5/5
This little book is pretending to be about clothes, but don't believe it. Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a memoir of Ilene Beckerman's life (so far). Divided into decades starting with the 1940s, Beckerman gives a two-page spread on significant outfits she's worn in her life. On the left is a narrative, and on the right is a hand-drawn color illustration of the outfit. She starts out with her Brownie uniform, which brought back some memories for me as well. (By the 1980s, most of the Brownies I knew were only wearing sashes, not the full outfit, but I remember going to the mall with my mom and my aunt when I was in first grade to buy the brown sash and the numbers 287.)
Embedded in the descriptions of the colors, the fabrics, and where she bought the clothes are windows into her life. Some are beautiful, some are fun, and some are heart-breaking. I don't want to give any of that away here.
OK, well, here's one. Bust just one. ;)
It's featured in the book 1000 Books to Read Before You Die (of which I've only read about 60... so I need to get on that...) and can be read in one sitting, but please don't rush through this. Let her revelations sneak up on you.
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