- HALLIE EPHRON: Fanfare! It's WHAT WE'RE WRITING WEEK! I go first with this condensed excerpt from CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR (August 2019, Wm Morrow) which seems utterly appropriate after last week's take-down of fashion trends (thanks, Julia!)
Background: Emily Harlow is a 30-something professional organizer. She's filming a ritualized (see Marie Kondo) clearing-out of her own closet, keeping only those items that spark joy, when she comes across turquoise jumpsuit that brings back memories. A decision looms...
PS: I really did have a turquoise "parachute jumpsuit" which I loved. I wore it so many times that I wore out the seat. Here's the only picture I can find: a headless me wearing it at my daughter's 7th birthday party.
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR by Hallie Ephron - first ever peek
Goodness, now I have to wait until August to see if the jumpsuit sparks joy and to read the rest of the story??? Thanks for the intriguing first peek, Hallie.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a hat on the closet shelf that has survived the occasional closet purge even though I’m certain I will never wear it again . . . does that count??
Of course it does! Did you ever wear it? I have 3 hats like that. One I wore to my daughter's wedding. The others I can't explain.
DeleteI wore it once . . . there's no rhyme or reason to my having this hat, but it does seem to have made itself quite at home on the closet shelf.
DeleteI'm so glad to see What We're Writing make a return to the blog . . . .
I have huge walk-in closets in this house, and only my clothing to fill them, so there's a lot of stuff in there, but I do try to keep on top of it. It helps me to know that my sister is one or two sizes smaller than I am, so when I regained the new-widow weight loss and could no longer fit into that cute suede jacket or sassy sweater, I could offer them to her and not let go of them entirely. It also helps that I have access to "worthy" places to donate, like the clothing bank at her church, or a friend's housekeeper, who keeps whole realms of her family in clothing. It's weird to worry about the "afterlife" of a purple velveteen jacket I never took the tags off of, but there you go. I wouldn't want to just drive up to Goodwill and dump it.
ReplyDeleteAnd that doesn't even begin to tackle the metric tons of stuff I still have to sort through from the old house. Sigh. The peril of having a house that's too big is that you're never really forced to deal with the junk you drag around and never sort. Maybe I need to hire Emily. I hope she still finds joy in Frank.
Thanks for the sneak peek, Hallie!
A purple velveteen jacket?! What size...
DeleteI am of the belief that velvet is an every day fabric. And the color purple? You can never have too much purple in your wardrobe.
DeleteWhat Lyda Said!
DeleteI'll have to dig it out and see if it still fits. It would have been size 18 or 20. I'm sure I have several dramatic scarves to go with it.
DeleteWhen we built this house 15 years ago, I looked at the yawning emptiness of the threee 16’ walk-in closets and full walk-up attic and said we’ll never fill them. Now, beginning to think about down-sizing, I am beginning to think a dumpster is the only solution. And it is not all my stuff.
ReplyDelete"And it is not all my stuff."
DeleteThat's what they all say. ;-)
Interesting thought Gigi- when does the purge include the relationships, not just the stuff? Great first peek, Hallie!
ReplyDeleteThere are two items in my closet that give me joy and I have never worn either of them. The first is a jacket from the late 40's or possibly the early 50's. It is beautifully tailored and the detail work is exquisite. It's label is hand sewn and reads "Rosenblooms, Your Store for Famous Brands" Jackson, Tenn. Let me say that I don't collect vintage clothing but when I saw this jacket I felt so connected to it. I wanted to be the kind of woman who would have worn it.
The second is a dress, a little black dress, every inch of which is covered in black jet beading sewn on to 100% silk. It swirls and swishes and dances when it moves. I have a hope that one of these days I will go to my closet and it will be waiting, the perfect dress for that once in a lifetime event. That's why it gets to stay.
I'm with you on keeping BOTH of those. It's why I love to shop vintage clothing - it's where dreams are born.
DeleteI love where this story is going!
ReplyDeleteI never remember owning a jumpsuit, although I d have a tendency to block-out bad choices! Don't even ask what I would look like in one!
The clothing item I have hung on to, and always will, is a poncho that my dad gave me. I was 13 and my dad brought it home from Yucatan. It is beautiful! It is thick wool, handmade, in a local design. I wore it constantly in winter. I still wear it now, 45 years later!
I had a pink/red woven wool poncho I wore through college. When my daughter was in college she asked if she could have it. Be still my beating heart.
