Blogger Interview: Moira Redmond

'There are clothes in all books. I realised that
they could be an indicator of character'

© Moira Redmond

I have read plenty of books and marvelled at the various narrative elements—suspense, ingenuity of plot, action, characters, pace, setting, atmosphere, expressions, and this, that and the other. Never have I noticed clothes in books, not until Moira Redmond—journalist, writer, and blogger—brought them to my attention through her aptly titled blog Clothes in Books. Every day, she features a different book and describes certain aspects of clothes, or accessories, in her reviews. She is the undisputed fashion critic of fiction characters.

Here, Moira tells us a bit about herself: “I worked in all kinds of journalism, from world news for the BBC to writing a book of etiquette, now ending up writing about books, which is a nice way to finish my career. I live in Winchester in the UK with my husband and have two grown-up children. We also had a very happy period living in Seattle, USA, and it was there that I first began working on websites, for Microsoft. I spend far too much of my time reading, but I also love opera and every other kind of music. I go up to London a lot for opera, theatres, music and exhibitions, and I also like walking with friends.”

So what makes ‘Clothes in Books’ a perfect fit? Moira Redmond takes us on a tour of her well-tailored blog and more.

Moira, when did you start blogging? What prompted you to become a blogger?
I started blogging in January 2012: I had been looking for a new project, as my children grew up and another job I had been doing came to an end. I thought it would be nice to do something self-directed.

‘Clothes in Books’ is such a fascinating theme for a book blog. When did you first notice clothes in fiction and what made you choose this theme for your blog?
Even when I was a child, I noticed the clothes in books, and I empathised with heroines trying to find the right outfit for some big party or audition. That carried on—there are clothes in all books. I realised that they could be an indicator of character. I often tried to visualise what my favourite characters wore, and the whole idea came to me in one go—I knew there must be other people who loved books and would love to see a picture of a beautiful ball-dress or shirt.

Did you think of other blog titles before deciding on the very original ‘Clothes in Books’?
No! It seemed obvious that this was it, though I did check that no-one else had come up with my idea first. I was surprised no-one had.

Do you think books would have been “naked” if authors didn't write about the clothes their characters obviously wore?
I notice and miss it if authors don’t specify. I honestly think it’s a missed opportunity, it can tell us so much about characters. I can understand in some very spare styles of writing it might not seem necessary. But sometimes an author will say, ‘Anna dressed with care’ or ‘ he wondered how formal the event would be’ or ‘she spent some time shopping for a new outfit’—and then they don’t describe the clothes! And I say ‘tchah’ to myself—fancy not telling us what Anna wore.

Which genre of books has the best description of clothes? Can you mention a few authors who “dress up” their characters really well?
Two main categories:
 
1. As you know, I love crime fiction—and the great thing there is that, often, the clothes can be important. Authors will often use clothes as a shortcut—the girl in the slinky gown is a heartbreaker, the lady in tweeds is a respectable spinster. And I strongly approve! And then the clothes can sometimes be a clue in themselves—either for disguise or—that well-known trope—someone borrows a distinctive piece of clothing, and is then murdered. Who was the intended victim?

The women crime authors tend to do the best clothes: Patricia Wentworth is very good, and Dorothy L Sayers—they have really visualised what their characters are wearing. Agatha Christie does not give a lot of detail, but she uses clothes splendidly in both the ways I mention above.

2. The other category is novels of the mid 20th-century—what are sometimes disdainfully called ‘women’s novels’—the kind that are often reprinted now by Virago and Persephone. These are marvellous books about emotions, relationships and life as it was lived. The clothes help to give a vivid picture of life then, and again some of the authors have really thought out the clothes.

Examples are Nancy Mitford, Rosamond Lehmann, EM Delafield—all of them feature heavily on my blog!

"The women crime authors tend to do the best clothes: Patricia Wentworth is very good, and Dorothy L Sayers—they have really visualised what their characters are wearing. Agatha Christie does not give a lot of detail, but she uses clothes splendidly..."

You usually comment about clothes worn by female characters. Is this because there is not much to write about male clothing?  
I would LOVE to write more about men’s clothing, and I take the chance when I can – but the descriptions tend to be less frequent and less detailed, and in the end the women’s clothes are usually more attention-grabbing. I am reading the James Bond novels at the moment and hoped to find splendid men’s clothes there—and I have found a few—but in the end the women tend to win!

How do you know which books have sufficient descriptions of clothes and accessories? 
I don’t! Of course, some authors I can rely on, but most people will have something. When I was first starting out with the blog I made rules for myself and would desperately find some mention of clothes somewhere, even if it was irrelevant and minor. Now I have eased up on myself. So if there is no obvious clothes mention, I will look for something else I can illustrate—so a description of a beautiful work of art, or a group of people gathered for an event. I enjoy the challenge of always finding something, even if the clothes connection is tenuous!

Is it satisfying to read an entire book and then review only those parts about clothes?
Well, the answer to that is that I cheat! As I say above, I was quite strict when I started out, and I really stuck to specific clothes and descriptions. A lot of my entries are still like that, but if I want to write about different aspects of a book, or about a book with no clothes, then I just do these days. My blog, my rules.

How do you distribute your time between blogging every day and writing for other mediums, like The Guardian?
I am very lucky: I am at the end of a long career in journalism, and now work much less, there isn’t the pressure to earn so much, and I can please myself. It would be a rare day when I didn’t do something for the blog, and it is time-consuming—but then it means reading counts as work! I have a very easy relationship with The Guardian, so when life is busy I don’t do anything for them, then I come up with something. I also do some voluntary work, and have a family who take up a lot of time. So I have quite a good balance. As I said, I am very lucky.

Have you ever felt like giving up blogging and only reading books like we once used to?
Sometimes when the books are piling up and the posts aren’t written, and I’ve committed to read one thing but really want to read something else, I say to myself, ‘Why do I do this?’—but not seriously, I am not temped to give up yet.

Finally, Moira, what has blogging done for you, and especially for your own reading and writing?
Blogging has been such a positive thing in my life, in all kinds of way I didn’t expect. I have loved making so many friends, such as you, and feeling part of a big blogging community. My friends are helpful and supportive, and I learn something from them every day (and not JUST that they’re always adding to my TBR list!). I can’t imagine life without you all now—and I love that it is so good-natured and friendly. When people talk about the bad side of the internet, which does of course exist, I wish they could also see a blogging community of book fans where there is never a cross word, just kindness and interest and encouragement.

I have loved finding the incredible picture resources out there for my blog posts—they are obviously the basis of every post I do, and I am astonished every day by the amazing photos you can find, and the generosity of those who put them online and allow people to share them. I think most people have no idea what wonderful visuals can be found.

I think I read more current, new novels now because publishers send them to me. And, of course, I notice clothes even more than I ever did—often as I’m reading I am already working out where I think I might find the right image.

And I think trying to blog so often, find something to say, I hope might improve my writing style.

Thank you very much, Moira.