Tag Archives: dress like book characters

9 Modern Ways to Dress Like ‘GrishaVerse’ Characters

Posted in Fashion, Just for Fun, Miranda's Book Nook, Pop Culture by

After finding new ways to reinvent my wardrobe based on Julie And The Phantoms, other popular TV and book characters, and Disney princesses, I kept thinking about how else I could reinvent the clothes in my closet. Then, I started the Netflix series Shadow and Bone (and began to read the books soon after, obviously). After I saw a few similar videos over on my TikTok feed, I was intrigued to see if I could take characters from the Ravkian army, the Second Army, and the Crows, and figure out how to twist their outfits into something I could wear here in the 21st century and to modernize their looks to spruce up my wardrobe staples. Check out a few outfit pairings based on these iconic characters and how you can recreate similar ‘fits in your own closets.

Alina Starkov

Alina is the ever-powerful Sun Summoner, yet she’s still quite down-to-earth who won’t forget her humble orphan and cartographer beginnings. So, I wanted to pay homage to all of that with my look. Since Alina explicitly told Genya and The Darkling she wanted a blue kefta to better fit in with the other Summoners over one in his signature black hue, I chose a blue dress to fit that. I went with this blue-and-white strapless maxi dress paired with a denim jacket. I chose this jacket as a nod to Alina’s days in the First Army. Then, to complete the look, I added this J.Crew diamond choker necklace as a modern homage to her stag amplifier collar. Then, for fun, I’m holding up a black dress from Zara and discarding it because Alina doesn’t want to dress like the villain, duh.

What You Need to Replicate It: Blue dress, casual jacket, choker necklace

Mal Oretsev

After reading Book 1 and watching Season 1, I understand what fans mean by not liking Mal on the page but thanks to Archie Renaux’s portrayal on the show, it’s a totally different story. I get it. Now back to the task at hand, since Mal is a tracker and a soldier in the Army, I wanted a practical-looking outfit. I paired black trousers with this white peasant blouse and a black bomber jacket (mine’s from Calia by Carrie Underwood), and some black boots on my feet.

What You Need to Replicate It: White peasant blouse, black pants, black bomber jacket, black boots

The Darkling/ General Aleksander Kirigan

Fine, go ahead and make me your villain because I’m downright obsessed with this next ‘fit. Inspired by the Darkling himself in all his powerful and wicked glory, of course, I had to pull together an all-black look to pay homage to his signature color, even if Alina won’t wear it. I decided my high-low Maleficient dress from Her Universe fit this vibe well, and even finished off the look with matching tights, boots, bow headband, and moto-inspired blazer.

What You Need to Replicate It: Black dress, black tights, black moto jacket, black headband, black boots

Kaz Brekker

For the strategic and morally grey Kaz, I went with a simple look to show off my peacoat and gloves. I chose a pair of black trousers and a black-and-white blouse that I wore underneath a dark navy peacoat that just screamed KB to me. Then, I added a pair of black leather gloves (can’t leave fingerprints at a crime scene, I’m not a rookie!). Total badass vibes, yea, I see it.

What You Need to Replicate It: Black trousers, white and black blouse, black or navy peacoat, leather gloves

Jesper Fahey

So, I haven’t read Six of Crows yet as I wanted to finish the S&B trilogy first. But from the show, Jesper was definitely one of my favorite characters. He and Milo make the perfect pair, don’t you think? So, for my Jesper-inspired look, I paired this pair of jeans with a navy top and a long trench coat (collar popped, naturally). Then, to represent his emotional support goat, Milo, I brought out my old stuffed animal puppy for a similar look (hey, I love my props!).

What You Need to Replicate It: Jeans, navy top, trench coat

Inej Ghafa

Oh, Inej, is anyone more of a badass? I highly doubt that. To take fashion inspo from the acrobatic assassin, I wore this pair of skinny pleather jeggings and layered two tops together (one short-sleeve turtleneck and one flowy leopard-print tank over it). For a pop of color and increasing the badass vibes, I added my Her Universe moto jacket on top. I tied my hair up in a high pony, too, and decided to pose with a knife (just for the photo because, after all, it is Inej).

