My Mother's Wedding Dress

The Life and Afterlife of Clothes

Beginning with the story of her mother's wedding dress, a perfect black French cocktail dress bought in 1960, writer and former Vogue editor Justine Picardie affirms what all of us may have suspected: that the real value of our wardrobes lies in the history and associations woven into our clothes. Combining tales of her own family and friends, intimate stories from the fashion business, and reflections on clothes in literature and pop culture, Picardie uncovers the truths that lie underneath what we wear. She reflects on the strange disappearance of garments we love; the allure of uniforms; the house that Chanel built; the bridal and ghostly qualities of women in white; the fate of a ring belonging to Charlotte Brontë; the power of scarlet clothing; how Donatella Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, and Claude Montana dress themselves; and how the clothes we inherit from loved ones link us to the departed. Rich with fascinating stories from the public and private worlds of fashion, My Mother's Wedding Dress is a gorgeously written book about what clothes cover up, and what they reveal.
Justine Picardie is a journalist, novelist, and editor who lives in London. She is the author of If the Spirit Moves You: Life and Love After Death and the novel Wish I May, and the cowriter or editor of several other books. She was formerly the features editor of British Vogue and editor of the Observer magazine.