Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
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Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
“Fashion is a part of the world and part of history. It's not a meaningless swirl of meaningless clothes. They (clothes) reflect the times.” - Valerie SteeleI
When I first peaked into “Lucky: A Novel,” I was blown away. Rare do I find an adult fiction book that includes such beautiful illustrations, and even more rare does book art serve as a time-capsule of American fashion. Kristina Parro’s genre-bending novel was inspired by Taylor Swift’s 2021 Album of the Year, folklore and the incredible true story of Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness. “Lucky” is a dual time-line, hyper linear story that chronicles the tumultuous lives of two dynamic woman.
Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
Rebekah Harkness (full name, Rebekah Betty West Harkness) was a mid-twentieth century heiress with a glamorous, yet tragic; unusual, yet relatable story who recently rose to pop-culture fame thanks to “the last great American dynasty,” a song from Swift’s pandemic album. Rhea Harmonia is a fictional pop-star who, after finding fame and riches, moves into the same home as Rebekah and finds her life spiraling in a similar, tragic direction. In “Lucky,” the author weaves philosophy, mythology, math, music, and allusions to Taylor Swift’s discography to create a compelling cultural critique that will inspire readers to dive deep into her music, this story, themselves, and the stories that make up the world around them.
“Lucky” also gives readers an opportunity to walk down fashion-history lane. Each chapter is accompanied by a full color* illustration, digitally drawn by artist Om Nair, that depicts characters, settings, and costumes pertinent to the time periods explored in the book. Kristina Parro, the author, joined me today to answer some questions about her novel.
Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
HASTY: Why did you decided to include illustrations in your book?
PARRO: The entire process happened organically! I was reading “The Secret Life of Addie LaRue,” by V.E. Schwab, and somehow came across a piece of Addie fan art created by @the.merry.gold.owl on Instagram. The illustration was exactly how I pictured Addie in my head, and would later live in my mind rent-free. In my initial excitement, I tagged V.E. Schwab in the comment section of the drawing. This woman is a best-selling author who has hundreds of thousands of followers, yet she reposted it on her story! I then connected further with Om, the artist. Soon after, I reached out to him to see if he’d be interested in collaborating on “Lucky.” This book truly materialized as a cohesive piece of art, my literal book baby, and I took great care with all the little details. I hoped the illustrations would pay homage to some of the real people the characters were inspired by. Also, given the dual-timeline nature of my book, I thought illustrations would help orient reader to the story at the beginning of each chapter.
Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
HASTY: A major motif in “Lucky,” emblazoned on the back cover, is “the tragedy of the American Dream.” What periods of time of American fashion is represented?
PARRO: “Lucky” opens with a bedtime story told by a nanny to Rebekah Harkness’s grand daughter, so the girl can hear her family’s history. Miss Weeks, the narrator, begins by peeling back the bark on the West/ Harkness family tree. The first story tells of Rebekah’s grandfather who was a confederate soldier in the Civil War. So, we’re talking mid-1800’s, Civil War fashion. Next, we hear the story of Rebekah’s father, who was a business-tycoon in St. Louis during the Industrial Revolution in the early 1900’s. Then, we get the story of Rebekah, which spans across the mid-twentieth century and includes epic outfits fit only for an heiress. On the opposite side of the coin, with Rhea’s story, we have more contemporary American fashion, spanning from the 1990’s to now.
HASTY: The stories told in “Lucky” begin in nineteenth-century America. If you created an “era,” for the American Dream, what time period are we talking about?
PARRO: In 2023, I think we are currently living in the era of the “American Dream.” The first use of the term “American Dream” was in “The Epic of America,” by James Truslow Adams in 1933, which ironically, is right around the time that Rebekah’s rendition of the “American Dream” really started. Some might say the American Dream begins with our founding fathers. I believe, however, that the ideals of the American Dream were forged long before the colonizers, likely in Ancient Greece, alongside many tenents of our modern, Western way of thought. I forgot to mention this earlier, but the fashion history embedded in “Lucky’s” illustrations include an ancient Greek cameo.
Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
HASTY: It was cool to see a Greek philosopher like Pythagoras (yes, of the Pythagorean theorem) make a guest appearance. You also include other famous cameos, such as surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. Tell me about the illustration process. How did you and your illustrator, Om, collaborate to come up with such resonant illustrations that pay homage both to the stories in “Lucky” and real life inspirations?
PARRO: The day Om agreed to help me with this project, my creative flow revved into overdrive. Within the day, I created a document that included: a full chapter list, a summary of each chapter, a snippet of my book from the scene I wanted illustrated for each chapter, a mood board that contained photographic inspiration, and if needed, details about fashion history at the time. Om leaped into the job and, within a few weeks, had 21 rough draft sketches for each chapter. He sent me his drafts— black and white, but still exceptional— and as I began to insert them into my formatting, I realized how special this book was becoming. I sent Om some trivial feedback (for example, I think I wanted a finger redrawn on one illustration) but, otherwise they were perfect. Within the week, I started receiving the full-color versions and swapped out each “draft” for the official version in my book draft. Om was a legitimate rockstar throughout the entire process, which took us less than four weeks! When something is meant to happen, it seems that the universe will conspire to make it so!
Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
HASTY: Wow! That is such a cool story. Holding a physical copy of “Lucky” in your hands, flipping through the thick pages, and viewing each of the intricate illustrations, is a true experience. It reminds me of the “gift books” popular during the nineteenth century. A decoratively bound keepsake. Is your hardcover edition limited?
PARRO: Thank you! Yes, after seeing Om’s amazing illustrations, I knew that “Lucky’s” shell needed to match the interior. I arranged for a limited edition, full-cover, fabric bound hardback version to be printed. This version is designed to be the type of book that I, a book-lover myself, would treasure. One I’d be euphoric to receive as a gift. For a limited time, the hardcover version is available for purchase on my website!
Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
“Lucky: A Novel” is a perfect read, not just for Taylor Swift fans, but for anyone who enjoys a deep dive down the rabbit hole into history, culture, philosophy, mythology, and current state of the world. It would make a wonderful gift for book-loving friends or any bookworms in your life. Get yourself a copy today, and maybe another for a loved one, too!
The Hasty Book List loves exploring fashion history through fiction. Thank you to Kristina Parro for sharing insights on the creative process.
*Full Color Illustrations are available in hardcover and ebook formats only. Paperback version includes black and white illustrations. Hardcover books can be purchased at kristinaparro.myshopify.com
Exploring Fashion History through Fiction: A Guest Post by Kristina Parro
