On the very first page of the very first chapter, I realised one major thing about author Kelly Doust and myself. Not only are we of the same ‘vintage’, but we suffer from the same addiction. Clothes.
Dressing is not simply the act of keeping one’s self from being naked, or a pursuit of the fashionable; but an all consuming, full sensory experience that never seems to be satiated. Clothes for us are another language, a vocabulary without which we would only be a shadow of our true selves.
“A Life in Frocks” is Kelly’s account of growing up keenly aware of the power of clothes and their ability to transform both physically and spiritually. As she begins to describe her first childhood pair of knickerbockers, I knew I’d found a kindred spirit having clear memories of my own pair. Navy blue velvet with little golden buttons, I wore them whilst playing cubby house in the country with my cousins, chasing them around with sticks and ordering them back to the coal mine in Dickensian fashion.
With all the colour and angst that being a teen in the 80′s and 90′s brings, Kelly relates her metamorphosis from child to teen. Each occasion costumed in the uniform of the moment, wearing rebellion, dreams and passion on her sleeve. My own memories are constructed in the same way. I remember my 7th birthday, not for the day itself, but for what I wore. The dress lovingly made by my mother with it’s little pink seashell belt, forever etched into my memory and the first key to unlocking the techni-coloured reel of images in my head. And this is the beauty of “A Life in Frocks”. it isn’t simply a book about fashion, but more a remembrance, a way of connecting with you and helping you weave the threads of your own fashion memory and the joy it holds.
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Beautifully illustrated by Zoe Sadokierski, it allows you to take the impression of the garments and fill in the blanks with your own unique memories. While Kelly and I have both developed our own unique styles, what is thrilling is to read the path that someone else has taken on their journey to style realisation. To read where our paths converge and how we interpreted each developmental moment through fashion.
It is hard not to be a little greedy when reading this book, as you want to devour it in one sitting; much like a luxurious afternoon tea with a girlfriend. But in taking each chapter a bite at a time, allowing it to seep in and work its magic on your own story, it becomes the beginning of a banquet.
“A Life In Frocks” is published by Murdoch Books and available now at all good bookstores.
