The Museum of Past Selves

The Museum of Past Selves is a depository for sentimental value.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.11: Black lace dress with low back

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Fitted black 3/4 length stretch lace dress

Materials: Unknown synthetic

Purchased: Value Village in Fredericton NB, Summer 2014

Condition: Good. Slight pilling on surface of lace.

Date of manufacture: 1990s

Memories: I only wore this dress once, in the summer of 2014. I walked downtown for lunch and back, and didn’t sunscreen far enough down my back so I got a sunburn in the shape of the back of the dress. There may have even been a very faint lace pattern over my shoulders. I never wore it again because of the low back/bra issues.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.10: High-waisted pants with metallic woven pattern

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Slim-fit trousers in metallic brocade

Materials: Unknown synthetic

Purchased: Made from self-drafted pattern as part of 1st year fashion design class, fabric from Fabricville in Fredericton NB.

Condition: Good, barely worn.

Date of manufacture: 2013

Memories: The first pair of pants I ever made from scratch. I drafted them precisely to my own measurements, which were at an all-time low. Even then, I made them a little tighter than they should have been in a non-stretch fabric, calling them “standing pants”. I rarely wore them because of how tight they were, and when it was time to consider getting rid of them I didn’t even bother trying them on again to see if, by some miracle, they might still fit.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.09: Black blouse with silver-trimmed collar

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Black blouse with silver-trimmed peter pan collar

Materials: 100% polyester

Purchased: H&M in Fredericton NB, March 2013

Condition: Good. 

Date of manufacture: 2012-2013

Memories:  Purchased when I started working at Stitch It in the Regent Mall. It was on sale at H&M for $7. It was the first new (i.e. not used) item of clothing (along with a pair of black dress pants with leopard print subtly woven in) that I had purchased for months, if not years.

The only photo I have of myself in uniform, in which I am actually breaking dress code by not wearing a collared shirt.

Reason for donation: My current job does not require me to wear black or white collared shirts, so I downgraded that collection.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.08: Rose print crop top

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Cropped sleeveless mock-turtleneck with rose print on white cotton knit.

Materials: Cotton knit

Purchased: Before 2009.

Condition/Alterations: Was originally an oversized t-shirt. I eventually cut off the sleeves and wore it that way for a while, then in 2012 cut it into its current state.

Date of manufacture: Estimated 1990s, restyled 2012.

Memories: I don’t remember purchasing this shirt, but I have had it for a long time and wore it though a few different iterations. I cut it up in 2012 during the height of my crop top appreciation phase, modelled after my favourite mock turtleneck what I already had two versions of; one plain black and one that I has embroidered “LONELY” across the chest.

Two examples of early webcam selfies, c. 2010

Canada day 2010

Taken on roommate’s laptop on my 20th birthday, 2010.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.07: Crochet lace dress

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Long black openwork crochet dress

Materials: Unknown 

Purchased: Unknown

Condition: Good. A few minor pulls in the yarn.

Date of manufacture: Unknown.

Memories: This dress is actually kind of a mystery to me; I don’t remember buying it and I can see in my head a really good selfie I took in it but I can’t find any evidence of it ever existing. Sorry.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.06: Sheer cropped shirt with sequin flowers

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Sheer beige chiffon crop top with hand-beaded sequin flowers

Materials: Polyester, sequins, glass beads

Purchased: Made April 2013

Condition: Good. 

Date of manufacture: 2013

Memories: Made after testing out some new beading techniques, thinking maybe it could be a sellable product. I made the one before deciding I’ll probably never be able to sell handmade clothing because of my tendency to use labour-intensive and time-consuming techniques.

Initial design sketch

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.05: Cropped t-shirt with dog print

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Black T-shirt with screenprint Bichon Frise, cropped fit.

Materials: Cotton

Purchased: Salvation Army in Sackville, NB, spring 2011.

