Description
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
Patricia M Osborne –
Fab pamphlet
I loved this poetry pamphlet – rather than bobbing in and out of the collection at different times I just had to keep going until I reached the end. Fabulous. Highly recommend.
Kim Whysall-Hammond –
‘What shall I wear today?’ is often a difficult question for women, yet not really for men. These poems explore the relationships between women, their clothes and what is expected of both clothes and woman. This may sound a bit dry, but these poems are anything but. The opening poem about hemlines sets the theme, but my favourite is ‘SILHOUETTE SHAME’.