Amid the flurry of what many now call fashion month—following the shows from week to week in New York, London, Milan, and Paris—comes a book in search of how garments shape the lives of women around the world. *Women in Clothes,*from authors Sheila Heti, Leanne Shapton, and Heidi Julavits with 639 other women, explores what dressing means. Through a series of surveys, photos, and stories, the book reveals a deeper look at women’s clothes, more personal than the trends on the runway: Why do we dress the way we do? Why have we adopted certain habits? How do our surroundings influence what we put on our bodies? With insights and contributions from artists and writers such as Cindy Sherman, Lena Dunham, Tavi Gevinson, and Miranda July, as well as women from around the world, the editors weave together our individual understandings of dress into a collective voice.
Take a closer look at the collections throughout the book—there are snippets on how women value their accessories and garments gathered from around the world: keepsakes from different eras or destinations, or have acquired through meaningful moments. They are tinged with our own memories, our own values, placed on the objects and souvenirs that make up our individual worlds.
From this 500-page volume, we culled our favorite snippets on travel and keepsakes.
1. Travel Moment: Poppy Toland on how travel has influenced her style
“My friend Emily and I were traveling in southern China. We went to a village, Shidong. The girls showed us these beautiful embroidered belts and waistcoats they’d spent days and days making and were incredibly proud of, and their silver jewelry and headdresses. Before, I’d always thought being overly interested in fashion and spending a lot of time, money, and effort on looking good was frivolous and to be avoided. After that visit, Emily and I decided that dressing up was an essential human, female behavior and that it turned life into a celebration.”
2. Keepsake: Claudia Dey's fedoras
3. Travel Moment: Writer Elizabeth Kaiser on how place has affected her dress and how she packs for trips
“Everywhere I’ve lived has nudged me into a uniform—clogs look good in Washington but dowdy in New Orleans, fluorescents look amazing in the South but tacky in the Northwest. That’s one of the reasons I hate flying. Whatever you’re wearing when you get on the plane looks terrible once you’ve arrived at your destination. Vacation packing is a chore for this reason. I never pack the right outfits.”
4. Keepsake: Kristin Anthony's bracelets
5. Travel moment: Berlin-based writer Gisela Williams discovers a way to make winters a bit brighter
“Berlin winters are indescribably oppressive and endless. From late November to March, the city is a place of pure darkness. One day, on a fall trip to the States, I saw a pair of UGGs covered in bright blue sequins in a shop on Broadway in Manhattan. I have always hated UGGs, I swore I would never buy a pair, but I immediately bought them. No matter how dark it is outside in Berlin, my UGGs sparkle like enormous sapphire disco balls on my feet.”
6. Keepsake: Molly Murray's vintage three-inch heels
7. Travel Moment: Poet Tasha Cotter discovers a way to live in Paris
“I once spent a summer in Paris. Slowly little cultural details began to sink in. French women focus on skin care. They present a more natural version of themselves to the world. I adopted these things into my life. It may sound silly, but I even stopped drinking soda. I drank more water. I was hungry for a way to live, and in Paris I had found something like a code to go by.”
8. Keepsake: Sheila O'Shea's hand-me-downs from her mother
Reprinted from WOMEN IN CLOTHES by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, and Leanne Shapton with permission of Blue Rider Press, a division of Penguin Random House. =Copyright © 2014 by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, and Leanne Shapton.