THE BEST FASHION IN BOOKS / SOME MEMORABLE OUTFITS IN LITERATURE

Happy Friday everyone! I hope those in the UK are keeping safe in the storm. Today, I'm sharing some of my favourite outfits in books. Clothing is an essential part of story-telling, and from traditional fairy tales to modern classics, dress has been used to signal a character’s status, transformation, moral compass and individuality. I hope you enjoy my selection of some of the best fashion in books! Take care, stay safe and I hope you have a happy weekend!
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LINKS FOR BOOKS IN PRINT:
(Affiliate links used for Blackwells)
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Orlando by Virginia Woolf: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
The Clock Strikes Twelve by Patricia Wentworth: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Right-Ho Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Atonement by Ian McEwan: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

[@irhonda31]

I never thought to focus on the fashion in books so much. Thanks for opening my eyes!

[@maryfilippou6667]

Yes, I agree. I was delighted to receive the book I wanted for my 17 th birthday, Mila Contini' s : " Fashion"; a study over the ages. Perfect then, beautiful historical history.

[@Veganmylocsarereal17]

This video gets 2 Thumbs up..it was fantastic, I never ever thought about fashion in literature but every time you mentioned a dress in the books I’ve read.., I remember those being some of my favorite parts in the book… I loved 🥰 when Anne got her new dress🥰 and I remembered the part in “Pride and Prejudice” when Elizabeth got the bottom of her dress, muddied going to check on Jane in my mind I kept. picturing the bottom of her dress being dragged through the mud… when I was a little girl… I remembered having on white patent leather shoes on Easter Sunday and getting them scuffed up and whew!!!! I got in trouble ( looking back I don’t understand why anyone would put an eight year old on White PATENT LEATHER 🤦🏾‍♀️😂) so dragging a dress through the mud probably would have been 💀 😂😂😂…and the grotesque feeling when Miss. Havisham , wedding dress was described so vividly.. Your Videos and knowledge of books is unmatched..oh!!!!! Side note I’m enjoying Miss Buncle’s Book so much 😂😂🥰… it’s my first time reading anything by D.E. Stevenson…. Thank you so much!!🥰🤷🏾‍♀️… tell Donna I said hello 🥰

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so very much, Kiki! I’d scuff white patent shoes now so no wonder you had trouble with them as an eight year old😂. I’m so happy you enjoyed the topic and the video, and also that Miss Buncle’s Book is a successful introduction to D E Stevenson! Have a great weekend! 📚❤️

[@GingerThorton]

I learned so much about Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown and its makers in Jennifer Robson’s The Gown. She talked to our Book Club and brought a show and tell reproduction of one of the embroidered star details.

[@NadineTouzet]

Great theme, you make it sound so obvious! I’ve just read the part of Miss Buncle’s book where Barbara Buncle, a fairly bland character, turns into the fictional self-assured Elizabeth Wade when she wears the fashionable well-fitting clothes she has just been encouraged to buy.

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you Nadine. I love that part too! ❤️📚

[@marty9011]

This was fascinating. I will take more notice of clothes in books from now on !

[@nancyfritz1827]

This was fun, Miranda. I love vintage fashion, especially the 1930's to mid 1960's. "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" is on my TBR list. I stumbled on an older movie adaption of it recently, starring Angela Lansbury and Diana Rigg. It was just delightful! I think I smiled through the entire film and the costumes were exquisite. One of my favorite books is "The Gown", by Jennifer Robson. It is a fictional account of the making of the Queen's wedding dress and the backstory of the embroiderers at Hartnell who helped create it. Well written, well researched and with characters I fell in love with. Hope you and Donna have a great weekend!!👗 🧵🪡

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you, Nancy! I’ll look out for The Gown now: it sounds so interesting! Have a lovely weekend!

[@DianeC1975]

I do enjoy the way you think up new topics within the book world. Unique and so interesting. Great examples! I forgot all about Gallicos Mrs Harris book. Thank you Miranda. Have a great weekend. 👍📚💐💕

[@MirandaMills]

So glad you enjoyed it, Diane! Thank you. I’m hoping the new Mrs Harris film will be good 💕

[@kitchentablecrafting7111]

Its always interesting to read about the clothing and fashion in general when reading. I also love room and meal descriptions. Excellent examples as usual Miranda. Hope your weekend isn't too blustery!

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much! Yes, decor and meal details always fascinate me too. Have a pleasant weekend!

