In their work as spies, Malcolm and Suzanne often make quick changes to their appearance to suit a new role. I’m used to writing such scenes for them. I’m less used to thinking about it in terms of myself. Until yesterday. It was the opening night of the Merola Opera Program’s wonderful production of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. After spending the afternoon stuffing inserts into programs, I had a quick dinner with Mélanie and a couple of colleagues and then hurried back to the theatre to meet one of Mel’s wonderful babysitters. While quickly going over details with the babysitter, I pulled a hair of feels from the toy bag and exchanged them for the flats I was wearing, took off the cardigan I’d been wearing all day over my black cocktail dress, unwound the long linen scarf I had wrapped around my neck and thew it over my shoulders as a shawl.
It was only when I was hurrying up the street to a pre-performance reception (combing my hair as I walked) that I realized I had just made the sort of quick change Suzanne often makes (such as in Imperial Scandal when she transforms herself into a shopgirl to go into Le Paon d’Or). It was also just the sort of scene I might put in a book to dramatize a working mom balancing her multiple roles.
As a multi-tasker, I’ve always been grateful for multi-tasking clothes. As a working mom, I’m more grateful for them than ever. Day-into-evening dresses (nothing like black to stand up to the dust of a theatre and the smears left by toddler hands), earrings one can sleep in, sweaters that can be easily stowed in a diaper bag, a bag that works as purse, diaper bag, and computer bag, scarves that double as shawls, a light weight trenchcoat the works over everything. I have a pair of black satin heels that basically live in the car or the toy bag.
Do clothes help you balance different parts of your life? Which pieces are particularly good multitaskers? Writers, do you think about clothes to define different roles your characters play?
July 13, 2013 at 3:34 am
Tracy, I think you give new meaning to the phrase “quick change artist”. And as a woman who spent my adulthood as a fashion stylist and then ready-to-wear selling specialist, I can tell you that you could give lessons on being prepared. If I remember correctly, however, Suzanne had a multitude of petticoats, plenty of crumply silk, and a corset to deal with. No easy task to change her appearance. I think that makes her more interesting because of that. I am an admitted clothes horse, even after retiring and eliminating a lot of stuff. So clothing does define me to some degree. (When I was a kid, my dolls and paper dolls were the best dressed girls around.) Clothing multi-taskers? Basic black and wrinkle resistant knits, of course. Just keep mixing pretty tops with a black pant or skirt and you can go anywhere. (Cute dress in the photo, by-the-way.) Also, classic black pumps (a la Kate Middleton’s) or sandals will serve well. Nothing like that diaper bag to stash stuff, right? Okay, I got carried away… One of the aspects of your books that appealed is your descriptions of Suzanne’s clothing – I felt I could almost touch her gowns – they were so real. Many authors are good at setting a scene but you excell in the costume descriptions, as well.
July 13, 2013 at 8:37 am
I love reading the descriptions of Suzanne’s clothes, and of course those gorgeous gowns on the book covers of Vienna Waltz and Imperial Scandal. Sadly, not many of us have a personal maid nowadays, which was helpful with those elaborate wardrobes!
And I’m not a mom, but I am a great light packer, after lots of travel experience. I like to include a long skirt, several tops and scarves, nice sandals, and wear pants and sneakers on the plane. All with a color scheme so that everything mixes and matches.
July 14, 2013 at 8:14 pm
Thanks for the great comments, Lynne! You’re right, Suzanne’s quick changes have a lot to do with outer layers. In the scene I referred to in Imperial Scandal, Blanca brings her a bonnet and shawl and other times she puts on a mantilla or cloak. It’s similar to wearing a day-into-evening dress and swapping accessories. So agree about the versatility of black. I have a black jersey dress that I wear all the time – as a jumper over a t-shirt, with heels and a shawl to a cocktail party. The dress in the photo was my spurge birthday present to myself, and is actually also pretty versatile. Yesterday I wore it to a matinee with a cardigan and a scarf looped around the neck, and I think it can also work for a black tie event. Clothes are so fun!
