My Life in Clothes [Paperback]

"Despite my mother’s efforts to tame me, I resisted, holding onto my creature nature until the day she informed me I would no longer be running naked in the yard or showering with my dad. It took a few scoldings before I was transformed from colt to show-pony: a proper reflection of whichever laundered, starched, pressed, brushed, straightened, zippered, tied, and buttoned garment was placed upon me."

—From the foreword of Summer Brenner's new collection of short stories,My Life in Clothes

These stories explore the charm, tyranny, and preoccupation of clothes, on and off, bought, made, or found, fashion or function, projection or expression, body and soul turned inside out.
 

“Summer Brenner's wonderful vignettes magically led me back to my own memories, an entire era framed in vividness and colored by the clothes I too wore: a ruffle on a vintage blouse, a cuff on a cowboy shirt, a red dress I designed for an actress, green cowboy boots with pink roses, a hat here, a bracelet there. These stories transported me. I urge other readers to join me on the same luxurious journey.”

—Jacqueline West, fashion and costume designer, two-time Oscar nominee (QuillsandThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

“Whether you want to slip into something silky and svelte, vintage or funky, Summer Brenner has it all in her closet. These stories fit!”

—Laura Chester, author ofRancho Weirdo

“What a fashion designer sculpts in three dimensional clothing, Summer does with words, making alluring textural descriptions of several generations of an American family. We take a seat on a journey and view our collective culture through the clothes that tie these stories together.”

—Giselle Shepatin, clothing and fabric designer

"Whether you want to slip into something sill³$