Dressed Her Days Vintage ~ Life in yesterday's clothes

People sometimes ask me what I blog about. I always thought my subtitle, Life In Yesterday’s Clothes, said it all. But I can tell by the way some people respond that it’s not as clear as I once thought.

Let me say it differently.

It’s about—you know—Life. In Yesterday’s Clothes.

It’s about stuff people (sometimes me, sometimes not) think and do, and sometimes, what they wear when they think and do.

It’s about stuff that used to be true, but isn’t anymore, or suddenly is true once again.

And it’s about stuff that people used to wear—and don’t anymore—or do once again.

Really, it’s about the evolution of style, culture, thought and relationships—hence the occasional emphasis on etiquette.

That may sound muddy, but I’d be bored to tears if all I could blog about were clothes.

So here are two perfect examples of Life in Yesterday’s Clothes.

Indy’s Phoenix Theatre is performing Love, Loss and What I Wore, a delightfully funny play by Nora and Delia Ephon, based on the book by the same name, written by Ilene Beckerman. It’s all about women and the importance of clothes as part of our individual stories and memory—a must-see performance, but not just for chicks.

To my surprise, my husband guffawed in his biggest belly laugh during the show. (I expected him to nod off. Just when you think you have them figured out…) I won our tickets! Special thanks to Heather at Retro101, Indy’s first boutique on wheels. The show is on through next weekend, but tickets sell out fast, so move on it as soon as you can. If you don’t live in Indy, perhaps you’d like to read the book Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

The second example is a classic Life-In-Yesterday’s-Clothes story: My Mademoiselle Summer, by and about Meg Wolitzer, one of the magazine’s last women to participate their guest editor program, which ended in 1979. Boomer friends, she was among good company. Other notable graduates of the program include Ali McGraw and Sylvia Plath. I know you’ll love this story, which recaps the end of an era in fashion magazines.

Do you still read fashion magazines? In print or online? If so, which are the ones that seem most relevant to you?

Life is short. Wear the good stuff.