What You Need to Replicate It: Black skinny jeans or leggings, layered black (sheer?) tops, moto jacket

Nina Zenik

If I could have any Grisha power, I’d totally choose to be a Heartrender and specifically one like Nina who’s off doing her own thing in Ketterdam and with Matthias. So, obviously, I have to dress up like her; no-brainer. For Nina, I couldn’t decide between two outfits. For one, I went with the off-the-shoulder peasant top route with my H&M x Kenzo off-the-shoulder blouse paired with a leather skirt and a chunky necklace. Alternatively, I wanted to showcase the color red, since she’s a heartrender and works with hearts. For that ‘fit, I paired this red blouse with a different leather skirt, chunky necklace, and red lipstick. The look’s a bit flirty and totally as fierce as Nina. Now, where’s my Matthias? Is he still in a Ketterdam prison?

What You Need to Replicate It: Off-the-shoulder peasant blouse or red top, leather skirt, chunky necklace, red lipstick

Genya Safin

For these next two looks, I mostly took inspiration from the Netflix series with a sprinkle of inspo from the books. For the duplicitous Genya, I went with her Tailor look. I matched this cream denim skirt with a white sleeveless Oxford blouse and a cream quilted vest. To finish off the look and for the perfect prop, I decided to pose with one of my makeup palettes (I used this Making Mauves one from Colourpop). After all, she has to help Alina get ready for another day at the Little Palace.

What You Need to Replicate It: Cream skirt, white blouse, cream vest or jacket

Zoya Nazyalensky

While Zoya may not get the best rep from the book or most of the Netflix series, but I was still interested to replicate her Summoner kefta style with clothes in my closet. Since she’s a Summoner Grisha, she wears a blue one, which is why I went with this navy dress. I chose navy to provide a difference between her and Alina’s shades of blue since they are very different characters and often rivals. Then, I added a silver bangle bracelet to represent her amplifier.

What You Need to Replicate It: Navy/dark blue dress, silver bangle

13 Ways to Up Your Style Game by Taking a Cue From Your Favorite Book Characters

Posted in Fashion, Miranda Tries New Things, Miranda's Book Nook, Pop Culture by

After finding new ways to reinvent my wardrobe based on Julie And The Phantoms and other popular TV characters, I decided to continue my momentum. So, I compiled a list of some of my all-time favorite book characters and figured out how I could modernize their looks for myself because, after all, I’m a huge freaking book nerd. So, here we go! Keep reading for some of my new favorite outfit pairings and how you can recreate something similar in your own closets to render looks just like some iconic fictional book characters.

Lara Jean Song Covey, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

There’s no better bookish romance lead than Lara Jean, and that’s a FACT. To pay homage to her iconic look, I aimed to recreate her signature style with my denim skirt, long-sleeved striped tee, black ankle boots, and a scrunchie to tie up my high ponytail. Now, if only there was a Peter Kavinsky or John Ambrose sniffing around…

What You Need to Replicate It: Denim skirt, long-sleeve striped shirt, black boots, scrunchie

Eloise, Eloise

When I was growing up, all I wanted to be was Eloise. Seriously. So, I decided to take cues from the legendary Plaza resident with my next ‘fit. Here, I paired a black skirt with this sleeveless white button-down shirt and accessorized the look with a bow headband, because duh, and black ballet flats. And since Eloise has some of the cutest pets ever, I brought along some stuffed animals as props.

