Terry Newman

Terry Newman is the author of Legendary Authors and the Clothes They Wore. From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:

Q: Joan Didion is featured on the cover. Why was she selected for the cover, and what do her clothes say about her and about her writing?

A: Joan Didion is an icon in the fashion industry and the cover image by Julian Wasser is timeless. There is a message in my book that finding a style and being yourself is important.

The quote I found from Maya Angelou sums this up: “Seek the fashion which truly fits and befits you. You will always in be in fashion if you are true to yourself, and only if you are true to yourself.”

Didion’s effortless and amazing style stems from her being herself and the shot I used has a simplicity and elegance to it that is perfect. The photo was an obvious choice for me and the first one that came to mind when I started the book. Luckily Julian was keen and let me use it.

Didion uses clothes a lot in her writing – as a way into a subject. For example, when she wrote about the Manson murders in The White Album she uses Linda Kasabian and the story of buying her a dress to go to court as a foil for...[read on]

--Marshal Zeringue