This week I have been preparing for Jane and my's interview with Semple's Secrets on our favourite dresses. This has involved digging about in the garage for a dress that I need to take with me, which I know is in my CAN"T EVER THROW AWAY box. This box holds all the clothes that have very strong memories attached to them, and no matter how much they might fetch on eBay, can never be thrown away.
Poking about in the box I found a skirt I made in 1975 from a Laura Ashley patchwork scraps kit. I was 14 years old and used to make loads of clothes around this time but the skirt was the first thing I felt I really got right in terms of being 'on trend' (although we didn't use that term then) and actually fitting me properly (not much fit involved as it was a wrap skirt, which was probably why it worked) I wore it to death, along with an embroidered white cheesecloth blouse and I felt absolutely fabulous. I know it was a great skirt because my friends Charlie and Maggie were constantly borrowing it.
Looking at it transports me back in time and there's no way I can ever let it go. My box in the garage is not stuffed full of clothes, it only has a few select pieces because it takes something really special to make it into the NEVER THROW AWAY pile. I've had loads of clothes that I've worn to death but very few that mean so much that I can't bear to let them go. What is it that makes the difference? I'm not sure but for the skirt it is memories of long hot summers (I wore it all through the hot summer of 1976), moping about with girlfriends, thinking about boys. Does everyone have a bag full of clothes they can't part with? if so, what's in yours?
