Fran Lebowitz—And Her Fashion—Take Center Stage at FranCon

Last night in the East Village, participants in the fourth annual FranCon gathered at Holiday Cocktail Lounge to celebrate all things Fran Lebowitz, including her intellect, wit, curmudgeonliness, and–of course—her legendary sense of style. Lebowitz would have hated it.

The author and New York cultural figure is known for her uniform: a white Oxford shirt and a navy blazer worn with blue jeans, brown cowboy boots, and tortoiseshell glasses. At a time in fashion where quiet luxury, capsule wardrobes, and minimalism are at a particular high, there’s never been a better moment to dress like Fran Lebowitz—surely, much to her chagrin. “It’s very streamlined and simple, but it’s so definitive,” says Jane August, co-host of FranCon. “These are basics that everyone has in their closet. Everyone has a blazer, everyone has a button up, everyone has jeans, everyone has a boot or a loafer of some sort. Somehow [with] these things that everyone has, she has been able to claim it as her own.”

August also sees the uniform dressing as a way to level the social playing field. “We’re not judging each others’ outfit or thinking about that, because we’re all just the same,” she says. “Now we can really connect.” Indeed, attendees found ways to make outfits their own, like Helen Hong, who wore a cropped top and a pair of ripped jeans with her classic Lebowitz blazer, while Marcus Drew wore a pinstripe blazer that his mother purchased for him in 2008 from a Burlington Coat Factory.

For my part, I finally got my The Devil Wears Prada moment: a makeover in the fashion closet. But rather than turning into the “after” version of Andy Sachs, our intrepid fashion editor, Ciarra, transformed me into Fran Lebowitz. In a true testament to Fran’s transcendent style, everything I wore is currently on the market: a crisp white button-up shirt and oversized navy blue pinstripe blazer from The Frankie Shop, a pair of the cult favorite Khaite Danielle jeans, along with a Khaite trench coat, brown Frye boots, and Warby Parker tortoiseshell glasses.