[@mariacristinabuenoasensio3071]

Miranda, it's been a great video, marvellous as usual! Really interesting and high level content indeed, you are a jewel on KZbin!!!!! I especially enjoyed your view of green colour!

[@MirandaMills]

Aww thanks so much, Cristina: that’s very kind of you! Have a good weekend!

[@mariacristinabuenoasensio3071]

@@MirandaMills Thank you and have a lovely weekend too, so does Donna!

[@deborah9503]

This subject and theme would make a great book Miranda!

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Deborah!

[@deborah9503]

@@MirandaMills there could be a makeup and grooming one too.... Lisa Eldridge is a great source of knowledge on makeup history and has written a book on it but it did not link things to literature.

[@StephanieJarman]

one of my favourite descriptions of fashion in literature is from "the blue castle"by L M Montgomery (excerpts :When Abel gay paid Valancy her first month's wages--which he did promptly, in bills reeking with the odour of tobacco and whiskey--Valancy went into Deerwood and spent every cent of it. She got a pretty green crêpe dress with a girdle of crimson beads, at a bargain sale, a pair of silk stockings, to match, and a little crinkled green hat with a crimson rose in it. She even bought a foolish little beribboned and belaced nightgown. It was the first time she had worn a pretty dress since the organdies of her early teens. And they had never made her look like this. If she only had a necklace or something. She wouldn't feel so bare then. She ran down to the garden. There were clovers there--great crimson things growing in the long grass. Valancy gathered handfuls of them and strung them on a cord. Fastened above her neck they gave her the comfortable sensation of a collar and were oddly becoming. Another circlet of them went round her hair, dressed in the low puffs that became her. Excitement brought those faint pink stains to her face. She flung on her coat and pulled the little, twisty hat over her hair. "You look so nice and--and--different, dear," said Cissy. "Like a green moonbeam with a gleam of red in it, if there could be such a thing."

[@MirandaMills]

What a lovely quote that is! Yes, L M Montgomery clearly understood the importance of clothes. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@chbronte582]

I loved the premise of clothing and fashion in literature for this video, how cool! congratulations. Mrs Harris goes to Paris is one of my favorites in this case. Thanks for another fantastic video. Take care and happy weekend xxx

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much! Yes, it’s hard to beat Mrs Harris’ sartorial adventures! Such a lovely book. Enjoy your weekend too!

[@bookprincess612]

Such a wonderful, wonderful idea ! I have always loved Agatha Christies descriptions of Hercule Poirot's outfits....

[@MirandaMills]

Me too! Thanks so much. Very happy you enjoyed it!

[@jasonlow8029]

Hello Miranda. Fantastic video! The insights on fashion and fiction were so informative and I enjoyed thinking about all of the different examples you weaved together. If only my English literature course back in the day at university was as joyful to listen to; I learnt a great deal from your video. Great timing too as I recently picked up a second-hand copy of the 'Go-Between'. The theme also makes me think of re-reading Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' (with the iconic garments of the roaring 20s like the wide-legged pants and flapper dresses). All the best, Jason

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much for your kind comment, Jason! So glad you found this a fun topic. Yes, Great Gatsby is a great one for clothes too - I always think of Daisy sobbing over Gatsby's beautiful shirts. Hope you have a lovely weekend! xxx

[@lisa1922]

Fascinating topic, Miranda. I loved hearing your thoughts and listening to your excerpts. As always, I have added some more titles to my wish list. And so many of your volumes are in the gorgeous clothbound editions, too. Thank you, and hope the weather this weekend isn't too bad up in Yorkshire. Lisa xx

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Lisa! So far so good here, but very windy right now! Hope you have a nice weekend. xx

[@spinstercatlady]

Excellent video! I love descriptions of clothing, food and most especially homes/home decor. Really adds to the immersiveness of a story! I could see you doing a whole series of videos along these lines 😉 Have a wonderful weekend, Miranda!

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Shawna! Very happy you enjoyed the video. You too!

[@yvettem.holland5072]

Hello Miranda, thank you so much for this thoughtful and delightful video. I enjoyed your insights , and you’ve inspired me to take more notice of clothing in novels. Happy Sunday to you and your mom.

[@louisebaxter1026]

You should be a guest lecturer at a University! My French literature courses would have been so much more interesting if we had had someone like you ! I never even thought about the role of fashion which is strange because I love historical fashion.Thank you so much for this one.

