the chicest woman alive is a librarian

serving looks while checking out books

Nov 16, 2023

While librarians across the country have become a favorite target for the far-right, they have taken center stage in another unlikely place: as fashion’s it girl of the moment. The Miu Miu F/W23 show was a parade of frazzled librarians rushing down the runway with shirts and cardigans haphazardly tucked into hosiery, frizzy hair, eyeglasses, and kitten heels with the straps sticking out. Despite the demure sweater sets and the overall unkemptness, there was a sexiness to the looks. The sweaters were worn sans pants and polka-dotted dresses were sheer enough to see the Miu Miu branded underwear beneath them. The pieces in making up the collection were quite wearable; the styling is the real showstopper here.Who is this woman? Where is she going? And why is she so tired that she forgot to put on her pants?

It’s not just librarian-esque styles that the fashion industry has taken inspiration from, but libraries themselves. Sandy Liang, Coach, and Celine all choose to show recent collections in a library. Miu Miu is taking the librarian and putting her on the runway, these brands are bringing fashion into the stacks.

This literary it-girl reminds me of the quintessential fashionably hot librarian: Parker Posey’s character in the 1995 film Party Girl. For those who haven’t seen the cult classic, she plays a fashion-obsessed downtown party girl who takes a job at the New York Public Library after being arrested for throwing an illegal rave. The library, desperate for cheap help after budget cuts (still so topical!), hires her with no experience. Cue the montage of a 90’s couture-clad Parker Posey learning the Dewey Decimal system!

The costume design in this movie is so perfect it should be studied…in a library perhaps!

This librarian would go sans pants! She would have her designer underwear showing through sheer polka dot dresses, and she would absolutely be wearing Sandy Liang. I can imagine her going straight from some fabulous downtown club to the library. She might throw a cardigan over her party outfit so she doesn’t get chilly behind the checkout desk.

I’ve always thought that it would be cool to do an editorial shoot inspired by Party Girl. Now it’s zeitgeist-y, so the timing would be perfect. Even better if you could find some young librarians to style and interview.

Note: If someone would like to pay me for these incredible ideas, please do not hesitate to reach out!

You don’t have to be a professional librarian to cash in on this bookish clout. Books have become their own sort of status symbol in the last few years, with some celebrities even hiring book stylists to choose books to be photographed with.

*I do not know if these people hired the stylist*

Last week, the New York Times published a story with the headline, “Is Reading the Hottest Thing You Can Do as a Single Person?” The article discusses the link between reading and dating, with most people claiming that they would be more interested in dating someone who reads. Reading isn’t just popular, it’s hot. However, what you read matters. One woman interviewed said that she "can’t stand men who only read self-help.” To be hot, you’ve got to read hot. TikTok has thousands of videos recommending “hot girl books,” which can be anything from classic literature to smutty romance. The term is so nebulous that there isn’t really a clear rubric for what makes a hot girl book, but Joan Didion and Ottessea Moshfegh seem to be required reading. Coincidentally, both writers have modeled for fashion brands. The Didion Celine ad from 2015 is now so iconic that some only know her as “the old lady from the Celine ad.” Phoebe Philo was gesturing to her ideal customer: a well-read woman, someone who would be more excited to see Joan Didion in an ad than a model or actress.

I recently rewatched Funny Face, another iconic fashionista-meets-bookworm film (a perfect double feature pairing with Party Girl), and thinking about this trend I can practically hear the booming voice of Kay Thompson proclaiming that the next big thing will be “clothes for the woman who is uninterested in clothes!” If the message in the movie is that a woman can look intelligent and chic, Muccia Prada and the rest of the industry are still cosigning it over 50 years later.

I urge everyone to start dressing like a sexy librarian, but more importantly to go support your local library. As one of our greatest literary fashion icons, Fran Lebowitz, said recently, “You know what you should do if you meet a librarian? Say thank you.”