Trusting each other to decipher our code of dress
Getting dressed isn’t arbitary. There is code, language, meaning, symbols. We trust each other to be fluent in this hidden language.
“Recognition, as individuals or as groups, and surface decoration has aided the swift division between those wishing to lead and those ready to be led while establishing unity between the like-minded.
…Humans compete and impress in order to propel or maintain their position, and embellishment can be a tool to bedazzle others for own gain.
The quality of the workmanship and preciousness of the textures communicates our status and intent so we trust in each others ability to decipher our code of dress.
…Changing how we dress can mean we are perceived differently. Subconsciously we scan each other looking for clues as to the potential viability of a new relationship, or to gauge the emotional state of a friend. We dress to impress, to further our ambitions to win money, power and love.”
- from How to Make a Dress, by Jenny Packham, published 2021
Reference
Packham, J. (2021). How to Make a Dress. London: Quadrille Publishing.
Wearing colour well can become walking in art
Colour is foundational to the dressmaker’s art and the wearer’s style. Finding the right route, and a nuanced and depthful approach to colour takes time, but pays dividends.
“I enjoy women who wear colour well, those who can combine unexpected tones, artful prints and bold accessories. Those who take the time to indulge in self presentation and to consider how they wish to be received by the world, understanding both the power and pleasure it can transfer.
However it is a skill, and it takes time to find your colours, match up flattering hues and have the willingness to experiment.
But those who get it right become walking art…
…For me, to understand the nuances of each colour helps me to design, and to create styles that can both empower and inspire.
I design for women who want to become an unforgettable version of themselves and therefore the shade I choose will be intrinsic to the success of the style.”
- from How to Make a Dress, by Jenny Packham, published 2021
Reference
Packham, J. (2021). How to Make a Dress. London: Quadrille Publishing.
The amalgamation of good ideas generously donated by history with innovative creativity
Allowing ones work to be influenced by the work of others is smart, innovative and creates depth.
“Sometimes the onset of inspiration can't really be explained…after all, inspiration shouldn't be too obvious in the final product.
…Van Gogh collected prints by Japanese artists, notably those by Hokusai and Hiroshige….[and] used the inspiration within his own style, adding depth and balance amid his wild brushstrokes.
Nothing is truly original so the aim is to create the appearance of originality through the amalgamation of good ideas generously donated by history with innovative creativity. ”
- from How to Make a Dress, by Jenny Packham, published 2021
Reference
Packham, J. (2021). How to Make a Dress. London: Quadrille Publishing.
Anni Albers on the weaving craft
Craft and art. Art and craft. Steps on the same spectrum.
“Like any craft [weaving] may end in producing useful objects, or it may rise to the level of art.”
- Anni Albers, German textile artist
Recycling the past - and from them creating something that lives again
Creativity is not a synonym for originality. We can recycle the past to inspire future directions, and there ain’t nothing wrong in that.
“This small room was alive with women chatting and laughing, even dancing, all begging me for acknowledgment. This was a catacomb of women's lives to inspire me.
For years I had forbidden myself to ‘copy’ others, preferring to think in my youthful arrogance that my ideas would always be my own.
But suddenly, recycling the past - connecting with fantasy moments and from them creating something that lived again - seemed a magical prospect.
Ever since that day I've been inspired by vintage clothes – it’s like having my own fashion wormhole.
…When I try the vintage stores, I am looking for a beauty to recycle and make my own. I'm searching for a new colour, an extinct shape, the Golden Fleece of fashion.”
-[speaking about her experience perusing a vintage shop]
from How to Make a Dress, by Jenny Packham, published 2021
Reference
Packham, J. (2021). How to Make a Dress. London: Quadrille Publishing.
The occasional lies behind the creative journey
A good reminder that making something great matters more than having the perfect explanation.
“I presume that she [the journalist] will ask me about the inspiration for particular styles, and my answers will be mostly accurate.
However, sometimes I'm forced to lie a little, because the truth behind the creative journey is not always as glamorous as others anticipate.
My intention is to inspire people with my own inspiration - and, like many artists, I am sometimes better at creating than describing my work. ”
- from How to Make a Dress, by Jenny Packham, published 2021
Reference
Packham, J. (2021). How to Make a Dress. London: Quadrille Publishing.
Hannah Arendt on totalitarian rule
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction … no longer exists.”
- Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1951
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was a German-born American political theorist and philosopher, widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. She was Jewish and fled Nazi Germany in 1933, eventually settling in the United States in 1941.
