Shipping Through the Holidays ☀️📦
Boxing Day Sale Boxing Day
Holiday Delivery Delivery
Store Hours Store Hours
Gift Cards Gift Cards

Boxing Day Sale is live! Up to 20% off 2000+ Books

Patch Work

WINNER OF THE 2021 PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE
By Claire Wilcox
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.69 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 589 ratings, 128 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Patch Work by Claire Wilcox intertwines threads of memory, loss, and creativity, blending the author's life experiences with her passion for textiles. The memoir reflects on how the art of sewing shapes her understanding of the world, as past events and fabric pieces weave together for an introspective look at personal and collective histories. It's a heartfelt exploration of the textures and fragments that make up a life.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Patch Work. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you have an interest in the world of fashion and textiles or appreciate a beautifully woven narrative that blends personal reflection with broader cultural themes. It offers a unique perspective from a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, providing intimate glimpses into the life of someone deeply passionate about the stories clothes can tell.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Patch Work

In Patch Work, Claire Wilcox steps into the archive of memory. Here, she deftly stitches together the story of her own life lived in and through clothes. In a series of intimate and compelling close-ups, Wilcox shows how the stories and secrets of clothes measure out the passage of time, our gains and losses, and the way we use them to unravel and write our histories.

‘Filled with dreamlike memories, this autobiography is both surprising and delightful ... A strange and mesmerising piece of work, one that tears apart the usual fabric of an autobiography’ Sunday Times

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

WINNER OF THE 2021 PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE

‘A strange and mesmerising piece of work’ Sunday Times

‘An absolute masterpiece’ Laura Cumming

‘An uncommon delight’ Observer

Claire Wilcox has been a curator of fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum for most of her working life. In Patch Work, she turns her curator’s eye to the fabric of life itself, tugging at the threads of memory: a cardigan worn by a child, a tin button box, the draping of a curtain, a pair of cycling shorts, a roll of lace, a pin hidden in a seam. Through these intimate and compelling close-ups, we see how the stories and the secrets of clothes measure out the passage of time, our gains and losses, and the way we use them to unravel and write our histories.

‘Effervescent, poetic, puzzle-like ... Wilcox picks at the heartstrings’ Financial Times

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

In Patch Work, Claire Wilcox weaves a memoir that is both evocative and melancholy, capturing memories tied to clothing unique to her life and career as a fashion curator. Reviewers commend it for its poetic and unusual structure, likening it to an artfully curated exhibition of memories, filled with exquisite meditations and rich descriptions. The book explores themes of love, loss, and memory with profound attention to detail, offering a fresh perspective on the significance of clothing as objects of personal and emotional importance.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781526614414

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 May 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 232g

Pages: 288

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Claire Wilcox Education & Reference History & Military Musicians, Movie Stars & Creative Biographies Non-Fiction

About the Author

Claire Wilcox has been Senior Curator of Fashion at the V&A since 2004, where she has curated exhibitions including Radical Fashion, The Art and Craft of Gianni Versace, Vivienne Westwood, The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947–1957, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, and, as co-curator, Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, and instigated Fashion in Motion (live catwalk events in the museum) in 1999. She is Professor in Fashion Curation at the London College of Fashion and is on the editorial board of Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture. She lives in South London.

Also by Claire Wilcox

View all

More from Biography & Memoir

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.