Gorgeous Literary Clothing for Book Lovers

I love having literary clothing in my wardrobe – whether that be a pair of socks, a book print dress or a literary t-shirt themed with my favourite title. I’ve been collecting bookish clothes over the past few years, but am always on the lookout for new pieces, especially as there are so many great designers out there who cater for readers. In addition to this, literary clothes tend to be more classic in design, which means that they’ll stay in fashion. For someone like me who rarely buys new clothes, bookish style is something I’ll always enjoy.

In this blog post, I’ve shared some of my favourite book-inspired clothes that I’ve spotted recently – most of which can be worn all year round. These include literary sweatshirts, book t-shirts, bookish accessories and a book dress.

As always, check reviews before you buy as I have no personal experience of these (although I hope I will soon!). If you’re buying from overseas, it’s also crucial to factor in shipping costs and custom charges.

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The Book Print Dress

I already own a winter book dress, but I’ve been keeping my eye out for a summer equivalent for a while. Weirdly, with such a big market, there don’t seem to be many options out there so I was really excited to find this vintage Pepper book print shirt dress by Joanie Clothing who are based just up the road from us in Manchester, UK. The dress is made from 100% cotton, is elasticated at the back and has POCKETS! As soon as it gets warmer, I’m adding this and a few of their other (non-bookish) dresses to my wardrobe.

Check out the Pepper book print shirt dress at Joanie Clothing

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Literary Sweatshirts

As someone who prefers simple designs, I’m enjoying the explosion in varsity-style literary sweatshirts, especially the ones which have a classic theme. They’re comfy and warm so make a nice piece of clothing for a lengthy reading session. I’d also be very happy to go out for a long walk or a jog wearing one of these beauties.

Pride & Prejudice Slogan Sweatshirt

This Pride & Prejudice sweatshirt has been designed by Joanie Clothing and has a green and cream colourway. The words Pride & Prejudice are appliqued on in cream boucle. It comes in sizes small to extra large (you can see the sizing guide on their website). They also have a Wuthering Heights version if you want to max out on bookish style.

Check out the Pride & Prejudice Slogan Sweatshirt at Joanie Clothing

Verona 1597 Sweatshirt (Romeo and Juliet)

The rich red colour and clever text on the book sweatshirt caught my eye straightaway. I also love that the model is wearing this with a skirt rather than trousers – it shows how versatile the sweatshirt can be. The UK designer, BookishlyUK, has a whole range of similar looks for different titles including Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland), Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables) and Baker Street (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes).

Discover more about the Verona sweatshirt on Etsy

Bronte Readers Club Sweatshirt

Add some sunshine into your life with this Avid Readers Club sweatshirt from Joanie Clothing. A new variation on one of their popular designs, this is made from cotton which is grown to Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) standards – a sustainability programme, which minimises environmental impact and supports good working conditions. The literary sweatshirt comes in two colourways – navy writing on yellow and red writing on navy.

See the Avid Readers Club sweatshirt at Joanie Clothing

Literary T-Shirts

There’s a literary t-shirt-shaped hole in my life right now so it was fun to check out all the book t-shirts on the market. There are absolutely tons to choose from. Once again, I prefer the unfussy designs, and particularly the ones that need a little decoding with one obvious exception below!

Emerald City T-Shirt

I nearly missed this little classic from Joanie Clothing as it wasn’t listed under their Book Edit page, but surely it counts because The Wizard of Oz, right? The chic design is right up my street and has a bit of a rock chick vibe. What’s more, the literary t-shirt is made from organic cotton, which means that it’s kinder to the environment.

See the Emerald City Book T-Shirt at Joanie Clothing

Obstinate headstrong girl (Jane Austen) T-Shirt

This is one of my favourite Jane Austen t-shirt designs (there are quite a few out there). The red lettering, taken from Pride and Prejudice, on the white 100% cotton t-shirt works brilliantly to create a blend of modern and vintage. I reckon I’d feel really empowered wearing this design by BookishlyUK.

See the Obstinate headstrong girl T-shirt on Etsy

Eat Sleep Read Book T-Shirt

Although I don’t usually go for overtly bookish slogans, this Eat Sleep Read t-shirt from WaryaTshirts made the cut because of it’s bold font and rolled sleeves. It comes in three colours – grey (pictured), white and black and is unisex in design. The fabric is 100% cotton.

Check out the Eat Sleep Read T-Shirt on Etsy

The Handmaid’s Tale T-Shirt

I already own the enamel pin bearing this logo with the words ‘Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum’ from Literary Emporium so it makes sense to take this to the next level. You can probably already tell that I like black t-shirts and I enjoy that this has a bit of a military twist too. The fact that you have to be in the literary know to understand the significance of the wording gives this an extra-special touch for readers.

See The Handmaid’s Tale T-Shirt on Etsy

Bookish Footwear

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Tights

No apologies for an excess of Pride and Prejudice in this post! I couldn’t resist including these printed tights by Coline Design who are based in Israel. You can buy these in 10 different colours (these are light brown) and they come in one size. They also sell tights printed with quotes by Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe.

Find out more about the Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Tights on Etsy

Book Scarves

If you don’t want to go all out on bookish style. why not consider adding book scarves to your collection? These versatile pieces can be worn in many ways throughout every season.

Literature Book Scarf

Now this is a piece of literary clothing that I actually DO own and I love it! My sister bought it for me from Rooby Lane, a UK company that handmakes a range of bookish products. The attention to detail on this is amazing and the print features book covers from many classic novels. It’s a timeless bookish accessory that matches lots of outfits.

See the Literature Book Scarf on Etsy.

Alice in Wonderland Book Scarf

Storiarts creator Tori Tissell handmakes a whole series of infinity book scarves, which she illustrates herself and then prints onto 100% cotton fabric. The Alice in Wonderland book scarf (pictured here) is printed on cream cotton. If you prefer another title or colour, you can choose from 27 options including The Great Gatsby, Dracula and The Secret Garden.

See the Alice in Wonderland infinity book scarf on Etsy

What’s Your Favourite Bookish Style Clothing?

I’ll keep adding to this page as I discover new pieces of literary clothing and bookish designs that catch my eye. In the meantime, let us know if you have a favourite bookish fashion designer or clothes item that you love.