion. We will examine the author image and the decisions of creative directors to feature writers like Joan Didion and Zadie Smith on magazine covers and/or ads, and finally, we will look at how designers like Miuccia Prada, Vivienne Westwood, Grace Wales Bonner and more have found inspiration in literature for their luxury collections.
August 3, 2024 | 11am — 1pm ET
This course is taught by Iman Sultan. She is a writer and creative consultant living in New York City. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Al Jazeera, Allure, W, i-D, LA Review of Books, Vogue Arabia, and many other publications.
All sales are final; we are unable to offer refunds. Lectures take place over Zoom—a meeting link and passcode will be emailed to you the day of the event. Only those who have registered for the lecture will be admitted. Please send all inquiries to info@sotextual.com.
What immediately comes to mind when you think of ‘fashion and literature’? Fashion signals runways, artifice and luxury, and literature is often associated with intellect, honesty, and learning. And yet, fashion and literature have intersected throughout history, as writers like Colette, Charles Baudelaire, Anaïs Nin and Oscar Wilde were arbiters of culture, who may have rubbed shoulders with the fashion gatekeepers of the time. The rise of the fashion industry in the late nineteenth to twentieth century helped authors project images reflecting the new wardrobe of modernity, ranging from Charles Baudelaire’s glamorous dandyism, Ernest Hemingway’s sportswear, or Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the groundbreaking influence of the “little black dress.”
In this course, we will examine how fashion is a meaningful tool used by authors in literature, and how this has shaped culture at large. As Elizabeth Wilson puts it, fashion provides an “armor” against the world, a form of protection via gendered, racial and/or class dimensions, and which is often used as a mechanism of upward mobility or a statement against the status quo. Within the text, writers often use fashion to build characterization, deepen the atmosphere, or as a form of social critique. We will explore the writings of Jean Rhys, Colette, Truman Capote, Sei Shonagon and more to look at the role fashion has played in storytelling, and how clothes, beauty and accessories heighten the experiential depth of the text, while also often making a concrete point about the society we live in.
Beyond the text and in the real world of runways, magazines, and public relations, tastemakers have long united the literary world with the design and consumerism of fashion. We will examine the author image and the decisions of creative directors to feature writers like Joan Didion and Zadie Smith on magazine covers and/or ads, and finally, we will look at how designers like Miuccia Prada, Vivienne Westwood, Grace Wales Bonner and more have found inspiration in literature for their luxury collections.
August 3, 2024 | 11am — 1pm ET
This course is taught by Iman Sultan. She is a writer and creative consultant living in New York City. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Al Jazeera, Allure, W, i-D, LA Review of Books, Vogue Arabia, and many other publications.
All sales are final; we are unable to offer refunds. Lectures take place over Zoom—a meeting link and passcode will be emailed to you the day of the event. Only those who have registered for the lecture will be admitted. Please send all inquiries to info@sotextual.com.