I’m interested in why people dress the way they do. I’m interested in knowing whose POV influences them and what they reference because I find it romantic. My earliest memories of my grandmum, mum, and her sisters are of watching them get dressed for their lives. Nothing made me feel more special than being invited into this ritual. My mum did her makeup last, but I like to do mine first; she matches her shoes with her bag, but I prefer mixing leather and colors, but the silhouettes I wear reference everything she wore at my age.
I met Mekdela in 2018 and slowly learned that her way of dressing was referencing how the people in her family dressed. It made sense. It’s hard to explain — and I have tried here with this newsletter — the difference between a derived and an inspired sense of style, but you know it when you see it. In 2019, Mekdela and I discussed curating a collection of vintage garments inspired by the outfits of the women in her family, but I closed my shop before we got a chance. Launching this newsletter has created a more meaningful space to share my philosophies on getting dressed and those of the people I admire; I am delighted to share hers.
We recorded this conversation in October 2022, but it feels timely in February because it is the most romantic month and the beginning of spring, which always feels like a chance to start afresh. Mekdela takes me on a journey with her words and through photos — collected over time, from before she was born to her present life in Grass Valley, CA. We discuss our families and culture as references, influences, transitions and more. Everyone who read this before publishing describes it as a “comforting read,” including me. It’s lengthy, but I believe it is worth your time.
Meet Mekdela Maskal:
Mekdela: What comes to mind, and what I hold onto around family dressing, is looking through old family albums and being in awe of how my parents and other family members dressed. I am specifically thinking of photos from the 60s of my dad’s family in Ethiopia. These photos are of folks camping in the woods, probably what we would now call glamping. There are stunning tents, and they’re dressed to the nines in suits and Habesha clothing, especially the women, sitting around playing games and cooking. You can tell that they put a lot of effort into dressing with function and style.
The mixing of the western and the Ethiopian style is special to me. I saw that carry through in more recent family photos from right before I was born when my family came to Los Angeles. My dad took a lot of self-portraits in vastly different styles — playing tennis, going hunting, and all of his activities. His style evolved, but it was an ode to those old family photos of him in Ethiopia at 4 and 5 years old. The same is the case with my mum; I am thinking of photos of her, my grandmum, and siblings in their little LA apartment. In one of them, she’s just come home from working as a waitress, and she’s wearing half her uniform and her regular clothes.