Fran Lebowitz’s Iconic Style Shines at FranCon

Last night in the East Village, fans gathered at Holiday Cocktail Lounge for the fourth annual FranCon, a celebration dedicated to honoring Fran Lebowitz. Modeled after SantaCon, FranCon is an annual event where attendees pay tribute to the beloved New York cultural icon. The extraordinary event features a variety of activities, including panel discussions on Lebowitz’s work, a costume contest for the best Lebowitz-inspired outfit, and a book signing session. Guests wear Lebowitz’s signature look—denim jeans, a white button-up shirt, a navy blazer, brown cowboy boots, and tortoiseshell glasses. The gathering is organized by Jane August, who founded FranCon two years ago after reading Lebowitz’s essays and noticing her distinctive style resonated with many admirers.

Lebowitz is known for her biting commentary on social and later political mores in her writing, which is ironic, facetious, deadpan, sarcastic, wisecracking, and mischievous. But she’s equally famous for her wardrobe. Her uniform comprises a white Oxford shirt, a navy blazer worn over dark wash jeans (always cuffed), and brown cowboy boots. It’s an outfit that has remained unchanged since she began wearing it in the early 1980s, earning her the title of style icon and inspiring generations of women to adopt the uniform. Lebowitz’s style has had a significant impact on fashion and culture, challenging the traditional norms of femininity and influencing a generation of women to embrace a more androgynous look.

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While the look is not as casual as it sounds—Lebowitz sported her outfit on the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair—it’s comfortable, practical, and timeless. It’s a style that allows her to stand out in a world where most fashion coverage concerns the latest Kim Kardashian look or what model will star in Chanel’s next campaign.

It’s a look that also fits Lebowitz perfectly, capturing the essence of her New York persona. She loved the city with ferocity equal to reverence and wry critique, and her personality—a mix of elegance, irreverence, and towering wit—is as iconic as the streets she walks on, inspiring awe and admiration in all who encounter it.

A recent resurgence of interest in Lebowitz has been thanks to Martin Scorsese’s 2010 HBO documentary “Public Speaking” and a 2021 limited Netflix series, “Pretend It’s a City.” But she remains a fixture of the literary world, her books ensuring that she will forever be a part of our culture.

She’s a living legend, and though her books may have reached their end, her legacy will endure like the city she loved so dearly. Her intelligence, wit, and curmudgeonliness will continue to reverberate in the minds of her readers and inspire future generations of writers. Her legendary sense of style is sure to live on, too.