For this assignment, you are going to interview a classmate about their most beloved garment.
NOTE: IF YOU WERE NOT IN CLASS ON 3/17, YOU MAY WRITE THIS SARTORIAL BIOGRAPHY ABOUT YOUR OWN GARMENT (I.E. “INTERVIEW’ YOURSELF) OR YOU MAY WRITE ABOUT A FRIEND’S OR FAMILY MEMBER’S GARMENT.
This assignment is based on the sociologist Sophie Woodward’s method of “sartorial biography” or “hanging out” in the wardrobe. Through her own research, Woodward observed that fashion and our clothing choices can be kind of hard to talk about. Through trial and error, however, she found that when people are actually holding/interacting with their garments, the stories tend to pour out.
First, you are going to sit down and interview a classmate about their most beloved garment. Below are some questions to get the conversation started. (Make sure you are taking notes during the discussion!):
Basic Questions
When and where did you buy/obtain this garment?
What does the garment look like?
What is it made of?
Where was it made?
Who is it made by? What is the brand?
Did you purchase it new or used, or was it gifted to you?
How much did it cost?
Where have you worn this garment?
Do you still wear this garment?
Where do you store this garment?
Sensorial Questions:
What does this garment smell like?
What does this garment feel like?
What does it feel like to wear this garment?
Does this garment have signs of wear-and-tear?
Open-ended/Contextual Questions (select two or three to discuss in depth):
How do you feel when you wear this garment?
How does this garment mediate your experience of being in the social world?
What was your life like when this garment came into it?
How do you think other people see/perceive you when you wear this garment?
Does this garment remind you of a specific event or person?
What emotions or feelings come up when you hold this garment?
Your sartorial biography does NOT have to address all of these questions; rather they should be regarded as a starting point for your narrative. Your final piece of writing should tell a story, not read like an interview in which you simply run through all of the responses. I care much more about you capturing the essence of the objects and the emotions and memories behind them than addressing every single point above.
Indeed, the goal here is to delimit why we wear what we wear and how our garments can actually spark joy and/or serve as material memories.
When you are done with your interview, figure out a creative way to document/photograph your interviewee’s garment. For instance, you can take a photo of them with their garment, illustrate/collage it or photograph it on its own, as Emily Spivak does in Worn Stories. (See below)
You will then write up your interview in a 1.5-2 page sartorial biography (1.5 spacing; 1” margins).
This does not have to be academic in tone and you can feel free to invoke the first person. You may use Emily Spvak’s Download Emily Spvak’s Download Emily Spvak’s Download Emily Spvak’sWorn Stories Download Worn Stories Download Worn Storiesas a model/template.
It might find this assignment difficult (how is it possible to write so much about ONE garment!?), but I encourage you to be creative and take on the role of a storyteller. You are essentially writing this for the other person. Make them proud!
Please include your image in your final submission!
