OPEN AND CLOTHED:
FOR THE PASSIONATE CLOTHES LOVER

"Ingenious, informative, enthralling -- OPEN AND CLOTHED: FOR THE PASSIONATE CLOTHES LOVER speaks to every woman who has ever looked at the clothes in her closet and come to the conclusion she has nothing to wear. The quotes alone kept me riveted. OPEN AND CLOTHED is a rich potpourri of history, art, shopping tips, fashion and fashion plates all intermingling with Siegel's deadpan wit. Dorothy Parker would have approved."

Joyce Freedman, shopping columnist, East Bay Monthly, Berkeley, California

"OPEN AND CLOTHED is captivating and liberating! You will never look at the contents of your closet in the same way. Required reading for all our academy girls."

Veronica Vera, founder and author, Miss Vera's Finishing School For Boys Who Want To Be Girls, NYC

Chronicling the intense and often hilarious obsessions of clothes lovers, Open and Clothed explores the joy and pain of surrendering to this secret clothing passion.

"Open and Clothed meets clothes junkies where they live," says author Andrea Siegel. "We go into closets, pushing past bags filled with the 357 pairs of socks a Seattle shopper never wears but can't give up, unearthing vintage satin ball gowns and balled-up gym shorts in a San Francisco drag queen's bedroom/closet, climbing over discarded dress patterns in the LA costumer's loft closet to see her newest creations. Each person assures me 'We'll just spend a few minutes.' This means about six hours."

From these investigations come hard-earned wisdom, "The thrill of buying is the same as the thrill of throwing out," states physician Alan Gelman from the depths of his impeccably designed, maple-paneled walk-in closet, as he tosses a fine French cambric shirt into a large bag for charity. He buys nothing new without discarding something that has gone out of favor.

From these adventures come tales of pain. Starting with a leopard print bra and bikini underpants, one passionate shopper searched for everything she wanted, and didn't stop buying until it almost destroyed her. "I got lost," confides shoe-aholic Isabelle Klein. "I thought, 'I'm not waiting for a man to treat me; I need to do this for myself.'"

Near the end, I had over 100 pairs of shoes. I had fourteen coats, one a full-length Fendi mink from Bergdorf's. It was marked down from $20,000 to $12,000. I just charged it. The monthly installments on this coat were $480. I could have been driving a Mercedes. There was no way in the world I could make the payments...

Not on an income of $24,000 a year. "I created a monster," she says. Read chapter 14 to find out where she went from there.

From these interviews come valuable camouflaging tips. Clothes horse Jeremy Stone comments:

My thighs are my own personal business. Unless we're in love you're not seeing my thighs anyway. My theory is: With shoulder pads and control-top pantyhose, nobody needs to know.

Where does Andrea find these people? She first meets Russ Harvey in a Berkeley bookstore. Mesmerized by his shirt depicting lush tropical islands against a dark night sky filled with exploding fireworks, she exclaims, "Great shirt!" "Thank you," he replies. "I call it Midnight in Balboa on the Fourth of July." To her surprise, Mr. Harvey pulls out a leather-bound album with over 30 pictures of himself in different shirts he's made, and with dignity tells her the name of each.

By interviewing 50 passionate clothes lovers, researching costume libraries, and investigating museums on three continents, Andrea Siegel creates an entertaining mosaic of stories, history, and gentle advice.

For the active clothes addict, Open and Clothed is a guidebook to personal wardrobe bliss. For those who wear clothes, Open and Clothed is the ultimate resource for finding the deepest meaning of self through wardrobe consciousness. Come, join us on this colorful journey through the hearts, minds, and closets of clothes lovers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Writer and textile artist Andrea Siegel lives in New York. Her writing has appeared in Salon, Vogue, and the New York Times. She has a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION

Title: Open and Clothed
Author: Andrea Siegel
Imprint: Agapanthus Books
Publication Date: December 1999
Price: $24.00
ISBN: 0-9672750-0-8
Pages: 350 w/ 16 black and white illustrations
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