DeleteI had a dark green wool monk's cloak that I bought when I was in junior high. I wore it through college, even though the buttons popped off and the lining got torn. Eventually I offered it to my niece, who had it refurbished--new lining, etc.--and she still wears it all the time. I miss it.
DeleteLove the excerpt, Hallie! I have the long Bedouin dress my sister brought me from Israel in 1979. I think the last time I wore it I was pregnant (and my youngest is about to turn 30). It has vertical stripes of magenta and indigo, but the cloth is probably rotting by now - she had picked it up used. I can't seem to remove it from my closet.
ReplyDeleteSOunds like a keeper to me, too.
DeleteLove the jumpsuit and the memories it evokes! After the birth of baby #3 and facing a move to Atlanta, I acquired a tie-dyed style purple and blue silk tunic and harem pants. The baby is through college, but I still have the outfit, which marked my exit from small-town Ohio life and nine years of raising small children.
ReplyDeleteI hope you still wear it! It sounds fabulous.
DeleteSo interesting, Hallie! And so much to think about here… I do think, though, that it has a different tone than your previous books. Doesn’t it?
ReplyDeleteUh... scratching my head. I wouldn't have said so but I need to think about it.
DeleteI had a jumpsuit, too, it was denim. I absolutely loved it! But that was when I was a freshman in college, I think. And it is long gone. But I do I have a gorgeous designer suit, tweed with a midcalf length skirt and gorgeous shoulders, bought at Bergdorfs in the 1980s which is so outdated it is ridiculous. But I love it. And see, I wore it for the crime bake party to dress as Harriet Vane. And it was perfect! So you never know.
ReplyDeleteI remember that suit! But can I just say you are a rare bird, Hank, who can wear a suit she bought in the '80s... still. An aside: are you watching the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the amazing clothes?!?! I want all of it.
DeleteHallie, I was thinking exactly the same thing. Only Hank can wear something she bought 30-40 years ago. Sigh
DeleteAnyone else watching the Agatha Raisin series and her amazing clothes? Nothing I would ever wear in a million years (assuming I could get into them...) but I think they are fabulous.
DeleteI am, Debs. She's gorgeous, full stop. Her clothes are always so cool, and so inappropriate for village life!
DeleteOh, LOVE the clothes in Mrs. Maisel. Swooning. Those waists and belts! (And I don't watch Agatha Raisin, Debs, but I know what you mean. Like Lady Mary's red dress in Downton Abbey.)
DeleteOh Deborah! I adore Agatha. The next episode airs on Christmas Day and I've made a date with myself. After Christmas is well celebrated and the dishes are done and the family has gone home, I'm going to snuggle in with Aggie! (I do love her wardrobe.)
DeleteAgatha's clothes are great! I laugh every time I see her wearing her high heels, trying to walk on cobblestones, climb fences, etc.
DeleteLyda, me, too! I intend for that to be my Christmas night treat, assuming that the dishes are done... I'm so glad they renewed this series. It's much lighter than my usual dark-British-crime-drama fare, but I absolutely adore it. And Ashley Jennings, who is just wonderful.
DeleteAh, Agatha! I just love that show. And her clothes--I am so envious of those handbags! I couldn't in a million years wear her shoes. Or that orange lipstick she somehow manages to pull off. The actress who plays Agatha is just wonderful--with that incredibly mobile face that can express a thousand shades of disbelief, puzzlement, etc. I'll be out of town for the airing of the next episode, but maybe I can pry my MIL away from the Hallmark Channel long enough to log into my Britbox sub.
Delete-Melanie
And sometimes, it's not just the sight and touch of fabric that evokes our memories and emotions, sometimes it's a scent that lingers, too. I am hoping, Hallie, that Frank and Emily can find a way to still spark joy....will be waiting to find out!
ReplyDeleteMy brother's high school letter jacket hangs in my closet. When the boys were in high school and having a hard time, for whatever reason, I would give them his jacket to wear. It was like seeing his arms wrapped around them. For myself, years ago I wore a long, hunter green gown to a fundraising event for a scholarship program in memory of a dear friend. The gown had a matching bolero with silver beading. I couldn't bear to part with it, although I knew I'd never wear it again. But a few years ago, I looked at the photos from that night--my friends and I flushed with happiness and success, and let the dress go.
On whether Frank and Emily spark: Flora, it's a crime novel, not a romance (heh heh heh heh...
DeleteHoping hat hunter green dress with the beaded bolero lives on in someone else's clost.
oops...
DeleteHoping THAT hunter green dress lives on
So many times I've gotten rid of something I wish I had kept, whether it still fit or not. There is one dress in my closet that I simply cannot part with even though I'm pretty sure it no longer fits. It's navy blue with sheer sleeves. I loved the dress, I looked great in it (so I say) and it is just me.
