I am not a huge fan of flying. I have had this fear ever since I can remember. However, once the plane is steadied and I look around and see people relaxing, then I begin to relax and enjoy the mental space. My habit is to pick up a book and read for as long as the flight lasts if it is five hours or less. On my way to NYC I read half the book, the thoughtful dresser by Linda Grant, and then finished it en route home. Even after we landed, I found I could not put the book down to wait for luggage or the hotel room. Literally, I had my nose stuck in the book the entire time.
Since I have been thinking a great deal about clothes the last few months and what they mean in my life as well as others, it was more than a timely read. This book was sent to me by one of my readers along with Remind Me Who I Am, Again by the same author. It was such a generous gift! Yesterday I did a little research and discovered a few things that I did not know as well as some information I would like to share about the book and a key person that is in the book, Catherine Hill. More on Catherine can be found here.
Catherine Hill was a teenage Hungarian girl who survived Auschwitz but lost both of her parents. She spent time in Rome after her release and then moved to Toronto, Canada and eventually opened up a dress shop that became quite famous. Catherine had immense style and an unerring talent for finding the perfect style for her clientele. In this article on Catherine it tells of the memoir she is writing and how “[her] story reflects the power of clothes as allies to human dignity.”
Stitched on a cushion in her condo is a humble quote, “To eat the fruit on the tree, you have to go out on a limb.”
As I was reading this book, I began mentally to sort through some of the clothes of my life, why I had purchased them, what they meant to me, or as gifts, what this implied as memory. All these things and more, Linda Grant explores in her book. What became a significant item for me was a burgundy silk skirt that my oldest daughter had given me in 1988 or 89. The exact year eludes me, but I was living in Seattle at the time and working at Elliot Bay Stationery Store. There was nothing extra for frills. All my paycheck had to go for living expenses. At the time, my daughter was in college and her life was more stringent than mine. She had come for a visit, and as we were walking through the downtown mall where I worked, we both spotted this silk pleated skirt. We both decided it was the prettiest, most elegant thing we had seen. On my breaks I would go and stare at it enjoying the beauty. Looking never was costly. That Christmas she presented me with a box and in it was this lovely skirt. I was stunned. She could not afford this, but she was determined that I should have it. She had the joy of giving and I had the joy of receiving. And within a year, I had made a burgundy silk velvet top to wear with it.
The skirt has always remained in my wardrobe. Even though the cleaners, years ago, mistakenly ironed out the knife-edged pleats, I cannot part with this silk skirt. It became so much more over the years than a simple garment. Whenever I look at it, I am immediately taken back to those years of struggle for both of us, and yet, how she managed to present us with a new vision of hope and joy through her purchase of this beautiful silk skirt.
I’m so moved by the story of the burgundy skirt. I have things like that in my closet that I’ll almost certainly never wear again, but could never ever part with. I bet most of us do. Oh the stories of those clothes would make such a great collection to read.
This post, I hope, conjures some flashbacks to certain times and pieces in our closets that take us beyond the mere garment to the story and the memory and the love that was woven there. Maybe you could share one of the special stories that you have. I think my story is one of so many out there waiting to be told.
Welcome back home…I wish we could have arranged to meet when you were in NYC. Let me know next time when you are only a short couple of hours from me.
I have a few things in my closet that I would never get rid of…they have good memories or are just to precious…not that I could fit into any of them.
I gave my Daughter-in-law a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, that I had when my son was 5 years old. It fit her beautifully and she wore it that Christmas.
I would bet your daughter-in-law loves that dress. Wrap skirts and dresses are my favorite styles, so elegant and easy to wear.
When I am in NYC next, I will let you know ahead of time!
“The Story of the Silk Skirt.” I love this sweet story, and also this idea of thinking about clothing as stories. When I first started buying secondhand clothing in the early 60′s when I was 19, I remember worrying that a dress or shirt might come to me with some negative event infused in the fabric. For example, what if a girl had broken up with her boyfriend and that’s why she had given the dress away. When I washed the dress, I tried to mentally wash out any bad vibrations, too. And when I wore it, I would try to infuse it with new good vibrations. I’m not quite so impressionable anymore, but every now and then, I find myself doing a kind of incantation over something secondhand, just to make sure only the good spirits are allowed to remain on board, for story spirits are powerful things! xo Kari
I think about this sometimes with clothing and jewelry for sure. Once we had a Chinese couple some to visit us in Mendocino and the woman sold real estate. She had an uncanny sense about people and homes, and once she entered a house she could tell if it had any bad vibes. She had to quit her job, it became so alarming. A bit spooky.
What a beautiful skirt. I believe that you can get your pleats stamed back into the skirt. I’m a textile design student, and we use our tutors wonderful card formers in a stovepipe steamer to put pernament pleats into polyester silk. The pleats steamed into silk in this way aren’t permanent, but will wash out. Hence the need for dry cleaning.
Your drycleaners should certainly have not pressed your pleats out. Do you live someplace where there are courses taught in fashion and textiles? They may well have the facilities to help you return your lovely skirt to its original form.
Good luck!
The dry cleaners resided in San Diego at the time and I left it there assuming they knew how to clean it and preserve the pleats. Never assume anything was my first mistake and now lesson. Perhaps, I will find a cleaners that can take it back to its original and beautiful state. Too bad to not try at least. Thanks for your information.
The pleats need to be steamed back to the shape they were, which will involve the use of a card former, specific to the original pleats.
I suspect that a good local college that deals with textiles would be a better bet.
It isn’t difficult if you have the right former/mold. I would guess a college would do it for you for free. It isn’t a big, or a time-consuming job. It could be a useful thing for a student to learn from the tutor.
Suella
I guess a standard dry cleaner, as a rule, is not the best service to use for this sort of job. It would be interesting to see if there are other sources in my area that might be able to help with this. Thank you for the good information!
Now that is an example of the most precious gift… what it symbolizes more than the gift itself, yes?
Yes! The journey of a skirt is the journey of a relationship.
On my last visit to NY I picked up a skirt exactly like this in a thrift shop in Chappaqua. I was looking for things to dye and was drawn to it’s cream color and the softness of old silk. The pleats on it were sewn down maybe 8″ below the waist. I was a long time before I could bring myself to do it but it’s been dyed and dismembered.
Ouch, but then you did not know the sentimental history or if there even was one. Since you create such works of beauty the universe grants you special privileges.
Oh how wonderful. Sounds like a wonderful book and I loved the story of the skirt. I love that your daughter bought it for you and that thought just warms my heart!
Thank you for your always dear thoughts. Yes, the book was really fun and brought to mind some interesting thoughts about clothes and dressing in general.
While i visited my friend in London last week we bought her almost the same skirt in a sharityshop for 10 pounds. Two layers of beautiful silk. She danced home with joy.
I think such a piece of beauty deserves to be enjoyed and not trown away.
XXXm
I hope your trip to London was wonderful. Your friend was lucky to find such a lovely skirt.