New release: Fashioning The Beatles by Deirdre Kelly.

Published by Sutherland House books, €30

They were always much more than just music, the Fab Four were the quintessential fashion icons of one of the most exciting and memorable eras of all time. Their role in fashion has – until now – been largely under reported.

Author Deirdre Kelly’s latest book, Fashioning The Beatles, reintroduces the Liverpool quartet as cultural icons exploring how they defined an era and continue to shape style today.

The 275 pages, with full-page color photos and documentation, traces The Beatles’s stylistic progress through their career, and beyond, following the evolution of their look from their leather-clad Hamburg days through their psychedelic period during the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band era. Deirdre explains, their look was an “ever-changing kaleidoscope, as the four went from strength-to-strength”.

In the book, the author also talks about how each particular look of each Beatle is carefully studied. John Lennon, for example, “was the only one amongst The Beatles to wear a hat and it marked him as the one to watch. His Helen Anderson custom-made leather cap,” she says, “established his signature style.”

She singles out George Harrison as the fashion-forward member of the band, “tailoring his [Liverpool Institute] school uniform to reflect his rebellious but innately stylish nature”. While noting that Paul’s formal leanings “gave the band panache” and Ringo’s famed rings “provided intrigue”. “Each of the lads from Liverpool imbued the whole with a distinct sense of individuality.”

While the book briefly touches on The Beatles’ solo careers in the 1970s, its final chapter is far more significant, exploring the enduring influence of The Beatles’ fashion choices on designers, collections, streetwear, and how we dress today.

The chapter demonstrates how their evolving style continues to inspire a veritable who’s who of fashion: from Tom Ford and John Varvatos to Alessandro Michele at Gucci and Hedi Slimane at Celine, Dior, and YSL Homme. Stella McCartney has repeatedly paid homage to her father’s band, most recently with her Beatles-inspired collection in March 2024 that brought Paul and Ringo to the front row in Paris.

This past November, New York brand Alice + Olivia released a Beatles-inspired capsule collection that sold out by Christmas.

As Fashioning the Beatles argues, their style has never gone out of fashion; it continues to shape how we dress today.

Beatles Festival Kinsale

The author will present Fashioning The Beatles at the inaugural Beatles Festival in Kinsale taking place on St Brigid’s bank holiday weekend.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Ireland after decades, especially to participate in the festival. As the child of an Irish father and Scottish mother who met in London during The Beatles’ rise to fame, this feels deeply personal. My book, Fashioning the Beatles, is the first to take an in-depth look at how their fashion choices not only defined an era but reshaped the future of fashion.

“It required years of research, including invaluable contributions from Sharon Kane of Dublin’s Sweet Jane blog, whose meticulous research — documenting 1960s and 1970s fashion, design and pop culture —was instrumental to my study.”

Fashioning The Beatles will be for sale in Bookstór in Kinsale and the festival. See kinsalebeatlesfest.com