ReplyDeleteI have some dresses I've kept, saying they're for my eventual grandchidlren's dressup box. As if.
DeleteI have an oversized, chambray shirt embroidered with Looney Tunes characters (the front is their fronts and the back has, well, you know). I bought it in high school. I do not know why I keep it, except The Girl used to wear it occasionally.
ReplyDeleteMary/Liz
Sounds delightul. There's a reason... only time will reveal.
DeleteThanks for sharing this promising beginning to the next book. In the back of my closet? There is a lemon yellow suede miniskirt, bought after I started working and thought I could, just once, have something completely impractical. ("So there, mom!")And wore it on first date with husband. It's now a dull old-gold color,it's been decades since I could button it, and one of my daughters wore it for a Halloween hippie costume, with bandanna on her forehead and tie-dyed tights. But I keep it.
ReplyDeleteThere! See?!? Kids dress up. Trying to remember what I wore on my first date with my hussband. (I just asked him and he remembers! (he's a keeper) A tweed jumper. JUMPER! Now that's something no one wears any more... which means it's surely about to come back.)
DeleteJumpers! I have a picture of my sisters and me from 2000, maybe, in California. All three of us are wearing cotton jumpers over t-shirts.
DeleteJumpers! Yes, those were great. Now they're called "dresses" and you don't wear anything underneath.
DeleteHA HA HA HA! You got that right. Brrrrrr.
DeleteHummimg ... Jumpsuits, I've had a few, a few too few to mention ...
ReplyDeleteWe have a large house and very limited closet room. That's what you get in something built a hundred years ago. Therefore I am very good about getting things that go unworn to Goodwill or some charity resale shop. What I have is some ancient stuff that I continue to wear.
In 1994 or thereabout, I discovered fleece and I bought a couple of long sleeved ones at the Gap, pricey as I recall. Since then I, who live on the tundra, have bought many fleece garments. But the two original ones are still in the rotation while most of the others have got the way of the Good Will bag. Good goods lasts. And wears well. And feels good.
I also have a tweed blazer from Nordie's, boght in Seattle in maybe 2002. It is way too big for either me or Julie, bult she continues to wear it, sort of an Annie Hall look. It hasn't been in style in 15 years, but it is cute with jeans, and where does she have to go anyway!
Hallie, I look forward to the new book and to learning the fate of the parachute cloth jumpsuit.
This is reminding me how great clothes from the GAP used to be. Classic, well made, durable. I have some T-shirts I bought decades ago that still go through the wash about once a month. And a crisp white collared shirt.
DeleteSigh. Annie Hall. Tell me vests and suspenders aren't coming back.
Ann, I share the hundred-year-old house with few closets issue. I am absolutely amazed at all the stuff Rick has crammed into his side, including his high-school era t-shirts. I think I'm going to have a lot of sympathy with Hallie's character in the new book.
DeleteYes, I remember when the Gap had perfect t-shirts. I absolutely still wear mine. AND the white shirts. Although they are too big now. (Not because of me! Because of the style. :-) )
DeleteI wear my gap shirt over a bathing suit in the summer.
DeleteAs I recall, the Gap fleece shirts were around fifty bucks each. I think I got my money's worth. I also remember buying stuff at Cold Water Creek, before their stuff got flimsy and then they closed there stores. I get the catalogues but never look at them.
DeleteHallie, love the beginning of the new book! Now I'm going to go to bed tonight thinking, "where is that good book I was reading?" Can't wait for more.
ReplyDeleteI, too, had a jumpsuit. It was purple, with a black floral print over the purple, and yes, it did have slightly padded shoulders. I bought it at a designer charity sale after my post-divorce, stress-induced weight loss, and it was TINY. I wore it with a wide black leather belt. Wore it to my first ever book-signing, as a matter of fact. I did eventually let it go, but that was a hard parting.
Picture! Picture! Oh gosh would I love to see it.
DeleteDeborah- See comment above regarding purple. I swear by it!
DeleteHallie, such a tease this excerpt is!
ReplyDeleteI made a khaki jumpsuit in the late 70's from a Marlo Thomas pattern. I was gorgeous, and I loved it, until it got too snug. A lithe figure is the best for those looks.