[@ameliakeel6339]

I really enjoyed this video and all of your excellent examples, Miranda. I have observed the fashion motif in literature for many years, and it was lovely to find this theme in your video. Some of my favorite examples come from Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence" and "The House of Mirth" and Henry James's "The Wings of the Dove." These books also feature home fashions as well, which is another wonderful motif. In "The House of Mirth" especially, Lily Bart's loss of access to fashionable clothes, homes, and people parallels her downfall. The connection between fashion and access to money is also hard to miss.

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Amelia! Yes, I thought of Wharton too - fashionable clothes or lack thereof are of great significance to her characters as you say.

[@elizabethbrink3761]

This is such a fun video idea! I love Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris! I can't wait for the new movie too. Oh my goodness, you're so right about PG Wodehouse! It reminds me of Bertie's article for his aunt's magazine: "What the Well Dressed Man is Wearing". 🤣I recently listened to Excellent Women by Barbara Pym again and realized how much Mildred uses clothes to set apart the "excellent women" v. those like Helena Napier who are rather effortlessly fashionable. Also her preoccupation with the Wren officers and their ill-fitting uniforms.

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you, Elizabeth! Yes, love Barbara Pym’s references to clothes too!

[@stelladollies]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video, Miranda, and I was delighted that my beloved Miss Silver made an appearance! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on fashion in literature. Smiles, Stella

[@MirandaMills]

So pleased you enjoyed it, Stella! I’m such a Miss Silver fan, and there’s so often very vivid descriptions of clothes and hats, isn’t there? I find it very fun to read the detailed descriptions! 😀📚

[@janetpinhorn803]

I am so glad you discussed this aspect of the importance of fashion in the novel. I think it adds to the layering of the scene, like another layer of a quilt. I also was delighted when you shared Mrs. 'Arris goes to Paris. I had to have that book after I saw the Angela Lansbury t.v.version in 1992. I'm so excited to see the new Netflix show. :-)

[@MirandaMills]

So happy you enjoyed it, Janet! Really excited about the new Netflix version too!

[@miss.northerner4512]

I have loved this video so much! Brilliant as always. One of my favourite subjects, the stories that clothing and fashion tell us.

[@janettegodfrey7092]

Miranda, another great talk! Love your taste and sensibility in books... Mine coincide with quite a few and I'm thrilled to hear you recommend unknown authors to me! ...One of my favourite clothes scenes is in "Picts and Martyrs" by Arthur Ransome. Dick and Dorothea are hiding, hoping their friends, Nancy and Peggy Blackett (the "Amazon Pirates") can escape their Great Aunt & come out to sail on the lake with them. "Suddenly their hearts fell as two prim figures came out of the house. 'Something's gone wrong again,' whispered Dorothea. 'They can't be going to sail after all,' said Dick. 'Not dressed like that,' said Dorothea. White frocks, pink sashes, shady white hats ...if they had not known who was wearing these things, they would never have guessed." However, in a few minutes, Nancy and Peggy row up to Dick and Dorothea in their sailing clothes and it's all alright: "Nancy backwatered with her left, pulled with her right, and swung the boat's nose round into the gap between the reed-beds. 'Giminy,' she said, ' We were afraid you never got my despatch. We thought you hadn't come. Hop in. Have you been waiting long?' 'We saw you come across the lawn,' said Dorothea. 'We thought it meant 'No Go' again.' Nancy laughed. 'We've left all that in the boathouse. Peggy nipped out last night with our comfortables hidden in a watering can while I held the G.A. in polite talk......'"

[@MirandaMills]

I love the Ransome books too. Thank you so much for reminding me of that passage and sharing it for us all! ❤️📚

[@lindabloom6666]

I love it when Bertie has to drop into the pool "in faultless evening dress" at the Drones Club

[@MirandaMills]

Me too! 😂😂

[@mattiez3545]

Hi Miranda! Thank you so much for making this video. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts on the different topics of books. Fashion in books is so fascinating. I really enjoyed the books you discussed and have put some of them on my tbr. I can really relate to Anne. I always tear up when I watch her get her dress. I have a dress with puffed sleeves and I love wearing it. It's so pretty and comfortable. You have a wonderful weekend! : )

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Mattie! You too!

[@RaLiviaW]

I love this topic. I think the choices and colors in books are part of the story. So I find it horrible when movies don't respect that. For example Anne's golden brown dress, chosen to look well with her coloring. Anne was so sensitive to taste and color and yet the film makers gave her an unflattering blue. My sister and I were laughing recently over one of Bertie's ill-fated fashion rebellions.

