Madeleine's Jacket
This jacket probably has the longest history in my collection.
My aunt Karin has lived in LA for over 60 years, after fleeing Würzburg because of an unhappy love affair, first to London and then to the USA. There she met Madeleine in her old age and became friends with her. Madeleine had fled from Germany to LA much earlier; for her at the time it was a matter of life and death.
Madeleine liked to dress elegantly and extravagantly. She loved beautiful, high-quality clothes. In her old age and after numerous moves, she had only kept her absolute favorite pieces. Among them was the jacket by Harry Cooper, Beverly Hills-Pasadena. (This name also has a remarkable story, which can be read in fragments on www.forums.vintagefashionguild.org). Madeleine left the jacket to my aunt Karin. She showed it to me when I visited her in LA almost 30 years ago and I was so impressed that I tried to talk her into giving it to me. But my aunt wouldn't give it to me, saying that the time wasn't right yet. It wasn't until I visited her again 25 years later that she put Madeleine's jacket in my suitcase and said: "You always wanted that jacket. Now is the right time."
Madeleine's jacket is timelessly beautiful and I wear it with particular pleasure and gratitude. Time has not passed without leaving its mark and the strong silk fabric has become brittle in some places. How can I repair it in style?
Fine English darning technique in silk hand sewing thread, with a few pearls embroidered on as a special accent.