What Arendt is saying
Totalitarianism thrives not on ideological conviction, but on confusion and disorientation.
The most susceptible individuals are those who can no longer tell what is true and what is false, or what is real and what is fabricated.
This erosion of the boundary between fact and fiction makes people vulnerable to propaganda, manipulation, and authoritarian control.
When truth becomes relative or irrelevant, people stop resisting lies, and power can reshape reality without opposition.
Why it matters
Arendt’s insight is especially relevant in contexts where:
Disinformation is widespread (e.g., through media, social platforms, or state propaganda).
Truth is politicized or undermined, leading to public distrust in institutions.
People disengage from critical thinking, preferring narratives that feel emotionally satisfying over those that are factually accurate.
Arendt’s Notable ideas & Major Works:
The Banality of Evil: Arendt argued that evil can be committed by ordinary people who accept the premises of their state and participate without critical thought.
Totalitarianism: She analyzed how modern regimes use ideology and terror to dominate every aspect of life.
Vita Activa vs. Vita Contemplativa: A distinction between active life (labor, work, action) and contemplative life (thinking, judging).
Natality: The concept that human beings are capable of new beginnings, central to her view of political action.
The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) – a foundational analysis of Nazism and Stalinism.
The Human Condition (1958) – explores the nature of human activity and political life.
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (1963) – a controversial account of the trial of Nazi official Adolf Eichmann.
On Revolution (1963) and Between Past and Future (1961) – further explorations of political theory.
Cutting is higher risk than sewing
A reminding quote that scissors in-hand is as much a part of successful garment construction as time at the machine. There are few ways to correct a faulty cut.
“Guilds regulated the various steps in garment production minutely. For instance, the statutes of the 13th century Parisian tailors’ guild reserved cutting cloth for established masters, leaving sewing to subordinate workers called valets cousturiers.
Cloth was so expensive that cutting it was a high-risk operation. A faulty stitch can be removed, but a faulty cut can ruin an entire piece of fabric.
Couturier, which comes from coudre, to sew, was thus enshrined as a lower-status occupation than tailleur, or tailor, which derives from tailler, to cut.”
- from Worn by Sofi Thanhauser, published 2022
Fortune fares þer as ho fraynez
A mystery medieval author on how Lady Luck shows up.
Cotton Nero A. X, art.2, f.42, England [N.W. Midlands]; circa 1375-1400 [text]. circa 1400-1410 [miniatures], From the British Library archive
“Fortune fares þer as ho fraynez.”
- Pearl l. 129, [Composed ?c1380], unknown author
Written by an unknown author, in the 14th century, it’s part of his allegorical poem Pearl, which is believed to be about a father’s grief over loss of a daughter (‘Perle’)
In modern English, the line means: "Fortune goes where she asks." - or more interpretively - "Fortune follows where she inquires."
Fortune = personified as a female figure, as was common in medieval literature.
fares = travels, moves, proceeds.
þer as = where, in the place where.
ho fraynez = she asks, she questions.
Just one emblem of the possibility of better clothes
“You yourself may make clothes.
Even if it becomes just one emblem of the possibility of better clothes, this one emblem can make dressing heartening.”
- from Worn by Sofi Thanhauser, published 2022
How France became the home of fashion
“Beginning in 1660, the king [Louis XIV], alongside his finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, took charge of the minute details of French clothing, just as he had of all else…
When Louis came to power [aged 5] in 1643, Spain, not France, dictated European fashion.
In the early 17th century; aristocratic style, with its starched ruffs, rigidity, and overwhelming use of black, was a Spanish export. Black gowns were very expensive, made from Mexican logwood, and displayed the extent of Spanish wealth and empire. Louis XIV made France the fashion capital of Europe; the king wielded clothing to enhance the prestige of the monarchy and the French court. Colbert, meanwhile, monetised the king's considerable genius as a fashion director by ensuring that the thirst for French fashion and lifestyle spread, with the profits benefiting local French artisans. The revenue gained from the burgeoning French luxury goods industries would then be reinvested in the military, funding Louis XIV's many wars….
Together, Louis XIV and Colbert reinvented the luxury goods industry. France's luxury industry was not yet capable of producing items of comparable quality to lace and mirrors in Venice, silk in Milan, or tapestries in Brussels, but heavy import duties were imposed on foreign items, while foreign cloth and trimmings were banned outright.
