Talks & Entertainment

Everyone has a memoir in miniature in at least one piece of clothing. In Worn Stories, Spivack has collected over sixty of these clothing-inspired narratives from cultural figures and talented storytellers. First-person accounts range from the everyday to the extraordinary, such as artist Marina Abramovic on the boots she wore to walk the Great Wall of China; musician Rosanne Cash on the purple shirt that belonged to her father; and fashion designer Cynthia Rowley on the Girl Scout sash that informed her business acumen.

By turns funny, tragic, poignant, and celebratory, Worn Stories offers a revealing look at the clothes that protect us, serve as a uniform, assert our identity, or bring back the past—clothes that are encoded with the stories of our lives.

Spivack will share the experiences and thoughtful philosophy that led her to the founding of this project and others. She is a Brooklyn-based artist, writer, and editor who created the Smithsonian’s blog Threaded and collects stories for the Internet found-art project Sentimental Value.

Have your own worn story? Bring a piece of clothing and share the story behind it (in 1 minute or less) toward the end of the program. Book signing to follow.

*Emily will also be the guest speaker at Table Service the following night, January 30.