Today, Bella Hadid strutted out wearing a low-key look: no flashes of flesh or slept-on designer digs to be found. Instead, the model opted for a pair of baggy jeans, a pair of Adidas Samba sneakers, and a large sweatshirt that was emblazoned with Strand New York City on the chest. For the uninitiated, the Strand is the iconic New York bookstore that has been in business for over 90 years. During COVID-19, the bookstore struggled, and eventually, its owner Nancy Bass Wyden took to social media to raise funds for the establishment. While Hadid is wearing a sweatshirt, there is a hoodie option available at the Strand for under $35.
Beyond her biblio-minded merch, Hadid is an avid reader. Back in 2019, she Instagrammed her book of choice from what appeared to be a private plane: the 560-page horror novel The Outsider by Stephen King. (The red hardcover went quite nicely with Hadid’s lime green glove and cherry print Louis Vuitton bag). She’s not the only model to proudly display her book choices. Around the same time, her sister Gigi was spotted toting around a copy of Albert Camus’s The Stranger. Kendall Jenner also loves a good page-turner and has recommended both The Houseguest and Other Stories by Amparo Dávila and literally show me a healthy person by Darcie Wilder to her Instagram followers. And let’s not forget Kaia Gerber who has her very own book club. Then, of course, there are those like Emily Ratajkowski who has written her own book, My Body, which has gone on to become a bestseller.
This hasn’t been the first time that Hadid has worn something related to, well, literature. In 2019, she stepped out with an excerpt from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Troilus and Cresida on a dress, a look courtesy of Burberry. While we aren’t sure what is on Hadid’s book list at the moment—hopefully, she’s finished The Outsider by now and has picked something else up from the Strand—she’s wearing her love for reading on her sleeve.