In another policy intended to support French artisans, Colbert mandated that new textiles appear seasonally, twice a year, so that on 1 November, the court was required to put aside lightweight silks and don velvet instead. Thus, the fashion season was born. Colbert's calendar provided a predictable cycle for the textile industry and laypeople alike. To ensure that people bought plenty of cloth, Colbert mandated that textile patterns change each year, so that it would be obvious if anyone was wearing last year's fabric. In 1668, Louis demanded by edict that his courtiers “remain fashionable”, and instituted a strict dress code.”
- from Worn by Sofi Thanhauser, published 2022
Virginia Woolf on clothes and identity
We literally are what we wear.
“Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than to merely keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world’s view of us.”
- from her novel Orlando: A Biography, published in 1928
Orlando: A Biography is a semi-satirical, fantastical novel that spans over 300 years of English history. It follows Orlando, a nobleman who mysteriously transforms into a woman and lives through centuries without aging significantly.
This quote appears during a moment of reflection on how Orlando’s change in gender affects not only her internal experience but also how she is perceived by the world. Woolf uses clothing as a symbol of gender performance - highlighting how societal expectations are often tied to external appearances.
Even in 1928, Woolf challenges binary notions of gender, showing how identity can transcend physical form.
The novel critiques how society imposes roles and expectations based on superficial markers like clothing.
Orlando’s long life allows Woolf to explore how identity evolves across eras and cultures.
Fredome mays man to haiff liking
A fight for independence.
“Fredome mays man to haiff liking.”
- John Barbour
Written by Scottish poet John Barbour, in the 14th century, it’s part of his epic poem The Brus, which tells the story of Robert the Bruce and Scotland's fight for independence.
In modern English, it means: "Freedom allows a person to have happiness (or contentment)."
Fredome = Freedom
Mays = Makes / Allows
Man = A person
To haiff liking = To have pleasure, satisfaction, or happiness
Barbour was celebrating the idea that liberty is essential to human joy and fulfillment.
Thoughts from Carpe Diem Regained by Roman Krznaric
A book on seizing the day, and doing more of that. My reflections and key takeaways.
Different personas who seize the day
The Experimentalist
Wings it
Pretends to know more than they do to seize an opportunity
The Death Gazer
Is acutely aware of their mortality
Is compelled to seize life because they think about how short it is
The Daredevil
Their efforts to seize the day involve great danger
The Role-breaker
Refuses to conform
Refuses to allow any ‘role’ to define which opportunities they should seize or pursue
The Opportunist
Lie, bribe, cheat, steal and exploit
Bend the rules to seize the opportunities they want
The Revolutionary
Aims to seize history
Like to think they are seizing the day on behalf of more than themselves
How to be more spontaneous
Practise first – like an artist or an athlete – this makes seizing the opportunity easier when it comes along
Accept offers and say yes more – everything is an offer even if it may not be phrased as one!
Notice more
Let go – forget fear and judgement – allow yourself to be vulnerable
Use everything – everything is a spark for spontaneity
Reflections on The Lost Art of Dress, by Linda Przybyszewski
A book about The Dress Doctors, a troop of women operating during the early-to-mid 20th century who advised American women on style and clothing throughout the Great Depression, World Wars and social upheaval.
“Knowledge, not money, is the key to beauty in dress.”
This has been on my want-to-read list for quite some time, and I’m so very glad I finally got round to it.
It’s both opinionated and academic, an in-depth look at how there was once a proud, educated, and forthright group of women who were embedded in the US education system through Home Economics, who taught dressmaking and style.
“By teaching dressmaking, the Dress Doctors made women into creators, not just shoppers....[The Dress Doctors’] aim was the creation of what they called “artistic repose”, the moment when the discerning eye takes in a design as a whole and finds it perfectly satisfying in colour, line and form.”
Their teachings not only honed students’ creative expression, their dressmaking skills and their ability to dress themselves well and beautifully, but it also lead to paying careers for women, independence, an ability to handle a budget, problem solving skills and a self-assuredness in how they presented themselves to the world. They also sought to teach the principles of art and an appreciation for utility equally matched by beauty.
This book is about a combination of dressmaking, art, cultural history of the 20th century, women’s independence, and fashion, and seeks to tie all the different threads together. I think it does it very very well.
I loved everything about this book.
“…by dressing well, a woman could gain ‘a basic sense of security and self-respect’ that would release her ‘from the tensions caused by concerns about her appearance. She would then be free to give her full attention to the more vital matters, for herself, and for the welfare of others.’ Dressing beautifully was satisfying in itself, because the human soul and eye craved beauty, but it was also a means to a more work-a-day end.”