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Reviving fondness of vogue through reading

The leisurely pursuit of reading has always provided a momentary escape from unfavourable situations, acting as an oasis of hope and helping us to find the joy of fashion and creativity, helping in the channelling of energies to a more fruitful direction. The quarantine is settling into becoming the new normal for many of us. Between intermittent periods of social distancing and juggling duties and responsibilities, many of us ache for some reading to rest the demons of impatience and sway away the clouds of anxiety through some quality time reading helping us to go into a mode of relaxation.
As we spend more time whiling away our time on Netflix or any other streaming service during the quarantine period, we should also be acutely aware of the importance of self-care in our times of compulsory isolation.
Social media, although, has long become an embedded part of the algorithm of modern life, does not always offer the same feeling of enthusiasm for days that have been lost through the lack and distancing of social interactions. Scrolling through a bombardment of images, videos, and statuses can be a tiresome process and needs to have a break taken away from it.
The following five fashion-centric books might be a good entry to the varied and rich world of fashion.
The Devil Wears Prada
While the Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep starrer film has besotted many of us, the book on which the film is based upon is equally beguiling and in many ways, a more adventurous read into the world of New York fashion and the drama occurring in it. Written by Lauren Weisberger based on her experiences working for Anna Wintour of Vogue Magazine, the novel showcases complex intricacies of power dynamics and gruelling demands in the fashion industry, with occasional glances at references related to make up scenes and world-renowned fashion weeks.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The priest of wit and panache, Oscar Wilde, has woven a magnificent novel written during the heyday of the aesthetic movement, which believed in creating “art for art’s sake.” The quality of the prose is nothing short of masterful, with accurate and incisive descriptions of the lifestyles and mannerisms of Victorian England. It was Wilde’s brilliant story of a dark and broody fictional character infatuated with beauty, just as Oscar was, that transformed him into a fashion icon with exemplary imagery of different fabrics and piercing glances.
Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution
Marie Antoinette remains an enigma in the world of fashion. A woman hated, reviled, admired, and deeply speculated about at the same time. The author, Caroline Weber, provides descriptions of Marie Antoinette’s luxurious outfits and of the styles she promoted, like her unique architectural “hairdo-like” poufs and panniers. Caught in the midst of rising resentment and revolutionary fervour, the author navigates how the ill-fated queen tried to insert her individuality through her fashion choices in an incredibly hostile and constrained world.
Coco Chanel: The Legend and The Life
Coco Chanel is a household name throughout the world, and her brand, Chanel, has captivated audiences, with many being proud owners of her brand of perfumes. Justine Picardie’s biography delves behind the scenes of the woman behind the brand, tracing her journey from childhood to living in a convent orphanage to her fuelling rise to super stardom. She even tackles the claims of anti-Semitic remarks and Nazi links that had bogged Chanel her whole life.
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens’s artful novel on the complexities of love and relationships is also a portal into looking at the timelessness of fashion and its visceral impact on the mind of its characters, especially the vengeful Ms Havisham. Based in mercantile London with merchants, bankers, and socialites climbing up the ladders of social hierarchy, the novel offers one of the finest and dapper descriptions of fashion and lifestyles from the 19th century.
By Israr Hasan
Photo: Collected