My Mother's Clothes

My Mother's Clothes does not refer to my own mother's clothes (sorry, mom!) but it is actually the name of a book written by Jeannette Montogmery Barron.  My good girlfriend Betsy  (my first blog reader/commenter and soon to be first-time mom) sent me a link to this book, because:

A. She is an avid reader
B. She has known me for almost 22 years and knows what I like
C. She is stylish, chic and is one of the most unique and witty persons I know
D. If she says it's cool, it' probably is
E. She appreciates vintage and so do I, like I said, she knows me well!
F. She was a contestant on Jeopardy. That has nothing to do with this book, but I just had to share.

My Mother's Clothes was written by Barron to chronicle the memories behind her clothes. She started the book as a scapbook for her mother. She said that while her mom was showing her different outfits in her closet, she was recalling the memories of where she wore it as well as the stories behind each piece. So Barron decided to put together a memory book, with photos of each garment along with the notes about it, so her mom can relive her memories. This turned into the book.  What a great idea. Not only for her mom to enjoy, but after her mother passed, she can pass down the experiences of her to her grandchildren... The three images below are from her book....

I found this interesting. My friend Cindy told me she can literally remember what she wore to every event/party she has been to since she was young. I paused and thought about it. Could I do that? Probably not. But I do have certain outfits that do bring me recollections of great times or important events. One of those being my wedding. When my grandmother, my style icon, passed away my dad let me have her clothes. I kept ultra-suede dresses, knit suits, and two dresses, wearing each one on my wedding weekend. To my rehearsal dinner I wore the dress that she wore to my parents wedding. It was a champagne-beige silk dress with a tulip skirt, capped sleeves and skinny belt, circa 1968. The other dress what a BRIGHT yellow raw-silk sheath with lace sleeves, also from the 1960's. I fell in love with it immediately, as it is a stunning, timeless dress so I wore it at the exit of my wedding reception, shown below...

Waiting to leave from my wedding reception, I'm wearing my grandmother's dress and the cross necklace that my husband gave me the night before.  And yes, I am also drinking beer out of my mother's silver goblet.... shhhh...

I can only hope my granddaughters will wear this one day too! 

Do you have clothes that you'll keep forever because you wore it somewhere important? Do you have any of your mothers and grandmothers clothes that you wear?

For a sneak peek at the making behind the book My Mother's Clothes, watch the video above.