My Mother's Clothes

(My Mother's prom dress c.1977...made by her. So small.)

(My 21st birthday party dress. Worn in Vegas...fully beaded.)

So inspiration always comes when unexpected...as did mine for these photos, and others taken not posted. Photographer Jeannette Montgomery Barron successfully captured the spirit & speciality of the things her mother left behind in her photo book "My Mother's Clothes". I ordered this book online purely due to the title which intrigued me, & instead was pleasantly surprised & touched by the recall of memories each piece revealed. Images of her mother's stationary used to invite the other socialites to her grand parties, plaid sequin blazers of Bill Blass (who had become quite the comrade of Barron's mother by the mid 1970's), even a clothes tag with the prints of her mother's lips from blotting once before exiting for a fabulous evening out. Pg. 63 is my favorite...a red pocketbook with a cream rope handle, quote "Mama always told me 'Take some mad money with you on a date, if you get mad you can just leave'". I always scold my mom for not keeping more of her things, especially since every photo of her I see is full of items I covet. This is why I keep mostly everything.