Condition/Alterations: Originally a large mens’ t-shirt, I took in the sides and shortened it into a fitted crop top. Some places along side seams have begun to deteriorate because it was sewn with a narrow zigzag instead of serger or stretch stitch.

Date of manufacture: Estimated 1990s or early 2000s, restyled 2011.

Memories: I was with some friends at Ducky’s in Sackville, having some after-class drinks, when someone joined the table and said they just came from the Salvation Army and there was a really cool t-shirt with a poodle on it. I decided I wanted this t-shirt with a poodle on it and went and bought it, even though it turned out to not be a poodle after all. I went home and altered it and wore it the next day.

Post from short-lived fashion blog, January 21, 2012

Entry in journal for 4th year art seminar assignment, list of outfits worn during trip to New York City, 

In bedroom at 50 Bridge Street, Sackville NB, after alteration. April 8, 2011.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.04: Handmade burgundy velvet dress

Updates forthcoming

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.03: Black dress with white lapel collar

Updates forthcoming

[museumofpastselves]

2016.02.02: Tan wool embroidered parka with fox fur trim

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Tan wool parka with embroidered people, fox fur trim on hood and pom-poms.

Materials: Wool, fur, cotton lining.

Condition: Good. Repairs done on lining, fall 2014. Woven tag shows wear.

Memories: Purchased February 15, 2012 at Salvation Army in Sackville. Prompted a post on my fashion blog about my parka collection, including a slightly creepy triple-portrait. I still have and wear the other two.

[museumofpastselves]

2016.01.01: Blouse with embroidered collar

Donated by: Britney McMichael

Description: Sheer white blouse with white floral embroidered collar. Slightly puffy sleeves with button cuffs. Loose fit.

Materials: 100% Polyester

Purchased: Value Village, Fredericton NB, February 2014

Condition: Good condition. Some loose threads.

Date of manufacture: Unknown. Probably 1980s.

Memories:

Purchased during the strike at UNB when some friends who told me they liked my “Granny style” wanted me to take them thrift shopping. I fell in love with the collar on this blouse and felt like it went very well with a black vest and red blazer I owned. I wore this combination to class presentations such as “Diagnosing (not for real, though) Robert Downey Jr with Narcissistic Personality Disorder”.

October 18, 2014

I wore my blouse during the Fredericton 48 Hour Film competition. A beautiful woman complimented me on my accessories and my self-confidence skyrocketed. Then the CBC interviewed us.

November 19, 2014

I wore the aforementioned blouse/vest/blazer combo to the Dean’s List Dinner. I was forced to sit at a table away from my friends. I was forced to sit with a bunch of old white men (all were terrible people). I was not forced to drink as much wine as I did.

June 7, 2015

My partner had just moved back from Boston after a very stressful year. This was the time we could rest, after the school year ended but before summer jobs began. We went on many bike rides and had many picnics and everything was warm and comfortable. We were biking along the Nashwaak and decided to take a break to dip our toes in. My partner decided to take multiple pictures of me because “we don’t have enough pictures” while I tried to take the phone out of his hands. Three kayakers lazily passed us by.

[museumofpastselves]

2015.01.01: Black Furry Sweater

Donated by: Kelly Hill

Description: Black sweater knit with faux fur yarn. Plain acrylic crochet border at collar and cuffs. Loose, slightly cropped fit.

Materials: Acrylic/Polyester

Purchased: Probably Salvation Army in Sackville, NB in late 2011 or early 2012. 

Condition: Faux fur yarn is slightly matted. No alterations or repairs.

Date of manufacture: Estimated late 1990s

Memories: Purchased because another late-90s black fuzzy sweater came to be symbolic of a shift in self-perception I went through in late 2011; I thought that if fuzzy sweater #1 made me feel so confident, I should have a few similar ones to keep on rotation. 

january 31, 2013

march 3, 2013

march 25, 2014

january 22, 2014

Reason for donation to the museum: Not quite flattering; I have several better black fuzzy sweaters (“fuzzy sweater #1” remains in my wardrobe); has a sort of gorilla arm effect.