[@MirandaMills]

Yes, exactly, the colours and styles of a character’s clothes are often so revealing and chosen so carefully by the author. So happy to read it’s a topic you find fascinating as well!

[@booksandbabble6847]

Miranda, whenever you write a book I will be the first in line to buy it. You have such a wonderful way of describing novels. I can see you publishing a wonderful non-fiction book about interwar novels. But of course fiction or nonfiction, I would eagerly anticipate its release ❤️

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much for your very kind words! That era is certainly my comfort zone in reading!

[@carolanderson6673]

I love Georgette Heyer's books and they are just full of clothes! Think of all the descriptions in " The Corinthian" of the driving coat with 16 capes! Also "The Nonesuch" and" Sprig Muslin". Even "Peter Rabbit" and the "Tailor of Gloscestshire" wouldn't be complete without their stylish garments.

[@MirandaMills]

Yes, definitely! ❤️📚

[@animalsonhawdon8130]

She is one of my favourite writer and has been for such a long time. I think my love of her writing stems from her descriptions of both men’s and women’s garments.

[@fernandamurari8577]

As always, chapeaux! Loved this video! Thank you!

[@jaynetanner3757]

I found this episode fascinating and will definitely pay more attention to clothing and their significance to a story line, thanks again to a most enjoyable video

[@sandyokey7728]

This was a great topic, Miranda! I love reading descriptions of what a book’s characters are wearing, especially during the Victorian and and Jazz Ages. Edith Wharton is a favorite of mine. And probably one of the first books I remember reading when I was a young teenager that had clothes that entranced me was Gone With The Wind. Who couldn’t be anything but enchanted with Scarlet and her green velvet “drapery”😊

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks Sandy! I'd forgotten Scarlet's velvet curtain material dress, but it really is a memorable scene!

[@IsabellaMassardo]

Great topic, great video, excellent choice of books. This channel gets better and better. Thank you for sharing all this!

[@MirandaMills]

Thank you so much for those very kind words, Isabella! I'm so happy you enjoyed the topic.

[@teresaparkins1255]

Hello Miranda, like other viewers I found this the most delightful video and theme. Who can forget the hilarious fur coat episode in " I Capture the Castle " and the trip to London for the trousseau. And Dodie Smith's other creation Cruella de Vil and her desire for a coat made of Dalmation puppy fur (we all shudder!). What a fun subject to explore. Thank you so much, Teresa 🐾📚

[@MirandaMills]

You’re so welcome, Teresa! I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, and love those Dodie Smith examples you’ve shared!

[@aekorfker]

Such an interesting and original topic! I read my first Wodehouse last year and certain scène with Jeeves and Wooster and picking a tie comes to mind, than I knew who was the real boss 😄 The story with the Dior dress I read for English class in high school but it always stayed with me somehow!

[@GrownToCook]

What an interesting topic and so many great & diverse examples! One book that popped into mind was Daddy- Long-Legs and how excited Jerusha/Judy is when for the first time she gets dresses bought especially for her: “it’s a fine thing to be educated- but it’s nothing compared to the dizzying experience of owning six new dresses. I suppose you’re thinking now what a frivolous, shallow little beast she is, and what a waste of money to educate a girl? But Daddy, if you’d been dressed in checkered ginghams all your life, you’d appreciate how I feel.“

[@MirandaMills]

Yes, I love that bit too! I'm so happy you enjoyed the theme!

[@rhondacraven1351]

A new movie of Mrs Harris goes to Paris coming to theaters in July. It looks good. I have ordered the book. I am going to read it first! Thanks for the tip!

[@mariaencarnacioncarrillo3404]

Fantástic! I love this kind of reading, thank you very much. Best wishes from Spain

[@henriettanovember4733]

My first thought when starting to watch this video was Harriet Vane's wedding dress!

[@kristaselene]

I really enjoyed your selections! Fun topic :) Thank you for sharing.

[@MirandaMills]

I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Krista! Thanks so much!

[@marinarees3828]

Thank you. Your videos are always a treat.

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Marina!

[@juliemccartney2788]

What an interesting video Miranda. I also think the sentence ‘if they didn’t want us to build an army they shouldn’t have given us a uniform’ from The Handmaids Tale is a powerful interpretation of the handmaids being forced to dress the same too!

[@MirandaMills]

Very true! Thanks, Julie!

