Every dress tells a story
And here's mine...
I’ve always believed in the power and magic of a dress. The right dress can alter your mood, the way you walk and the way you see yourself. And a special dress worn on a special occasion will forever be associated with those memories.
In my latest book The Vintage Shop of Second Chances, which published in the UK yesterday, one yellow dress is central to the story. It is a vintage yellow dress covered in flowers, a dress that brings together three very different women and which means so much to those who wear it. The dress was inspired by a vintage dress I saw online, as well as a big dose of imagination. As I wrote about it the dress became incredibly real in my mind. I could see the yellow fabric, the swishy skirt and the daintily-embroidered flowers that adorned the skirt like a wildflower meadow.
It gave me the idea that maybe I could take the dress from my imagination and bring it to life. With the help of a local seamstress, I worked to have the dress recreated and made to fit me. I then spent many evenings (some with the help of my kind mum) sewing embroidered flowers onto the fabric.
Luckily, my very own yellow dress was ready just in time for my book launch. Together with friends, family and local readers I had a wonderful time celebrating at a special venue here in Frome that used to be a silk mill and which we decorated for the evening to resemble a vintage shop.
It felt wonderful to wear this special dress for the first time and to feel as though the characters from my book were there with me.
It wasn’t just me who wore something with a story to my book launch. I invited my guests to wear an item of clothing that meant something special to them and to share their own stories on a noticeboard built for this purpose. The stories were a mix of heartwarming and moving, proving that clothes really can be more than just clothes - they can be wrapped up with so much meaning.
A yellow dress made when its owner was recovering from postnatal depression. A jacket belonging to someone’s father who is no longer here and which reminds them of spending time together. A dress gifted by a friend when they ‘needed to feel brave’. Each item might have technically been made from fabric and thread, but there was love and loss and hope and friendship woven in too.
Do you have an item of clothing that means something particularly special to you? I’d love to hear your story.
Thank you!
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has pe-ordered, bought, downloaded or reviewed a copy of The Vintage Shop of Second Chances so far. I really, really appreciate it. And if the book is on your reading list, I so hope you enjoy it. Expect vintage fashion, friendship, love and a whole lot of colour.
Three joyous delights, Libby: you, your dress, and this post!
I have a dress which was bought for me to wear for my husband's 40th birthday years ago - I don't ever wear dresses, and this was an evening dress, so really scary.....! We (still) call it 'The Kitchenaid', because we'd been saving up for one of those but spent its entire budget on the dress instead. Its cost per wear is getting lower over the years, so that makes me feel better, but we never DID buy an actual Kitchenaid...! 🤣
The dress of dreams, Libby! This is absolutely gorgeous! My piece would have to be (probably a bit cliched) my wedding dress. It was made my a boutique in Brighton, the vintage style I had dreamed of but thought I'd never find. It was so comfortable and I felt so confident and happy in it, it will always have so much meaning for me. Congratulations on the book launch, too!