I’ve never been one for specifically “summer” books when it comes to reading. My seasonal taste actually trends toward the opposite – lighter literary fare in the winter, and denser in the summer. Why? Vitamin D, obviously. Who wants to dive head first into Anna Karenina when it’s already dark outside half of the time? Not me!
On that note, my current summer #ChicRead is The White Album by the eternally observant, ever realistic, impossibly stylish Joan Didion. This book, among her many others, gives me shivers that shake away all the sand I’ve accumulated while lying on the beach.
Published in 1979, The White Album is a collection of essays documenting Didion’s unassailable musings on the culture and politics of her home state, California. Between its pages also happens to be one of the most famous lists of all time: Didion’s packing list.
This sparse list enabled Didion to pack on a moment’s notice, without much thought, and with a little bourbon. Famously known for her petite stature and unassuming style of dress, Didion was able to use fashion to her journalistic advantage.
“Notice the deliberate anonymity of costume,” she said of the list. “In a skirt, a leotard, and stockings, I could pass on either side of the culture.” That is, she could pass for a square or a flower child, all in the name of research.
The White Album isn’t about style, per se, but the access afforded Didion during her career is directly linked to her wardrobe. Without it, we wouldn’t have Didion’s work, which has been hailed as some of best writing on American culture, period. Even Céline, the storied French fashion house, tapped Didion for their wildly popular Spring 2015 campaign, solidifying Didion as a pillar of style even in her eighties.
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” Didion writes at the beginning of The White Album. Keep telling them, Joan – I need more material for my vacation.
Written by Emma Lifvergren, Staff Writer
