Autobiography of a Wardrobe by Elizabeth Kendall | Non-Fiction | DONNE TEMPO
Autobiography of a Wardrobe by Elizabeth Kendall
August/15/08 08:45 PM Filed in: Non-Fiction
By Cecei O’Bryon England
As a woman I identify with the idea of the wardrobe as a separate entity but inherently a part of me. In Elizabeth Kendall's Autobiography of a Wardrobe (Pantheon. ISBN-10 0375425004. $13.60) the writer explores her own history through the eyes of her wardrobe. The wardrobe refers to Elizabeth as B. short for body.
She
sees herself and the changes in her body shape
through memories of clothes and they way she felt
in them and the way the clothes felt on her.
My Wardrobe autobiography includes the year I spent dressing up as a cowboy every day after school - I was eight. I had a wonderful antique costume made of the softest suede.
For many years I enjoyed pretending I was a character from history, medieval, colonial, civil war era women, which was much improved with correct costuming.
I am still remembered for playing tennis tournaments on the club team in turn of the century tennis wear. The costume is a part of any experience.
There is the awareness of the saddle shoe in 1950’s Midwestern America. The advent of Merimekko dresses as an awakening of sorts- a world away from girdles! This coincides with Elizabeth’s college experience.
The a line drip dry skirt of a summer in Northern Europe, the striped denim pants of the androgynous year, the shapeless dress of 1970’s Berkley.
The snapshots of clothing and eras are fascinating and perceptive, but Kendall delves deeper into the psyche of a woman and the character of a wardrobe. The wardrobe is her alter-ego, it represents events in her life- like the black dress she wore to her mother’s funeral, and how they shape B. the body of Elizabeth.
Kendall cleverly ties in threads of many women’s sense of self- the person, the body, the outward appearance. These are clearly separate and yet entwined.
The book is a memoir and a cultural history of America in the late 20th century. Kendall’s style is profound and yet very fun. This is a deep and engaging novel from an original perspective.
As a woman I identify with the idea of the wardrobe as a separate entity but inherently a part of me. In Elizabeth Kendall's Autobiography of a Wardrobe (Pantheon. ISBN-10 0375425004. $13.60) the writer explores her own history through the eyes of her wardrobe. The wardrobe refers to Elizabeth as B. short for body.
My Wardrobe autobiography includes the year I spent dressing up as a cowboy every day after school - I was eight. I had a wonderful antique costume made of the softest suede.
For many years I enjoyed pretending I was a character from history, medieval, colonial, civil war era women, which was much improved with correct costuming.
I am still remembered for playing tennis tournaments on the club team in turn of the century tennis wear. The costume is a part of any experience.
There is the awareness of the saddle shoe in 1950’s Midwestern America. The advent of Merimekko dresses as an awakening of sorts- a world away from girdles! This coincides with Elizabeth’s college experience.
The a line drip dry skirt of a summer in Northern Europe, the striped denim pants of the androgynous year, the shapeless dress of 1970’s Berkley.
The snapshots of clothing and eras are fascinating and perceptive, but Kendall delves deeper into the psyche of a woman and the character of a wardrobe. The wardrobe is her alter-ego, it represents events in her life- like the black dress she wore to her mother’s funeral, and how they shape B. the body of Elizabeth.
Kendall cleverly ties in threads of many women’s sense of self- the person, the body, the outward appearance. These are clearly separate and yet entwined.
The book is a memoir and a cultural history of America in the late 20th century. Kendall’s style is profound and yet very fun. This is a deep and engaging novel from an original perspective.