What You Need to Replicate It: Black skirt, sleeveless or short-sleeve white button-down, black ballet flats, hairbow or headband of some kind

Tris Prior, Divergent

Divergent was hands-down my favorite dystopian YA series back in the day, and Tris my favorite heroine. So naturally, I had to replicate her popular Dauntless look. To do so, I matched a pair of black skinny jeans with a black V-neck tee and moto blazer. Alternatively, I swapped the moto-inspired blazer for my faux-leather snakeskin-print Wonder Woman 1984 motorcycle jacket from Her Universe. The look’s completed with a pair of black sneakers, you know, in case I gotta go jump onto a train or rappel off a building into the arms of Four. What, it could happen??

What You Need to Replicate It: Black skinny jeans, black tee, motorcycle jacket, sneakers

Hazel Grace Lancaster, The Fault in Our Stars

As you might be aware by now, Augustus Waters is one of my top book boyfriends of all-time. But, he’d be nothing without his Hazel Grace. So, this look is in her honor. I put together a gray tee-shirt with some faded jeans and sneakers to feel very Hazel. The look needs some props to polish it off, so I brought in my gray Calia backpack and a worn book copy (an older version of a Sarah Dessen novel I’ve had for ages) to assist.

What You Need to Replicate It: Gray tee, jeans, book, backpack

Nancy Drew, The Secret of the Old Clock

I’ve always loved Nancy Drew as this fierce AF female protagonist who could go on adventures and save the day all on her own and didn’t need a boy to save the day. She’s been one of my favorite bookish heroes forever, so obviously, I wanted to pay homage to her too. To replicate her style, I coordinated this preppy-looking J.Crew dress with a black headband, pearl earrings and coordinating bracelets, some gold ballet flats, and a cardigan. Then, in true Nancy Drew fashion, I finished off the look with my long tan trench coat and a flashlight for some quintessential Drew-worthy props.

What You Need to Replicate It: Preppy dress, headband, pearl baubles, cardigan, ballet flats, trench coat

Prince Henry, Red, White, & Royal Blue

For any contemporary YA or romance fans, RWRB has fast become one of our favorite reads as Alex and Henry become some of the best book BFs we’ve ever read about. So, I decided to find a royalty-approved outfit that the bookish prince could rock. To do so, I paired these wide-legged black trousers with my royal blue sweater, with a white Oxford button-down underneath, its collar peeking out around my neck. Then, as the perfect prop, I brought out my gorgeous hardback copy of Little Women because props are important and he loves to read flowery literature like that.

What You Need to Replicate It: Wide-legged black trousers, white Oxford button-down, colorful sweater

June Claremont-Diaz, Red, White, & Royal Blue 

Alex’s sister is described as a bonafide fashionista slash impressive journalist, so clearly, I need her tutelage to up my own fashion game. Just like the FDOTUS, I put on this pencil skirt and pink sleeveless blouse with some matching ballet flats and a headband. Then, naturally, as a prop, I’m reading a magazine.

What You Need to Replicate It: Pencil skirt, sleeveless flowy blouse, headband, ballet flats

Nora Holleran, Red, White, & Royal Blue 

Nora’s the quirky one of the White House Trio and so, I really wanted to play that up in this next outfit. So, I fall-ified my Her Universe Minnie Mouse overall dress with this white long-sleeve tee and a pair of tights underneath. Then, I paired the outfit with some white Keds, or alternatively, black ankle booties for either a more casual or dressy look.

What You Need to Replicate It: Long-sleeve tee, overalls, tights

Massie Block, The Clique

If you were a tween girl in the aughts and didn’t read The Clique series, first off, I’m so sorry about your deprived childhood. And second, as readers, did you also try to dress and act like Massie all the time? Because, guilty. So, here’s your chance. I brought out this H&M dress that I purchased in London for the British Fashion Awards and accessorized it to be more Massie-like. I jazzed it up with some heels, a black blazer, a Kate Spade handbag, and a diamond-encrusted headband to tie the look together.

