We share an excerpt from new book, Women in Clothes
Women in Clothes is a new book by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, Leanne Shapton and 639 other women, who share an autobiographical attachment to clothing and an insightful eye for the age-old art of dress. Made up from a delightful array of surveys, diagrams, drawings and conversations, it is the kind of book designed for dipping in and out of. Part advice, part observation, it questions the subtle differences between taste and style, while looking at the emotional weight of say, a mother’s dress, or a garment lost. There is also a great series of photographs titled Collections, which captures the touching everyday items that women subconsciously collect, from safety pins and over-the-knee socks, to lipbalms, combs and elastic bands. Here, we share an exclusive excerpt from a conversation between iconic photographer Cindy Sherman and bratpack alumni Molly Ringwald.
Molly: You’ve always been a style icon for me in terms of how I want to look. You’re very fashionable but you never look like you’re a slave to it. You just have this flair. What is your first clothing memory?
Cindy: Oh gosh, I was maybe eleven or so. And because I loved paper dolls, I made paper-doll versions of all the clothes I would wear to school. I had a little pegboard with days of the week, and on the weekend – Sunday night, I guess – I’d figure out my outfits for the whole week ahead. I think it was because of a math teacher I had, and I was amazed at how she seemed to be wearing different outfits every single day, never repeating for months at a time. I mean, you’d see the same skirt show up, or the same sweater, but she would always work it with a different configuration. I was so impressed by that. I think that’s what inspired me to do these little cut-outs.
“I don’t think celebrities take enough risks...everybody just looks tasteful and kind of all the same” — Cindy Sherman
Molly: When you started making art and taking photographs, did you know that it was going to only be you in the pictures? Did you ever think you were going to include other people?
Cindy: I don’t remember thinking about it one way or the other, but I didn’t expect to be doing basically the same thing for thirty years. I guess in the beginning I thought, I’m doing one project that is using myself, and who knows what I’ll do after that? I did try shooting other people at times – friends or family members. I even paid somebody to model, but it made me so self-conscious. I just wanted to entertain the person.
Molly: When you’re thinking of a new character, do clothes always play a part?
Cindy: A lot of times the clothes actually determine it. When I did the clowns, I was researching them online. I didn’t want to just buy clown outfits, which you can easily get. The imagery online that I was interested in, or influenced by, was of clowns who just looked like do-it-yourself clowns. People who just looked a bit funkier appealed to me because I started to wonder, is that an alcoholic hiding behind this clown mask? What’s under the clown make-up and the funky costume?
Molly: Do you feel women in general take enough risks in what they wear?
Cindy: Well I don’t think celebrities take enough risks — especially celebrities who have a creative side and probably know exactly what they feel good in. But that’s because they get torn apart in the press so much they’re afraid of taking chances. So everybody just looks tasteful and kind of all the same.
A selection of AnOther’s favourite ‘Collections’ images from Women and Clothes...
Women in Clothes by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits & Leanne Shapton is out now.