My Mother’s Wedding Dress : The Meaning And Memory Of Clothes In Our Lives

I just could not put down My Mother’s Wedding Dress : The Meaning And Memory Of Clothes In Our Lives by Justine Picardie (2006.  ANF 391.2019 PIC).

Picardie is a fashion journalist and this memoir is part fashion report and part sociological examination. 

She begins by talking about her mother’s wedding dress, a black French cocktail dress from a boutique in Hampstead, and how she herself felt at eighteen when she wore the dress, and what the dress meant to the two of them. 

She then goes on to give us glimpses of her life as she remembers various items of apparel she has owned or seen or wondered about. She talks about an orange dress (bought at the Beatles’ Apple Shop) with little mirrors sewn on that she had as a child and wore until it fell apart.  She got it the same summer she saw Mick Jagger in a white dress (tunic) standing in sunshine surrounded by white butterflies.  What a vision!

Her chapter headings give only the briefest hint of the richness she brings to her narrative.  The titles “Plastic Trousers” (ugh, the thought of wearing something like that), “The Women in White”, “Scarlet Women” all are tantalizing in their brevity. 

We all wear clothes, and many of us spend time and effort trying to get “it” just right.  We want to look good and, maybe, make a statement.  The phrase “power suit” was coined for the new professional woman in her tailored suit.  Picardie devotes a bit of space to the advent of Coco Chanel and her philosophy that said clothes should be comfortable, timeless, and wearable.  She felt there was no real need to make a statement by contriving a costume. 

Now, what kind of memoir could I write about my life in fashion?  Pretty slim one, actually, so I guess I will just get on with my reading.

>> Find this book in VIRL’s catalogue

Taken with permission from Gloria Novak’s “Good Reads at the Lbrary”