Would You Join The Bella And Gigi Hadid Book Club?

If you thought that all that models did in their spare time was upload selfies to social media, then think again. While the rest of us are panicking about the number of hours we spend glued to our smartphones, the likes of Bella and Gigi Hadid are finding the time to feed their brains the old fashioned way: they’re reading books.

Just last night, from what was presumably a first class cabin, Bella instagrammed her in-flight entertainment of choice: The Outsider, the latest novel from Stephen King. Hadid artfully showcased the fire-engine red hardback cover, complete with ominous silhouette of a man holding an unidentified object, alongside her hand which was clad in an appropriately creepy lime green glove. A cherry-print vintage Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami carry-on was pictured in the background alongside other travel essentials: Dior monogrammed pouch, bottled water, etc.

The model has been toting this 560-page book for a few weeks now: she used it to shield her face from the paparazzi while racing through Charles de Gaulle airport during Paris Fashion Week dressed in sweat pants and a hoodie. (After all, nothing says “No pictures please!” quite as succinctly as a well-thumbed horror story.) It seems her sister Gigi has slightly more intellectual tastes, however. She’s been seen carrying a copy of The Stranger by Albert Camus, a classic that has been on the must-read lists of philosophy nerds and French literature fiends for decades. Hadid was first seen flaunting a copy of the absurdist French novel, with its famous black and white graphic cover, en route to the Fendi show in Milan last month. It was just the right match for her fashion-forward suit, cut above the knee in the palest shade of yellow.

Granted, fashion’s love affair with literature is nothing new. Designer Olympia built her entire brand on the idea of book as girl’s best accessory. Her one-of-kind minaudieres pay homage to literary greats such as Gustave Flaubert and Jane Austen and were a street style sensation when they launched a decade ago. More recently, the magazine clutch has made a comeback with the likes Kendall Jenner swanning around town with the retro style. The novelty handbag was even resurrected on runway at Balenciaga for autumn/winter 2018. Still, as the Hadid sisters can attest, nothing is chicer than the real thing.