What’s the first item of clothing you spent your own money on?
Back in about 1983 I bought some aqua-coloured Esprit corduroy trousers. I loved them with my whole heart, and I’m pretty sure they loved me back.
What item of clothing do you own too many of?
“Fancy” black tops.
What three words best describe your style?
Minimalist, momish, Minnesotan.
Whose wardrobe would you love for the day?
Lady Gaga seems to really know how to enjoy herself … which is another way of saying I’ve noted a few times that I dress the same as her fiancé, Michael Polansky, who works in tech and favours black Patagonia jackets.
What’s the worst uniform you ever wore?
It was a self-imposed uniform, but for the first two years of college I often wore not entirely clean sweatpants, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap. I think it’s important to make some level of effort, which is a lesson I learnt by making no effort at all.
If you could turn back the clock, what item would have to go?
I no longer believe it’s ever the right time to wear uncomfortable heels.
If you had to wear one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I participated in LitUp, Reese Witherspoon’s writer-mentoring programme, and acquired the most comfortable hoodie in the world, which says LitUp across the front. I think we can trust that what’s good enough for Reese will definitely be good enough for Curtis.
What do you wear to bed?
Pyjama bottoms from Anthropologie and one of two huge and soft T-shirts I was given at book events. One is from a writing festival in West Virginia, and has the words “Weird and wonderful”. The other is from the Minnesota chapter of a nonprofit called Reach Out & Read that gives books to kids. That shirt says “Books build better brains”. I like it, but it’s way too self-righteous for a writer to wear in public.
What current trend would you delete from existence if you could?
I don’t love cropped shirts or sweaters, though I respect other people’s right to wear them.
What’s always in your handbag?
All Good lip balm and sunscreen, plus a baseball cap in case I have a random 20 minutes when I can unexpectedly go for a walk; a pen and scraps of paper in case I unexpectedly have an idea for a novel.
What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?
An Arc’teryx parka that cost more than the monthly rent I paid in my twenties and is like a walkable sleeping bag. (I live in Minneapolis, which is one of the coldest places in the US.)
The best beauty advice you’ve ever been given?
In her novel Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin includes the line, “Beauty, after all, is almost always a matter of angles and resolve.”
I recently had the realisation that my wardrobe …
… could be more fun and less black. When my novel Romantic Comedy came out [in 2023], my friend Erin told me, “You wrote a fun book, and you should wear fun clothes at events for it.” She then instructed me to buy brightly coloured, fancy sweatshirts. I received more clothing compliments on that book tour than I’ve had in the rest of my life.
What do you wear to take out the bins?
Yoga pants, Lady Gaga’s fiancé’s Patagonia jacket, clogs.
What do you wear when you write?
The same thing I wear to take out the bins.
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld (Doubleday £16.99 pp320) is out now. To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members