For decades I hung onto one of my most glamorous garments, a sexy-as-hell white Qiana halter dress with a slit up the front. I wore it with five-inch black suede platform shoes, when I was with the 6'7" boyfriend, which meant I could actually see over his shoulder when we danced. I kept a couple of other dresses from that same era (remember when people actually danced?), and my youngest daughter, whose figure is very similar to mine, coopted them for high school dances. One was an awful, outdated aqua, but we dyed it to a deep maroon, and I added a little extra to the deep vee neck.
One thing I've saved, and rarely wear, is a cashmere cardigan that was my sister-in-law's. She died in 2001, but when I wear it it's like having her with us again.
Oh gosh that is another topic... clothes that remind us of the people we've lost. My winter coat is my sister Nora's black Issey Miyake coat. She gave it to one of my daughters but it swam on her so it got passed to me. It weighs about 1 ounce and keeps me warm in the single digits.
DeleteThat was supposed to be "IT was gorgeous."
DeleteWow, Hallie, what a great thing to have. And Issey Miyake never goes out of style.
I can't wait for this book, Hallie. YAY!
ReplyDeleteAs for clothing, those that follow me on Facebook probably saw the fuzzy sweater I wore to the Rufus Wainwright concert this weekend. It made me look like a cross between Cookie Monster and Grover. I have had this sweater for about 30 years, but when you only wear it once every 7 years - like a locust - you'd be surprised how long a garment can last. LOL
I DID see your fuzzy sweater on Facebook. Love the locust analogy.
DeleteI’m afraid my closet would give Marie Kondo a stroke!
ReplyDeleteOver the years I’ve donated clothing that no longer fit, if it was in good enough shape. Many items have just gone into the dumpster because I find it so hard to part with clothing, that I would often wear things until they turned into rags. Now that I have returned to my pre-knee injury weight I have started wearing some of the clothing I used to wear. A lot of it does need to be tossed, though, because I wore some of those items out.
I do have a couple of handmade sweaters I bought in consignment shops that I will never get rid of because they are just so beautiful. The designs just about tell a story! (And, being me, I wore them to pieces!)
DebRo
Marie Kondo would approve - she says keep what sparks joy and speaks to your heart.
DeleteSpectacular excerpt, Hallie, I am so very excited for this book!!! You paint the scene just beautifully. It also speaks to me personally, since my handsome Hub is a hoarder and I am a pitcher. My happiest days are when I fill garbage bags of my men's old clothes, sports equipment, etc. and throw them out or donate them, depending upon condition. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! The hooligans see me coming with a trash bag and lock their doors. LOL!
ReplyDeleteCracking up! I have never managed to get my husband to throw away anything but holey T-shirts and socks.
DeleteWow! That last paragraph is powerful stuff!
ReplyDeleteLibby Dodd
Thank you Thank you
DeleteBTW the 'working title' for this book was FOLDING FRANK
Love the except, Hallie! I want more. Since I "retired" and have no plans to unretire I have been through my closet several times, downsizing it. I've hung unto the leather skirt I bought in Spain in 1999. I don't know if it still fits and I'm afraid to find out. I have a lovely tweed jacket I got in Ireland in 1996. I have a feeling it is snug. And I have a gorgeous Christian Dior suit I bought at our church rummage sale in 98 or 99. I know it is snug. But I love the looks and memories and refuse to get rid of these items. In the back of my mind is the thought that someday I may be skinny again and can wear them.
ReplyDeleteThere are folks who can ALTER clothing! Surprisingly reasonable. And the Dior suit probably has room in the seams to make the adjustments. Just sayin'
DeleteClothes! My sweetie used to complain about what I paid for individual items of clothing. HOW much was that skirt?!? But, considering that navy blue flax skirt, as just one example, has been worn at least once a week, six months of the year, for well over a decade, the cost-per-wearing does kinda work out. I did do a major clothing purge about 7 years ago, when I had a panic in my early 40s and wanted to rid myself of any "mutton-dressed-as-lamb" garments. Also, who was I kidding? I was never going to be a size six again.
ReplyDelete-Melanie
In the back of my closet .... There are 2 wool shirts ...... Pendleton wool plaid shirts. One from the 50s and one from the 60s. Granddad's and Dad's. I have never worn Granddad's, his shoulders were narrower than mine. Dad's shirt I would wear with a blue turtleneck when I decorated the tree at my first post college job. I worked for the city rec and parks department at the time and the tree was in our only rec center. This trip down memory lane has me wondering if my nephew would like his great grandfather's shirt?
ReplyDeleteFascinating. I'm intrigued! I have several scarves I can't quite get rid of. Maybe I should just wear them!
ReplyDeleteGreat opening!
ReplyDelete