July 15, 2013 at 3:52 am
Clothes are fun – my closet will testify to that fact. If it’s as hot at your house as it is here in the northwest, your dress in the photo will serve you well!!
July 22, 2013 at 12:42 am
The Bay Area is full of micro-climates and on any given day I’m in several of them – it tends to be cool at my house, warmer in central Marin where Mel and I hang out at Peet’s and often foggy in San Francisco. So dresses like my new one and cardigans and shawls – and lightweight trench coats – are perfect!
July 14, 2013 at 8:23 pm
I love writing about Suzanne’s clothes, Karin! And I often envy her having Blanca to look after them (though of necessity Suzanne has to have a lot of clothes she can get in and out of with minimal help. Multi-tasking clothes are great for travel. I find scarves particularly good for changing up outfits. And speaking of quick changes, I face them particularly often while traveling. At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, there’s often a somewhat chaotic half hour or even twenty minutes between matinee and dinner/evening performance.
July 21, 2013 at 4:02 am
Tracy – This is just a quick comment, having nothing to do with fashion issues. I now own all the Fraser/Rannoch series, including the two e-books. And a shiny new Kindle Fire… It’s all your fault!! 🙂 I haven’t bought too many books in recent years – the house is already full off them. But I thought these were worth it. Of course, I didn’t actually need the Kindle. But I was on a roll…and oh, what fun!!! I hope I made a small contribution to Melanie’s college fund…a verrrry small one… Thanks for getting me excited about historical fiction all over again.
July 22, 2013 at 12:44 am
Lynne, I’m thrilled you have the books and thrilled my books helped get you excited about historical fiction again – that’s fabulous! And not only did you help Mélanie’s college fund :-), your support in buying the books helps keep the series going!
July 22, 2013 at 3:44 am
Always happy to do my bit. While we are on these folks, I need to ask about the page with the Fraser Letters. On my page, there are several letters from mid-July on. But from July 16, 1815 backwards there are just labels and symbols of a quill with no links to anything. Am I missing something? Are they unwritten letters? When you have a moment, can you explain? Thanks a million.
August 12, 2013 at 12:21 am
yes, i noticed the letters all run together with the headings at the very end.
August 29, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Hi Teresa,
On a completely unrelated topic, I have to ask, will you be posting a Fraser letter sooner? It’s such a long wait between books (although, I appreciate it, as do all your readers I’m sure because the quality of writing, plot and editing is sterling!). I would love to read a novella about Colin’s birth, and, since I’m being greedy (!), about Suzanne’s first visit to England after her wedding. I think that whole stranger in a new world, feeling hideously out of place, yet also knowing that this is a “role for a lifetime” and perhaps, the greatest challenge to her beliefs and patriotism, would make for a phenomenal story line. What do you think?
As always, thank you for writing and I really enjoyed winning the ARC of your latest book. It was lovely! You aren’t looking for beta readers are you? 🙂
September 1, 2013 at 1:44 am
Thanks so much, Karin! It’s been a very busy summer with writing and parenting, but I will get back to posting Fraser Correspondence letters soon. THE PARIS PLOT, about Jessica’s birth, will be out in February. I love the idea of novellas about Colin’s birth and Suzanne’s first visit to Britain – thanks for the suggestions! It’s always great to hear what readers are interested in and can really inspire my creativity.
So glad you enjoyed the ARC and if I need a beta reader, I will definitely let you know!
September 15, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Reply originates from them is a little black dress.
The modern day woman is work savvy; she is busy with her office
files and still manages to go to her daughter’s
fancy dress competition. All these made the short dresses more chic and charming.
January 12, 2014 at 9:22 pm
I think that this is a very wonderful blog you got
there! Would it be ok if I post your blog on my fb including your url and header of your post:”Motherhood & the art of fashion – quick changes “?
I entered your blog while I was browsing for cartilage jewelry and I admit
that I was very lucky for doing so.
Kisses!!
Shellie