[@lindabloom6666]

How about Mrs. Polifax's Hats??!!

[@emmavd]

Thank you so much, Miranda, for the opportunity you offered me to think again about some novels I love, and their characters, from a different perspective. Miss Havisham is, for me, definitely one of the most memorable ones! I think it’s about time I read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings😊

[@MirandaMills]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Emma!

[@naomihickman5098]

This was a fascinating watch and such an interesting and fun idea for a video! I’ve always loved descriptions of clothes in books, they tell you so much about a character and provide so many extra layers of nuance and meaning. I loved all the examples you talked about, Anne’s longed-for puffed-sleeved dress has always been a favourite scene of mine, and I love laughing over Bertie’s fashion faux-pas (in Jeeves’ eyes at least!). I must read Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, it sounds wonderful. Some authors are particularly good at describing clothes, and their importance - Noel Streatfeild and Georgette Heyer spring to my mind especially. I remember as a child being fascinated by the descriptions of clothes in Little Women, wondering what exactly did poplin and muslin, etc look like! The scene where Meg’s rich friend’s dress her up for the party was very memorable. A book I love for it’s descriptions of clothes is Lucia, Lucia by Adriani Trigiani, the heroine works in the clothing department of a fancy New York store and the 1950s clothes are described in wonderful detail.

[@MirandaMills]

Lucia, Lucia sounds like one I must try! Thanks so much for the recommendation, Naomi. Yes, Alcott has some wonderful descriptions of clothes. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely weekend!

[@creationspast.janebowell1903]

Oh well done a brilliant theme for a vlog

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much!

[@sebtamgeospa]

Thank you Miranda for focusing on fashion used in books. I’ll be paying more attention to those descriptions. Your videos are so soothing and full of interesting information 🥰

[@anitaalfred2880]

Love these references that you picked. Those green outfits always sounds so lovely! I know of another green velvet dress from Edwardian times from a Canadian prairie book "when calls the heart" by Janette Oke that has stayed with me too!

[@MirandaMills]

One to add to my list! Thanks so much, Anita!

[@pamelapoet9]

Your wide-ranging examples are amazing--how do you do it?! Such a fun topic. It brought to mind the significance of clothing in The Bell Jar, and that scene where a disillusioned Esther tosses her clothes off of a NYC balcony and watches them float away. And your discussion of Atonement and The Go-Between reminds me of the unforgettable green-dye in I Capture the Castle. This was so enjoyable--thank you!

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Pamela. Yes, The Bell Jar scene is an interesting example too!

[@gillianholter-hovind2367]

I think of the distinctly differently clad sisters in Little Women, of the gloves incident and of Meg being “dressed up” by the other girls at a party and especially of how Meg later spends all her housekeeping money on lengths of fabric (not even yet made up into dresses!) in Good Wives. In children’s literature, the difference between Enid Blyton’s Anne and George, and also of Milly Molly Mandy in her red and white candy-striped dresses. Little Grey Rabbit’s modest dresses are also carefully described, and compared to Little Red Squirrel’s fancy ones and Hare’s rather dandified jackets.

[@MirandaMills]

Yes all of those remain with me so vividly too - the wonderful illustrations in some of them helped of course, and Alcott just made the descriptions (and situations) so memorable I think.

[@shanne6625]

Loved this video. Different from your others in depth of discussion. I think you should consider writing a book on the subject with your talent it would be a brilliant read!!

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Shanne! It was fun to pull my thoughts together so am very happy you enjoyed it.

[@-marialiakou]

Excellent video!

[@priscillamcgarry5200]

Loved this episode and clothes in storytelling… how about Scarlett’s green velvet dress made from a curtain??

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Priscilla! Yes, indeed!

[@karenwhite2601]

Fashion in literature is such a great subject - I love reading about the clothes almost as much as I love reading about the food! I'll always remember Anne's dress of soft brown gloria (though I never knew what gloria was) and also the chapter in Ballet Shoes which shows the importance of wearing the right dress. Were you able to watch Britain's Novel Landscapes? Episode 2 was Daphne Du Maurier's Cornwall and episode 3 Beatrix Potter and The Lake District. All three episodes are well worth watching - and ep. 4 is the Bronte sisters and Yorkshire.

[@lindseygirl1982]

Any of Claire’s clothes in the Outlander series

[@abigailhortencia5901]

Nice video👌🏾

[@MirandaMills]

Thanks so much, Abigail!