Worn in New York: 68 Sartorial Memoirs of the City

by Emily Spivack

The boots a passenger had on when his plane landed on the Hudson River.
The tank top Andy Warhol’s assistant wore to one of their nightclub outings together.
The jacket a taxi driver put on to feel safe as he worked the night shift. 
—

These and over sixty other clothing-inspired narratives make up Worn in New York, the latest volume from New York Times bestselling author Emily Spivack. In these first-person accounts, contributors in and out of the public eye share surprising, personal, wild, poignant, and funny stories behind a piece of clothing that reminds them of a significant moment of their New York lives. Worn in New York offers a contemporary cultural history of the city—its changing identity, temper, and tone, and its irrepressible vitality—by paying tribute to these well-loved clothes and the people who wore them.

Includes contributions from:

Adam Horovitz
Amy Heckerling
Andre Royo
Anna Sui
Aubrey Plaza
Catherine Opie
Coco Rocha
Dick Cavett
Eileen Myles
Fab 5 Freddy
Gay Talese
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
JD Samson
Jenji Kohan
Jenna Lyons
Kyp Malone
Lena Dunham
Pee Wee Kirkland
Thelma Golden
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Essays, Coffee Table Books

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2017

About the author

Emily Spivack’s work spans culture, fashion, and social innovation. She has spent the past ten years exploring the way that clothing functions from a variety of cultural, historical, and therapeutic perspectives. For six years, she was the Executive Director of Shop Well with You, a New York-based national not-for-profit organization she founded which helps women with cancer improve their body-image and quality of life by using their clothing as a wellness tool. Emily has spent five years collecting stories about clothing and memory from eBay posts for a website she curates, Sentimental Value (http://sentimental-value.com), and she recently had a solo exhibition of the Internet found-art project at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.

In 2010, Emily launched Worn Stories (http://wornstories.com), a collection of stories she edits from interesting people about clothing and memory. Worn Stories will be published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2014. Emily is the creator and writer of the Smithsonian’s only blog about fashion history, drawing from their vast collection and beyond, called Threaded (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/t...).

Currently, Emily consults for SustainAbility, a think tank focused on the future of sustainable development. She was the editor-in-chief at PopTech, a network of people, conferences, and ideas that are changing the world from 2010-2012. From 2008-2010, Emily was the founding director of Dowser, a media organization highlighting stories about social innovation. Emily has lectured and presented at universities, museums and festivals including New York University, Brown University, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt, Parsons, the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, and the First Person Arts Festival. Emily and her work have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fast Company’s Co.Design, Brainpickings, Lucky, Glamour, and Ecouterre among other publications.

Reviews

[Rumeur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely! I’ve been to NYC many times & it was interesting to read about these short, memoirs of somewhat famous, famous & ordinary people & the clothing they have pretty much worn, most days. From shirts, jackets & boots. Perhaps not everybody might not be as interested in reading about these people & their stories, but having grown up somewhat near NYC & knowing some of the names in this book, or the people they were associated with, I found most enjoyable :) Plus I was sent a WORN IN New York tote bag ! I was extremely happy at having won this particular book

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Many thanks to the author & Abrams publishing & Image. In return I’ve given an honest review of this book

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was great! I haven't read Spivack's first book, but plan to now. I love anthologies or collections, and this one was so unique in the sense that it was a collection of stories from 68 contributors about an article of clothing that reminded them of their time in New York. Stories came from people who were/are long-time New Yorkers to people who just visited once. Each item was unique in the story it told. I was even surprised to learn some new things about celebrities I thought I was familiar with. Although short, the way these interviews were conducted and the items were photographed create an intimacy that's very special to experience.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love New York City and I love clothes, so this book was absolutely meant for me. Nice, short essays about some (famous and not-so-famous) city denizens about an article of clothing in their closets. Inspired me to look in my own closet, and relive some memories. Begs the question: why do we keep certain items of clothing and not others?

[Kylee Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Fun to read and made me think back and remember "that" pair of jeans and the funny memories associated with them. Unlike any other book I've read in the past. Happy I got a chance to read something so different and enjoyed it so much. Terrific!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the subject interests me I think this book
is better if it’s read in parts
I read it through because I wanted to see the items
Of clothing they were important to New Yorkers
Definitely worth it if you’re interested in clothing from an anthropological perspective

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It captures New York and its quirky inhabitants through their clothing. Met some fascinating people here, like Aya Kanai, Beauregard Houston-Montgomery and Brenda Berkman, whose little stories fascinated me enough to dig a little deeper into their lives online.

[Riley Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book, makes me feel like home, the perfect thing you can keep coming back to and rediscovering and remember how varied and amazing life is especially in my favorite place in the world New York cityyyy. I would like to write a collection of sartorial memoirs after reading this

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting snapshots into the lives of 68 people who live (or have lived) in NYC, told through a single item of clothing from each and about 2 pages of text per photo.

[Juanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd give 6 stars if I could. A collection of very human, personal stories, using items of clothing as the starting point, and giving a feel for what it is like to live in NYC.

[Olivia Hannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

WDStF challenge
#38

[Diana Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of feel like this, more than just "Worn", is the book she really wanted to present.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skipped a couple of wild stories, but most of them were pretty interesting.

[Ynna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the stories and memories associated with an article of clothing. I thought this was a great collection of essays from an array of New Yorkers with different careers, neighborhoods, and times in the city. The book has a lovely cover and I liked the minimal layout of each article of clothing. My favorite story was about Jenna Lyons' Met Gala feathered skirt. This is a great gift for the fashionable people in your life.