“For my fifth appearance good morning america (Truly a dream come true!!), I matched my cover up as best I could with this sparkling Oscar de la Renta minidress. His pieces are very elaborate and whimsical. This particular dress reminds me of the enchanted-ball scene from the book, where the gowns are made of high metals and other shiny materials!”
(Image credit: Alex Aster)
Alex Aster, bestselling author of the wildly popular young adult fantasy series Sign island And lightlarksurprised his ardent fans when he announced his latest novel starside Back in September. It was confirmed that a Barbie fantasy novel was coming (Barbie: Dreamscapeout this July), but no one knew, not even her agent early on, that Aster was quietly preparing her next big project – a 500-page adult romantic novel about a young woman named Aris who, on a quest to acquire a magical sword, signs up for a deadly contest to seek revenge on the gods.
This is exciting for two reasons. We have an exciting new page-turner just in time for Spring Break, and we’re ready for another stylish Aster book tour. If you’re familiar with the latter, you know the author treats her book tours like a red carpet, carefully crafting her press looks to reflect the aesthetics, themes, and characters of her latest book and even throwing in the occasional Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans. We love a dresser with a good pattern.
This kind of thoughtful approach requires some serious planning. Before the excitement starts rising all around starsideThe writer was already scouring the internet and mapping her appearance. Think lots of silver and glitter and some Eris-inspired chain mail for good measure. Here, Ester talks to us about her process.
“I always try to match my outfits to my books in some way during release week. However starsideThe cover is mostly silver, with a blue sparkle to it, so I went with this navy two-piece suit of the moment from Oscar de la Renta for my appearance. The Drew Barrymore Show. The oversized gold buttons reminded me of the golden willow tree in a scene from the book!”
(Image credit: Alex Aster)
You’ve followed a fashion theme for each of your book tours. How did you want to approach your looks? starside?
starside Focuses on sword magic, with silver being the highest of the noble metals. I knew from the beginning that it would have a silver cover, so that meant silver clothes! I also wanted to try to add some nods to chain mail since a knight is one of the main characters.
If you can encapsulate your starside Describe the wardrobe in three words, what would they be?
starry, crazy, and metallic.
With such a thoughtful approach, how early do you start planning the outfit, and what does that process look like? Do you work with a stylist or source your own?
Most days, I’m in my office writing from early morning until late at night, wearing sweatpants or pajamas. Still, I love fashion, and celebrating the launch of my books through my outfits is something I look forward to. As soon as I find out what color the cover of the new book will be, I start thinking about the outfits I’ll wear on tour and promotion. I might call it marketing, but really, it’s just a passion of mine that takes a little break from writing! Sourcing of costumes usually begins about a year before publication – leading up to the first promotional appearance.
“Although I obviously love Oscar de la Renta and have had the honor of wearing pieces from the brand for the launches of my last three books, as soon as I saw this Prada mesh dress, I thought about starside. Forged is a sign of a knight’s chain mail, and crystal is a sign of the shiny and dangerous world. starside”
(Image credit: Alex Aster)
“Back again at Oscar de la Renta – this time with a navy minidress and matching coat.”
(Image credit: Alex Aster)
What surprises do you have to consider when creating a look for a book tour?
Will I be able to sit in the dress or not? Many of my book-launch events are also book signings, which usually means sitting around for hours. I was lucky enough to wear this metallic Oscar de la Renta dress for the launch heat in the city Last year and a few days ago I realized that it is not possible for me to sit wearing it. Now, I usually sign at bar-height tables so I can stand! This way it is also easier to talk to readers.
are there any starside Easter eggs in your outfit?
for the launch of skyshadeI wore a custom Cleo Peppiatt dress with a secret bonus clue lightlark The book as part of its design. It ended up being left on the back of the dress, and no one had any idea! Since then, I haven’t worn many Easter eggs with anything other than color. But I can say that I know what color the next new project is… and it’s red! So I’ve already started collecting some pieces for that.
Judging by past tours, it’s clear you love statement shoes. Do you have any favorite footwear moments from this tour?
Rene Caovilla stars in heels, of course! I love how her designs hug the feet, and they’re surprisingly comfortable. I wore them for three hours during the launch event at the big Barnes & Noble in NYC.
“Going on kelly clarkson show This was one of the first exciting moments of my career. For my fourth visit and first release-week press moment for the book (!!), I wore this glittering minidress from Oscar de la Renta.”
(Image credit: Alex Aster)
“For my interview EliI wore this ice-blue Oscar de la Renta gingham coat set. The flower on the top looked whimsical, and the dress screamed spring, which is when the book takes place.”
(Image credit: Alex Aster)
How would you say these looks are an extension of your everyday style?
My everyday style is actually sweatpants because most of my time is spent writing, but I would say the look is part of my everyday, in the sense that what I write about is eccentric and extra, and the outfits I wear to book releases are too. I also like stars and I have several sweaters with stars on them, so that’s it.
starside This marks your beginning in the adult romance arena. How was it challenging for you as a writer to work on this novel?
This is, by far, the longest novel I’ve written, so it was a challenge to see how much time it took to edit the book during each round of editing. Eris was also a complicated character to write as she holds a lot of female anger while also being mesmerized by the magical world of Starside. He is unprepared and brave, reckless and strategic. She also feels very deeply. I cried a lot while writing parts of this book because, in some ways, I felt so connected to her. She goes through a lot and sometimes it was difficult for me to write those emotional scenes.
I have said that writing this book felt like my own discovery. There have been surprises, setbacks, successes, and times when I had to start over. This was a journey I’ve been excited to see every day for years, and I’m so glad it’s now out into the world.
You’re writing the first original Barbie novel! what can you tell us about Barbie: Dreamscape?
Barbie: Dreamscape is a journey of self-discovery through magical lands inspired by my love for all things fantasy and barbie. I wrote the book I needed during a change in my life. I hope whoever picks it up will feel the same nostalgia, hope, and joy that I felt when I wrote it.
I was asked to do this project years ago, which means the pink dress I wore to the book-release party has been with me for a very long time!
