Bookcore isn’t about performative academia—it’s about identity, intellect and a certain kind of quiet confidence. Tucked under an arm or printed across a dress, literature has its way of threading through fashion. Novels have long shaped the mood of collections but lately, the references feel less like whispers and more like grand declarations. Perhaps after years of being dominated by micro-trends and algorithm-chasing aesthetics, books now serve as a grounding factor. It suggests depth, maturity and taste. Most importantly, it’s not about pretending to read. It’s about signalling that you care about something beyond the surface and embracing the idea of self-discovery and growth. Not to mention, there's just something so undeniably sexy about a woman with intellect.
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Last spring, the concept had already started emerging on the runways. In London, Erdem turned to The Well of Loneliness for their spring/summer 2025 collection, a once-banned 1928 novel by Radclyffe Hall. The collection channelled the sharp masculinity of 1920s tailoring—crisp lapels, structured coats—and softened it with fluid, high-femme dresses. The first-edition cover of the queer romance novel was plastered onto the sleeve ends of the blazers, embracing the push and pull of masculine and feminine.
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The same season, at JW Anderson, Jonathan Anderson referenced the 1914 book, Art by art critic Clive Bell of the Bloomsbury Group. Fragments of his writing were printed directly across a silk top, slashed vest and mini-dress. While the book was an introspection on the relationship between art and design, Anderson’s work was more so about creating a story on a blank canvas—the idea of starting afresh.
For spring/summer 2026, bookcore maintains its position at the forefront of fashion. First introduced by Maria Grazia Chiuri in 2018 for Dior, the now-iconic Book Tote silhouette was reimagined under Jonathan Anderson as literal books. The first-edition covers of famous novels—Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Madame Bovary, Dracula, Ulysses, In Cold Blood, Les Fleurs du Mal and Bonjour Tristesse—are printed across canvas and serve as the ultimate conversation starter.
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Meanwhile in New York, Coach leans even further into the narrative with its “Explore Your Story” campaign. The brand released twelve miniature, readable book charms featuring titles such as Sense and Sensibility, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I’ll Give You the Sun and The Forest of Wool and Steel. They serve to function as tiny reminders that it is our stories that shape us. The brand partnered with youth-led communities and publishers globally to select the titles, reinforcing the idea that storytelling is collective.
The campaign unfolds as a short-film where characters are seen immersed in pages of literature as the world around them transforms. The idea is that others’ stories often change your own, changing the path you are meant to follow and leading to self-reinvention. It’s a clever reflection of a cultural shift that is unfolding in our world today as while Gen Z, who lives online, is slowly returning to books as a means of self-discovery.
In fact, there are many celebrities with a passion for literature. Take Dua Lipa, for example. The pop star doesn't just read regularly, but has her very own book account where she personally selects a new book to explore every month. She also interviews authors on their novels and loves sharing them with her audience. Talk about down to Earth.
Many other celebrities from singer Camila Cabello to models Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner are also often pictured with books, especially while walking on the streets or lounging on vacation. And with that being said, carrying a novel might just be the chicest thing you do this season.