#wearingmemories

[museumatfit]

Wearing Memories: Barack and Michelle Obama Dress

Watching the news one night in 2009 I saw Barack Obama make his first presidential visit to Ghana. Among the welcoming crowd were men and women wearing outfits made from this wonderful fabric. As soon as I saw it I knew - I HAD TO HAVE IT! This dress, sewn in a rush the night before a holiday in 2016, is the third version I’ve made since 2009. It's my hopeful dress. It is a reminder of that incredible moment in time when Barack Obama was elected, and the years following when he and Michelle Obama shared with us a vision of wisdom, optimism, kindness and hope. It's also a happy dress. Wearing it always prompts friendly and positive reactions from anyone i meet. People who are quite possibly, like me, trying hard to hold on to that glorious memory.

-Cynthia Grandfield, London, UK

[queertexstyles]

“I made this t-shirt after the news about the gay camps in Chechnya and message I wanted to send it is that we need to remind ourselves that the fight for LGBTIQ rights is not over. Some people don`t like the pink triangle because it was made up by the Nazis, but I like to look at it as a reminder. It is surprising how many people asked me about the meaning of it and they didn`t know that LGBTI people were also victims of the Holocaust.”

Location: Bulgaria

[museumatfit]

Wearing Memories: Blue Suit and Dress

In the late 80's I met Roger Norris, we were both playing in bands in Sydney. Neither of us believed in marriage. Ten years later we fell in love. Then we decided to get married under a tree by Sydney harbor. We were definitely not going to wear white! I was planning to make a mermaid inspired dress and found some blue silk lamé. Then I saw the perfect dress for dancing, made of a new fabric at the time – holographic foil on spandex. We took the blue lamé to legendary Sydney tailor Tony Bonnici who has dressed film, theater and rock’n’roll stars since the 50's. Together we designed a suit that was a bit Elvis and a bit Teddy Boy. Tony made us the perfect suit. We had an amazing party, then embarked on a worldwide adventure. 22 years later, we're still in love and have our own 10-year-old rock star New Yorker. These are the outfits that started it all!

-Susannah Norris-Lindsay, New York

[museumatfit]

Wearing Memories: Prom Dress

My Aunt Augusta wore this evening dress when she was the Junior Prom Queen at her high school in Marshfield, Wisconsin in 1932, the worst year of the Great Depression. She kept it in her attic until she died in 2011, along with the little program with a tiny pencil attached to write down the names of her dance partners. Augusta wrote about this dress in the 1980s, recalling that it had cost $19.95 and how she loved it: “If there was anything better in the world, I didn’t know it.” The sashes, cowl neck, and bias cut are all typical of designs by the Parisian couturier Madeleine Vionnet, so this dress may have been inspired by her work. I donated it to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Dearborn, MI (2014.24.72) along with many other wonderful things that Augusta Roddis had saved in her attic. Photo: Gillian Bostock Ewing

-Jane Bradbury, London, UK

[museumatfit]

Wearing Memories: Alexander McQueen Shirt

I was in Paris when I learned that Alexander McQueen passed away. I was very sad and decided to get a piece from his latest collection. After finding out there wasn’t a McQueen boutique in Paris, I checked all of the department stores and in the end I could’t find any place in Paris that sells McQueen men’s collection. I was beyond disappointed. Upon returning to Istanbul, I found this shirt at Harvey Nichols. It made me so happy on many levels. I wore this shirt a lot that summer and had chance to meet Kim Jones, Anna Piaggi, Daphne Guinness and Hussein Chalayan at the opening of his retrospective exhibition at Istanbul Modern. That year was my first year as a fashion student and I seemed fitting that I was wearing this shirt at the end of my first fashion show.

-Adnan Ege Kutay, Jersey City

[museumatfit]

Wearing Memories: Knit Sweater

When my mom lost her battle with cancer in September 2000, I lost the person who guided and equipped me with the knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed. There is so much of my mom in me. Her death devastated me. To help me adapt to my loss, I designed and stitched this sweater. The design knit together mom’s favorite color green with purple which was mine in my teens. As I knit, each stitch released me from her and her from me. Ironically, the geometric pattern of butterflies came to symbolize this transcendence. I finished the sweater in October 2001 and named it "Butterflies Are Free." Every time I wear it, I feel my mom’s love and support wrapped around me. Photograph by George McLennan

-Debra M. Lee, Falls Church, Virginia

[museumatfit]

Wearing Memories: Levi’s Trucker Jean Jacket

I embroidered this Levi's trucker jean jacket when I was in my twenties (about 25 years ago). I had started doing needlework in my early teens and continue today. It was a favorite garment because it was so versatile and emblematic of my style. I loved that it was distressed, but had earned it’s vintage chops the authentic way – by being worn constantly.   Alas, over time it stopped fitting well and found its way to the back of a coat closet. It was lost, but not forgotten - I would wistfully tell my daughter Isabel about the ‘most fabulous of jean jackets’. Then one day it was found and passed along to Isabel.  I recently asked her what was her most precious article of clothing. I was so thrilled to hear that it was the jean jacket.  She is seventeen years old now and rocks the jacket, just like I did.

-Sarah Eckersley, Midland, MI

[museumatfit]

Wearing Memories: Red Swing Coat

When I was about 5 years old, my mother bought me a red swing coat. It was a very special present since we didn’t often have money for fancy clothes. I loved that coat and thought about it a great deal while growing up. When I went to college, I bought a red swing coat in a vintage shop because it reminded of me of my childhood version. Ever since, I have always had a red swing vintage coat in my wardrobe. The silhouette always fits, the color is always cheerful, and friends can spot me from a mile away. This is my current coat, which I’ve had for some time. It’s from the early 1960s by Lilli Ann of San Francisco. And, the best part is that my mother bought me this one as a gift, because she knows how much I love a good red vintage coat.

-Lori Greenberg, New York