'The Devil Wears Prada' Author On Books and Looks Lauren Weisberger talks about her style staples

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'The Devil Wears Prada' Author On Books and Looks
Lauren Weisberger talks about her style staples
By ELVA RAMIREZ
June 27, 2008 12:00 p.m.

As the author behind "The Devil Wears Prada," Lauren Weisberger knows fashion. Her bestselling book-turned-movie was inspired by her first job as the assistant to Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. But any sign of stilettos or couture clothing is buried deep within Ms. Weisberger's wardrobe – she much prefers jeans and flip flops.

Now on tour for her third book, "Chasing Harry Winston," Ms. Weisberger, 31, took a break to discuss packing for an extended trip, dressing for power, and how she clothes her characters – and herself.
[Lauren Weisberger]
Simon & Schuster
Lauren Weisberger

The Wall Street Journal: How do you describe your personal style?

Lauren Weisberger: My uniform is jeans all the time, everywhere, with heels to go out and with flip flops during the day. Right now I'm hooked on a brand called Genetic. They fit so well. In the winter, I wear cashmere sweaters all the time. I wear fitted James Perse button-down [shirts] a lot.

The image I try to convey is casual, while still being neat and a little bit stylish. I'm a writer and I don't ever want to get super-dressed up. I never go in for meetings at Simon & Schuster or appearances on TV in business wear.

Does your own style ever filter into how you dress your characters?

Ms. Weisberger: I think so. They are real women living in New York: Sometimes you look cute, most of the time you don't. I'm never going to be one of those people who can walk into a store and put together some outrageous, unique outfit from scratch. I like clean, classic things.

[The exception would be] Adriana in "Chasing Harry Winston," who is super glamorous and high-fashion. She is not me. I think a lot of people assume I'm much more into fashion because of "The Devil Wears Prada," but that's totally not the case.

How do you pack for a book tour?

Ms. Weisberger: The first thing I did was buy one of those suitcase weighers. I packed it to exactly 50 pounds, which is what's allowed [on flights]. I packed probably five different dresses, almost all of them Diane von Furstenberg, because they are so easy. That fabric is good in any climate. I kept rotating the dresses. Thank God for same-day dry cleaning in hotels. I brought a Sharper Image mini-steamer, which was life-saving. I also brought white jeans, regular jeans and a bunch of different tops. I didn't bring heels with me. They are too hard to pack and too hard to wear.
[on book tour]
LaurenWeisberger.com

How do you dress when you want to convey power?

Ms. Weisberger: That is never a thought that enters my mind -- powerful. I think as long as you feel confident, you feel good. [It's] important to put on something that is really comfortable and not some dress that I thought for a second might be too short, too low-cut, or heels that are too high. All of those things make me feel self-conscious. I want to feel confident and comfortable, and for me that would be being neat and classic and fully-covered.

How important is appearance in the work place -- especially at a place like Vogue?

Ms. Weisberger: I think appearance in the workplace is tremendously important, but nowhere more so than a place like Vogue. When the core of your business is showing women how to dress, groom, and present themselves best, it certainly follows that you had better present well yourself.

Have you ever had any work dress mishaps?

Ms. Weisberger: Wearing a full-fledged pantsuit with briefcase to my very first interview at Vogue was definitely not one of my finer apparel moments.

How does one balance comfort with sophistication and style at the office?

Ms. Weisberger: I prefer to keep things simple: not a ton of accessories; classic, well-fitted clothes without a lot of drama; and most importantly, flats, flats, flats!

There are just so many beautiful ballet flats and flat sandals now that there's no need to wear heels to look professional and pulled-together. I wear flats for anything work-related -- book tours, interviews, travel -- and save my foot-killing heels for nights on the town.
Find television listings for The Devil Wears Prada at LocateTV.

Do you have anything that you splurge on?

Ms. Weisberger: I buy one or two really good bags a year. The one that I've been carrying for seven or eight months now is a Goyard hobo bag. I just love it. Its really light. It goes with everything. I don't switch my bags to go out at night, either.

Do you dress differently on the weekends?

Ms. Weisberger: Weekdays and weekends are the same. It's nice that there's no delineation. In my 20s, when I was going out all the time, I used to get dressed up all the time. I had more occasions to wear things to, but now I just really like keeping it simple. I'm fine wearing the same things over and over again.

What's one of your favorite fashion memories?

Ms. Weisberger: It would probably be a dress I wore in ninth or tenth grade to one of our formals. I remember wearing it around the house all the time. It was a really short, black-sequined, halter-neck tie dress. I thought it was the hottest thing on earth.

Write to Elva Ramirez at elva.ramirez@wsj.com