It has never been more fashionable to look well-read.
Pinterest announced “Poetcore”, a rebranding of TikTok’s “Dark Academia” aesthetic, as a major trend in 2026, positing that people will “channel their inner wordsmiths with oversized turtlenecks, vintage blazers and messenger bags”. On the Spring/Summer 2026 runways, the “literary chic” look has emerged: brands like Celine, Tory Burch, Wales Bonner and Miu Miu are advocating for us to dress either like a hot librarian or very stylish English major, putting a bookish spin on the preppy style that we all embraced last year. It’s worth noting that the Celine SS26 show, soundtracked by actual wordsmith Fiona Apple, had writers Miranda July and Ottessa Moshfegh on the front row, while Miu Miu launched its own book club last year.
Even celebrities can’t resist looking book smart: Billie Eilish is set to star in a film adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar; Margot Robbie found style inspiration from gothic fiction when promoting the Wuthering Heights movie in February; and the likes of Laufey, Kaia Gerber and Dua Lipa have all been running their own book clubs and sharing photos of themselves with paperbacks. Starting a book club is the next best thing a famous person can do to be regarded as an intellectual, besides launching a Substack newsletter (which Rosalia and Charli XCX have done) or actually writing a book and becoming a “literary It-girl” in New York.
Now that reading is “in”, it’s no wonder that fashion brands are overtly making references to literature in their designs—the most obvious one being the Dior Book Tote, Jonathan Anderson’s reimagining of the designer bag with classic book covers. It brings to mind the cult-favourite embroidered clutches of French designer Olympia Le-Tan, which are crafted to look like actual books (Heart Evangelista brought a “Snow White” one with her to the recent Paris Fashion Week). And at Coach’s Fall/Winter 2026 show in New York, celebrities like Elle Fanning and Soyeon showed up with their Tabby bags adorned with miniature book bag charms that can actually be opened and read.
It turns out the final boss of the “performative male” isn’t a man after all: it’s a woman wearing designer optical glasses and a black cashmere turtleneck and a bag that looks like a book. If you’re looking to get into the “literary chic” trend, discover our Further Reading list below, filled with the best book-inspired pieces to shop now.
Get the ‘Literary Chic’ Look
Dior Book Tote
Show off your taste for the classics with this Dior Book Tote bag from Jonathan Anderson’s debut collection, featuring an embroidered design inspired by the first-edition cover of Gustave Flaubert’s scandalous 1857 novel, Madame Bovary.
Max Mara turtleneck sweater
Ian Griffiths, Max Mara’s erudite creative director, has name-checked Margaret Atwood, Truman Capote and Françoise Sagan as inspirations for his collections in the past. Max Mara’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection was even inspired by Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Trust the Max Mara designer to offer up the literary chic perfect turtleneck for those of us who are as well-read as he is: this black sweater, with three-quarter sleeves, is knitted from soft, virgin wool, and is easy to layer with your Dad’s blazer.
Miu Miu Vedette sunglasses
If these Miu Miu ‘Vedette’ glasses can convince us that Kylie Jenner reads, then they’ll make anyone look like an intellectual. Compared to the beloved Miu Regard oval glasses of last season, this new style comes in a rectangular tortoiseshell frame that is flattering to most face shapes.
Laufey Book Club cap
There’s a chance that you’re already a member of the Laufey Book Club—it has over 200 thousand followers on Instagram—so why not make it known with merch? This navy embroidered baseball cap, which can be easily styled with your everyday outfits, will remind people that yes, you listen to Laufey and yes, you read.
Acne Studios cashmere sweater
Spending a long day in the library? Cosy up with this cashmere sweater from Acne Studios. It features a V-neckline, so you can easily layer the sweater over your favourite Oxford shirt if you want to look like a lit major.
Olympia Le-Tan Pride and Prejudice clutch
Since 2009, Olympia Le-Tan has been making exquisite “book clutches” inspired by everything from fairytale books to timeless literature. Here, the Parisian designer models her signature bag after Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice novel, featuring embroidered portraits of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy illustrated by Bex Parkin. How romantic.
Thom Browne pleated skirt
The pleated skirt, with its roots in school uniforms, is essential in cultivating a scholarly look about you. Thom Browne is known to make some of the best ones: this style comes with a detachable bow at the waistband and is crafted from checkered silk.
Flabelus Eyre mary jane shoes
Spanish footwear brand Flabelus names its ballet flats and mary janes after literary figures. This pair of mary jane shoes, an homage to Jane Eyre, is handcrafted from dusty green velvet and features Flabelus’s signature, ergonomic soles, made from the rubber of recycled bicycle tires.
Vintage Maison Margiela blazer
This vintage Maison Margiela jacket will do heavy duty in helping you to achieve that academic look. It’s from the label’s Fall/Winter 2014 collection, which drew from classic menswear pieces. There’s a twist, of course: the wool blazer actually comes with two pieces, comprising a sleeveless vest and a sleeved, cropped jacket with a collar. Wear them together over your favourite sweater, or take it apart to wear the vest with a button-down shirt for quintessential literary chic.
IDEA x Moomin tote bag
In a sea of people carrying tote bags from the New Yorker, Shakespeare and Company, and Daunt Books, stand out with this bag from IDEA Books. The bookstore, a cult-favorite among fashion lovers, collaborated with Moomin for the Finnish cartoon’s 80th anniversary. One of the limited-edition pieces they produced is this cotton tote bag, screen-printed with a Moomin illustration that resembles the average bookworm when they discover they will never be able to read every single book in their lifetime.
This story first appeared here.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
