Jenny Packham, one of Britain’s leading designers explores the power of clothes and the art of getting dressed in her first book, How to Make a Dress – Adventures in the Art of Style. From conception to sketch, from pattern to fabric to the red carpet and beyond – Jenny intertwines her own life story with the evolution of a dress.
From her Punk days growing up in Southampton with her brother Chris, the naturalist and TV presenter, Jenny documents her life and career filled with a passion for exquisite clothes. Beautifully written, she takes us on her journey to find inspiration from a Paris flea market and the vintage stores of LA.
“I’m not sure how I did it but I wrote a book. A book about fashion, life and love. It almost felt like I was making a dress – weaving together memories and thoughts, the sparkling moments and the tough times into something that may inspire and delight.
I’d never thought much about old clothing, but on this day every shoulder pad I touched, every piece of fabric that I pushed aside, felt different. The room was ablaze with memories. A lavender embroidered chiffon dress, rotten and held together only by the threads that secured the beads, seemed to disintegrate beneath my fingers. But I could imagine the thrill of the evening: the show and tell, the giggly twirl, the door slamming behind the girl as she tripped lightly down the porch steps to the waiting car, and then away into the evening. Now, empty threads hung among the fringe of beaded tassels attached at the hip. Perhaps as she danced amid the music and laughter with joyful abandonment, a string snapped, throwing beads across the ballroom floor."
How to Make a Dress includes exclusive photos and sketches from Jenny’s personal collection, and sets out to investigate the psychology of style; the reasons we dress the way we do, the clothes we choose to convey to the world and how they are part of the very fabric of our own lives. This is a beautifully designed love letter to fashion and the fun and art of getting dressed, an unforgettable book for anyone who has ever loved or treasured a piece of clothing.