What You Need to Replicate It: Formal or couture-adjacent dress, blazer, clutch bag, headband, heels

Claire Lyons, The Clique

Don’t lie, fellow Clique fans. I know you, like me, also practiced your best Claire monologue when you heard news of an official movie adaptation. Now’s your chance, girls. My best modern Claire look takes this pair of white skinny jeans, a graphic tee (I chose this Her Universe x Disney one), and topped off with a pair of white Keds. This look is totally, say it with me, KUH-LAIRE.

What You Need to Replicate It: Keds, white skinny jeans, graphic tee

Bex Porter, The Royal We

OK, real talk, I may be a tad obsessed with royalty romances, especially contemporary ones like The Royal We. So, naturally, I needed to put together my best Bex ‘fit. You know, the one that first made a freaking prince notice her? If somehow this look can do that too, then god bless it. My look pairs this casual striped long-sleeve shirt with some jeans over my Victoria Beckham for Target black jacket and some sneakers on my feet. As a perfect prop, I wheel out my go-to luggage so that I can pretend I just got off a plane at Heathrow, took a cab to Oxford in the rain, and just happened to run into a royal prince. What? What? Hey, it could happen, alright. Right? Right?

What You Need to Replicate It: Striped long-sleeve tee, jeans, sneakers, light jacket

Duchess Rebecca, The Heir Affair

But since I dressed as Bex, I had to also switch things up once she got the Lyons Emerald and was bestowed a duchess title in the sequel. Like the new Duchess of Clarence, I found a prim and proper ‘fit in my closet. I matched this striped wrap dress with some kitten heels. To top it off, I sport my amethyst ring (on my right hand, calm down y’all, because I’m still a single pringle lol) since I don’t have an emerald one. Alternatively, I put on this emerald-green, long-sleeved blouse with a black pencil skirt with some nude pumps. Queen Eleanor would definitely approve of these looks, err, well, I hope she would.

What You Need to Replicate It: Formal dress or skirt and blouse, kitten heels, gemstone ring

Delilah McPhee, Between the Lines and Off the Page

It may have taken me nearly an entire year, but I’ve finally gotten into the right headspace to read this Jodi Picoult YA novel. It might be the possibility of seeing the musical heavily weighing on my brain as soon Broadway reopens. Anyways, now, that I’m here and very much a Delilah-type of MC IRL, I definitely had to recreate her look for myself. To do so, I paired some jeans, a white or black tank top (as seen in the book’s chapter header illustrations), and my white Keds together. Alternatively, like some clips from the musical demonstrate, I change out the tank for a chunky sweater. I already have glasses, so that’s done, and I toss my hair up in a low ponytail down my back. Plus, as a prop, I carry a book, because, obviously! And, since Delilah has a worn stuffed panda on her bed and both she and Oliver have faithful dogs in Humphrey and Frump, I brought out my 20-year-old stuffed animal pup as a prop too. What? It’s called authenticity.

What You Need to Replicate It: Jeans, Keds or Converse sneakers, tank top or chunky sweater, and a book (duh!)

Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & The Olympians

Okay, don’t hate me fellow book nerds, but I came late to the PJO fandom. I had obviously heard of it back in the day, but I was too focused on the likes of the Hunger Games, Twilight, Gallagher Girls, The Clique, and Divergent series to start anything else. So, it wasn’t until I heard songs from the musical, saw it off-Broadway, then on Broadway, and heard the cast speak at NYCC that I became a legit fan. But, now that I’m here: OMG, Annabeth. What a fierce, badass demigod! I wanna be her when I grow up. So, step one, outfit. I pair a striped tee with jeans, a choker necklace (like this one from Gagged Chokers!), and a crossbody bag. Now, IDK about you, but I’m ready to take on any monsters that cross my path!

What You Need to Replicate It: Striped shirt, jeans, crossbody, choker

There you have it! Thirteen different ways to bring your favorite book characters to life based on the clothes you already own! Yes, these looks took me out of my comfort zone, but that’s the great part. These looks gave me all the confidence that, sure, I could rock any of these looks in my usual day-to-day activities.