Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

My Mother’s Clothes is a heartbreaking love letter written by a daughter to her late mother who passed away after struggling 5 years with Alzheimer. Written and photographed by Jeannette Montgomery Barron, this portrait is part fashion diary, part personal memoir but most of all it is a life celebration. Jeannette who is known as a still life and portrait photographer wanted initially to fight her mother’s disease by fixing memories but rapidly it became a project for her as well as she realised how much her mother remembered particular events and clothes. 

My Mother’s Clothes came out last month, it is a must read for every daughter and people who are confronted directly or not with Alzheimer's. It is full of energy and hope; it demonstrates that personal achievements can survive one’s death, which is a beautiful thought.

After reading the book, some questions came up to my mind, which Jeannette kindly accepted to answer. My Mother’s Clothes will remain on my bed table as a symbol of true love.

1/ How do you feel about the way the press and people in general have reacted to your book?



JMB: I never imagined all of the positive response My Mother's Clothes would receive.  It's extremely gratifying and meaningful to me.



2/ My Mother's Clothes is a memorial celebration, a tribute to your mother who suffered from Alzheimer's. There is obviously a universal side to this topic as a great number of people do suffer from this disease that follows no set rules, does this project have a universal goal despite the fact that the approach is very personal?



JMB: I think the universal message is not to give up hope on communicating with someone who has Alzheimer's.



3/ Did you write this book for you or for your mother?



JMB: At first it was a project just for my mother but it quickly became a project for me as well after I saw her reaction to the photographs and heard her recount memories of each article of clothing.  My mother had advanced Alzheimer's at the time and I never thought she would remember where she had worn each article of clothing; who she had danced with in that ball gown and whose birthday party she had attended in a certain dress.



4/ Do you think clothing reveals a lot about someone's identity and personality?



JMB: I absolutely do.  I think many people wear clothes as a way of announcing to the world who they are or who they want to be that day. 



5/ Were you very close to your mother or did you get closer while she was struggling with Alzheimer's?

JMB: Like many daughters (and I know this from my own experience as a mother) I had periods of extreme closeness with my mother then pulled away when I felt she was trying to control my life too much.  I think this is normal--we are all trying to define ourselves, we don't want to be exactly like our mothers as much as we may relate, love and admire them.  At the end of the day, I know my mother was very special-- her spirituality is what I really carry with me all of the time.  I was very lucky to have a mother like her.



6/ Do you see you mother as being a witness of her times?



JMB: Well, she certainly saw a lot of change in her lifetime.  Think about everything that happened in the world between 1922 and 2007.  And think of how many times hemlines went up and down!

7/ What is so special about photography?



JMB: I am a portrait and still life photographer and have photographed many celebrities. The bottom line is I love people's stories-maybe that's why I always head to the memoir section in the bookstore.  

Photography was an ideal way for me, growing up as a very shy girl, to open up my world. It was always easier for me to communicate from behind the camera.  

I consider the photographs I have taken for My Mother’s Clothes to be still lives which, when put together, form a portrait of my mother.  


8/ Do you think that photos fix memories without corrupting them? In other words do you consider photography as being objective?  


 
JMB: Well, we are really facing this as a much larger question these days now that we are well into the digital age.  Nothing is real any more.  I guess this bothers me the most with portraiture.

9/ Do you think that passion and personal achievements can survive one' s death?  
 


JMB: Yes, absolutely. And that's a beautiful thought.  



10/ Did you feel being on a mission while working on this photo essay?  
 


JMB: I was working so hard to finish this project before my mother died-I wanted so much for her to see the finished book. Of course she died before the book was published. I did feel I was on a mission to tell my mother's story and attempt to touch people.

11/Could you please explain the choice for the cover?

JMB: It's an image that just pops out at you and says "1970's!"  One of my favourite periods in fashion.  

 

Sources: www.welcomebooks.com/mymothersclothes
 


Text by Delphine Hervieu.

TAGS: jeannette montgomery barron my mother's clothes photo essay personal memoir life celebration portrait photographer still life photographer alzheimer dolce&gabbana d&g eleanor morgan montgomery atuk