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From Oscar Wilde to Joan Didion, we celebrate the authors who told a story through their clothes, as well as their words

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As a new book delves into the style of famous authors throughout history, we celebrate 10 of the best-dressed writers - from Oscar Wilde to Joan Didion - and find out what they had to say about fashion.

Legendary Authors and The Clothes They Wore by Terry Newman is published by Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins, on 27 July at £20. Pre-order yours via Amazon.co.uk.

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Oscar Wilde

"Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear."

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Dorothy Parker

"Gingham's for the plighted maid; Satin's for the free!"

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Colette

"Extreme beauty arouses no sympathy."

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Joan Didion

"Style is character."

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Edgar Allan Poe

"I never saw him in any dress which was not fashionably neat with some approximation to elegance." - Lambert Wilmer

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Edith Sitwell

" I wouldn't dream of following fashion... How could one be a different person every three months?"

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Jacqueline Susann

"Everyone has an identity. One of their own, and one for show."

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Tom Wolfe

"You never realise how much of your background is sewn into the lining of your clothes."

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Djuna Barnes

"A strong sense of identity gives man an idea he can do no wrong; too little accomplishes the same."

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Nancy Mitford

"Mother, of course, takes a lot of exercise, walks and so on. And every morning she puts on a pair of black silk drawers and a sweater and makes indelicate gestures on the lawn. That's called Building The Body Beautiful."

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Legendary Authors and The Clothes They Wore by Terry Newman is published by Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins, on 27 July at £20. Pre-order yours via Amazon.co.uk.

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