Each of us discards (on average) 80 lbs of used clothing per year, adding up to a staggering 25 billion pounds of used clothing for the entire population of the United States–every year! To put it mildly, that is not good.

And so, in this world where clothing is increasingly devalued and treated as a disposable commodity, it’s refreshing to be reminded that each of us has an emotional connection to the clothes we wear; memories and feelings seem to be hidden inside the very fibers of the garment. “This is the shirt I wore for my first job interview,” “I remember exactly what I was wearing when I learned I was pregnant,” “I’ll never forget how I stared at my shoes as the doctor gave me the news.” Emily Spivack has collected dozens of these stories and compiled them into a book: Worn Stories.

“Everyone has a memoir in miniature in at least one piece of clothing. In Worn Stories, Emily Spivack has collected over sixty of these clothing-inspired narratives from cultural figures and talented storytellers. First-person accounts range from the everyday to the extraordinary, such as artist Marina Abramovic on the boots she wore to walk the Great Wall of China; musician Rosanne Cash on the purple shirt that belonged to her father; and fashion designer Cynthia Rowley on the Girl Scout sash that informed her business acumen. Other contributors include Greta Gerwig, Heidi Julavits, John Hodgman, Brandi Chastain, Marcus Samuelsson, Piper Kerman, Maira Kalman, Sasha Frere-Jones, Simon Doonan, Albert Maysles, Susan Orlean, Andy Spade, Paola Antonelli, David Carr, Andrew Kuo, and more. By turns funny, tragic, poignant, and celebratory, Worn Stories offers a revealing look at the clothes that protect us, serve as a uniform, assert our identity, or bring back the past—clothes that are encoded with the stories of our lives.” (source)

In December 2014, just one month after its release, reader Kimberly wrote, “Opening up the book Worn Stories is like opening a clothing diary. Each piece of clothing that is found in a person’s wardrobe has a story, each one special its own way. Some stories are funny, some are full of memories. Each essay has its own photograph. This was so much fun to read, then it made me want to look at my clothing and think about the memories made with each one. I would give this book the highest rating and would recommend it to everyone I know.” (source)

More recently, Jenny D. said of the book, “This was so much fun to read. Everyone has that special item that they can’t get rid of (mine is a polka-dot Esprit shirt from high school that is now too worn to wear around but too precious to be painting clothes) and it is lovely to hear the stories behind them.” (source)

If you’re looking for a good read, Worn Stories just might be it. And after reading it, we hope you take stock of your own wardrobe; used clothes or new clothes, formalwear or casual: What pieces are meaningful to you and why?