And so we move on to our third Book of the Week here under the hedge, and I am many kinds of delighted to bring to you, Juliette van der Molen’s glorious ‘Anatomy of a Dress.’ This is a stunning collection and one that I really couldn’t believe we would get to publish.
Anatomy of A Dress explores messages regarding how women have historically been encouraged to dress, mainly for the pleasure and subjugation of the patriarchy. Poems for this book were written as the final culmination of thoughts and research that developed over a couple of years. This process began with a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. I was not writing poetry at that time. Focused on visual 
art, I stumbled upon an exhibit of Charles James’ gowns at the Met Costume Institute. This exhibit inspired sketches and abstract paintings. I spent hours sketching his specific architecture and people watching as visitors viewed the exhibit. I began to research James and other designers within the context of his times. While viewing the Catwalk Rijksmuseum exhibit in Amsterdam, I began to consider the changes in fashion and how they seemed based on whatever the current definition of women’s roles were at the time. The evolution from Charles James’ structural gowns to Yves Saint Laurent’s female tuxedo is an echo of social change for women underneath the patriarchal rule.
This poetry speaks about my struggle and the difficulties that some women face when making a decision that most men would consider simple—
What should I wear today?
About Juliette van der Molen
Juliette van der Molen is an expat poet living in Wales. She is an intersectional feminist and member of the LGBTQIA community. Her work has also appeared in Wellington Street Review, Nightingale & Sparrow, Burning House Press and several other publications. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize (2018) and Best of The Net (2019). She is a spoken word performer and has had the honour of appearing in several venues in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Her books include: Death Library: The Exquisite Corpse Collection, Mother May I? and Anatomy of A Dress. Her forthcoming book, Confess: The untold story of Dorothy Good, will be published in October 2020 by TwistiT Press. You can connect with her via Twitter @j_vandermolen or through her website at www.JulietteWrites.com
Product details
- Paperback : 38 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1916090893
- ISBN-13 : 978-1916090897
- Product Dimensions : 14.81 x 0.23 x 21.01 cm
- Buy a Signed Copy Direct from Juliette van der Molen HERE
I asked Juliette a few impertinent questions about her collection, Here’:
What was the inspiration for the collection and how long did it take to come together?
The inspiration for this collection began in 2014 when I visited the Charles James’ fashion exhibit at The Met in NYC. At that time I was studying visual art with an instructor that encouraged me to blend internal and external landscapes. While sketching and painting pieces for my project, I realised that each piece was more complicated than its architectural design (which was complex within itself) and that fashion and design in women’s clothing is full of symbols that have been used to shape the social perception of women. The poetry in the collection explores that through a blended lens of my own experiences, historical time periods, social movements and even internalised misogyny.
How did you get involved with writing poetry – is there a ‘literary tradition’ in your family?
I get my love of words and reading from my grandmother. Before I was old enough to read she bought me books for every birthday and holiday (sometimes even for no reason at all). She always lovingly inscribed these books and had such a sense of joy in sharing them. My earliest memories of love are of sitting on her lap and listening to her read nursery rhymes. She taught me that language can be a lush adventure and was my guide into this imaginary land that I’ve never wanted to leave. Poetry is a form of writing I came to later in life and it has been exciting to discover new ways of playing with language. Poetry is similar to visual art for me, in that there can be as many different interpretations and readings of a poem as there are people to read/view them. I like the space it provides for readers to bring their own meaning and blend it with the images or sounds I’ve chosen to share, to create something bigger than the poem on the page.
Are you a ‘researcher’ or is your work more imagination-driven?
I am both. I’m an avid researcher, especially when it comes to historical time periods, events and people. But, in order for me to want to research something, it has to capture my imagination. I also find that in putting together a poem or a story, it’s the imagination that leads with a sprinkling in of that research to add a little something extra to it.
Tell us something about the book that nobody has mentioned that they have noticed yet
The poem “Unmentionables” is actually about a woman getting ready to undergo an abortion in a time when it was illegal in the United States. Some people have interpreted this poem to be about a sex worker due to references of money, but no one has overtly connected it to abortion.
What is the best comment about the book that you have heard or read?
Someone told me that they usually don’t understand poetry, but it was different with this book. They also told me that it made them want to go out and read more poetry– and that made me so happy!