Memories of clothing feature prominently in auto/biographies, yet traditionally they have not been subjected to the same level of academic scrutiny as other sources. Memories of Dress redresses this imbalance by bringing auto/biographical memories to the centre of a new methodology for understanding fashion history, material culture, and other disciplines. Presenting a comprehensive overview of theoretical and practice-based approaches, the book invites readers to explore the relations between clothing and memory through diverse examples ranging from oral histories of Madchester men and Hungarian socialist sewing, to a quilt-making autoethnography into the complexities of American racial heritage and imagined memories within museum collections. Chapters by leading and emerging experts consider the ways in which dress is remembered and the ways that memories and nostalgia in turn influence everyday dress practices, unpicking the meanings and motivations-both collective and public, personal and private-behind the clothes we wear in different times, places and life stages; and the impact of class, gender, ethnicity, and disability on material identities. Uniquely weaving personal recollection with theory, this multidisciplinary book offers new ways of understanding clothing, material culture, and memory.

Once hanging static in a wardrobe or folded away in a trunk, in recent times clothes have found themselves thrown into the spotlight. The crowds that are drawn to large scale fashion exhibitions staged with increasing frequency in galleries and museums around the world offer glimpses into the meaning that we attach to these items of clothing. Apart from their aesthetic value, clothes have the ability to evoke issues of identity, of the relation of self to body and self to the world. We are able to find ourselves through the experiences of delving into our wardrobes and remembering. Clothes are thus layered with meaning since they have the power to act as memory prompts. Woven into their fabric are traces of past experiences; stitched into their seams are links to people we have loved and lost. Viewed as visual objects, clothing is not frivolous, flippant or foolish. In telling and talking about clothes, we reveal much about ourselves, our lives and the experiences that we drape around our bodies. Whether bought or handmade, passed down or reconstructed, clothes help us to construct meaning as we remember those things in our lives that matter.

The New York Times–bestselling volume of mini-memoirs exploring the personal histories we carry in treasured articles of clothing—now a Netflix docuseries. Everyone has a memoir in miniature in at least one piece of clothing. In Worn Stories, Emily Spivack has collected over sixty of these clothing-inspired narratives from cultural figures and talented storytellers. First-person accounts range from the everyday to the extraordinary, such as artist Marina Abramovic on the boots she wore to walk the Great Wall of China; musician Rosanne Cash on the purple shirt that belonged to her father; and fashion designer Cynthia Rowley on the Girl Scout sash that informed her business acumen. Other contributors include Greta Gerwig, Heidi Julavits, John Hodgman, Brandi Chastain, Marcus Samuelsson, Piper Kerman, Maira Kalman, Sasha Frere-Jones, Simon Doonan, Albert Maysles, Susan Orlean, Andy Spade, Paola Antonelli, David Carr, Andrew Kuo, and more. By turns funny, tragic, poignant, and celebratory, Worn Stories offers a revealing look at the clothes that protect us, serve as a uniform, assert our identity, or bring back the past—clothes that are encoded with the stories of our lives.

The boots a passenger had on when his plane landed on the Hudson River. The tank top Andy Warhol’s assistant wore to one of their nightclub outings together. The jacket a taxi driver put on to feel safe as he worked the night shift. — These and over sixty other clothing-inspired narratives make up Worn in New York, the latest volume from New York Times bestselling author Emily Spivack. In these first-person accounts, contributors in and out of the public eye share surprising, personal, wild, poignant, and funny stories behind a piece of clothing that reminds them of a significant moment of their New York lives. Worn in New York offers a contemporary cultural history of the city—its changing identity, temper, and tone, and its irrepressible vitality—by paying tribute to these well-loved clothes and the people who wore them. Includes contributions from: Adam Horovitz Amy Heckerling Andre Royo Anna Sui Aubrey Plaza Catherine Opie Coco Rocha Dick Cavett Eileen Myles Fab 5 Freddy Gay Talese Genesis Breyer P-Orridge JD Samson Jenji Kohan Jenna Lyons Kyp Malone Lena Dunham Pee Wee Kirkland Thelma Golden Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Can a long-forgotten memory of a horrible event suddenly resurface years later? How can we know whether a memory is true or false? Seven spellbinding cases shed light on why it is rare for a reclaimed memory to be wholly false. Here are unforgettable true stories of what happens when people remember what they've tried to forget -- plus one case of genuine false memory. In the best detective-story fashion, using her insights as a psychiatrist and the latest research on the mind and the brain, Lenore Terr helps us separate truth from fiction.

Open up a fresh and stylish story about growing up and keeping hold of your favorite memories. As the year passes, the narrator’s favorite dress goes through a series of creative changes, from dress to shirt to tank top to scarf and so on, until all that’s left of it is a good memory. Assisted by her patient and crafty mama, the narrator finds that when disaster strikes her favorite things, she doesn’t need to make mountains out of molehills—she “makes molehills out of mountains” instead! Structured around the days of the week, the story is also illustrated to show the passing of the seasons, a perfect complement to the themes of growing older and keeping hold (and letting go) of special mementos. Praise for I Had a Favorite Dress "A spunky story about adjusting to change with creativity and style. Tailor-made, so to speak, for the Etsy generation of DIY enthusiasts.” –Publishers Weekly “Everyone is smiling in the buoyant confections created by illustrator Julia Denos—including, it’s fair to say, young readers looking at them. Endearing picture book.” –Wall Street Journal “What could have been yet another example of kindergarten consumerism instead becomes one of resourcefulness and resilience.” –New York Times “Denos’s multimedia illustrations reinforce the narrator’s vibrant personality and the amazing transformations of the dress while capturing the action and emotion of the story. This book is sure to capture the imaginations of would-be seamstresses; children who can’t bear to part with a favorite item; and those who want to reduce, reuse, recycle.” –School Library Journal “Breezy in style, they smartly stitch each scene of alteration as the not-so-little girl sashays through the days of the week and the seasons. A charming interpretation of an old story that will speak to young fashionistas.” –Kirkus Reviews

Memories Are Like Clouds, a touching memoir, is a fond remembrance of growing up when life seemed simple. Gliding on the porch swing while listening to their mother’s stories of her youth, counting dead goldfish at the five-and-ten cent store, playing pick-up baseball games down near the dump, collecting Ralph Kiner and Stan Musial baseball cards, helping Daddy at his candy business, devouring Sgt. Rock comic books, and running numbers for the neighborhood bookie in a housedress filled Kenny and Diana’s innocent days in East Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. The author weaves together the universal experiences shared with millions of other baby boomers such as that first television set, iceboxes, “Amos ‘n Andy,” hula hoops, and the milk man and the individual memories specific to this family (the rag man and his tired old horse, the Polish Barber’s dirty adventure magazines, and shotgun weddings at the Slovak Club). This coming-of-age tale, filled with hope and old-fashioned values, will delight and engage and then, long afterward, persist in memory.