30 years later I’m wearing her jacket.

One day, my mom and I were both having sewing days with our friends, separated by hundreds of miles. She sent me a picture and asked if I wanted some clothes that her friend was offering me.

In the photos was a beautiful silk duponi jacket. It was one of the most intricate and colorful things I had ever seen. It looked like a wearable Picasso painting.

Of course, I said yes.

My biggest passion is styling clothes, even when they aren’t necessarily 100% my style off the rack. But there was something about this jacket. I just knew I was going to be so excited to have it once it came to me.

My mom gave me the phone number of the woman who gifted me the jacket. I immediately texted her pictures of how I had styled it and told her how appreciative I was that she thought of me.

That’s when she told me something I didn’t know.

The jacket was over 30 years old.

Her friend, the woman who made it, passed away about 16 years ago.

I have never felt so grateful to carry on a part of the legacy of a woman I will never get to meet. I have so many questions about this jacket that I know will probably never be answered. Who was she? What inspired her to make it? What was she thinking when she chose these colors? How many hours did she spend making it?

And, perhaps the question I think about the most: did she ever imagine that this jacket would still exist more than 30 years later?

I wonder if she ever thought it would survive this long and end up in the hands of a 26 year old with a fashion hobby. She probably didn’t. But I would like to think that, if she were still around, she would love knowing that someone is still excited to wear something she made.

All I know is that I’m grateful.

I’m so appreciative that I get to wear this jacket, and I’m excited to see how I style it in the future. Don’t be surprised if you see it in a lot more of my blog posts. I have a feeling it’s going to become a staple piece for me.

And to the woman who made it:

I wish I could have met you. I wish I could ask you about this jacket and hear you tell me the story behind it. But since I can’t, I’ll do the next best thing. I’ll wear it, take care of it, and let it keep being a part of someone’s life.

Thank you for making something beautiful enough to outlive you.

I hope I can give it another 30 years of stories.