Recycling the past to stitch together The Red Tent
Whether sequin, plastic, or twenty-four carat, I believe all that glitters is gold. I'm in the business of alchemy; a job of turning what seems to be trash into treasure. Always eager to spin a good story, it's come time to weave the end-knots of one journey into the new beginnings of the next. Last fall the Caroline's Closets Vintage Adventure hit the end of a long interesting trip, rolling from 1998-2005.
One of the e-commerce early birds, community just naturally coalesced around Caroline’s Closets’ vintage content. Never a costume but sometimes an alter-ego, it was an adventure of stepping into someone else’s shoes or gently worn jeans and sharing common threads. It took me fascinating places, connected me with inspiring people, it even created a wild tale for TV. But the story that most needed to be told stayed stashed in the closet until I got so sick that my disorder slammed on the breaks.
In 2001 our press kit changed as I finally came out of my closet:
In 2001 our press kit changed as I finally came out of my closet:
" Enough with the fake flowers and plastic smiles. The brilliant chrysanthemum Vera chosen for this Harpar’s Bazaar bio wasn’t a big bellowing fashion statement of individual style, as deemed by the fashion editor.
It was simply long sleeved.
With only three days notice of the photo-shoot I needed something that would cover the self-injury marks on my arms. So, I flowered over the bruises and scratches and in a snapshot sealed the camouflaged face that is mental illness today. Fear filled, embarrassed and silently supporting the stigma."
And with that statement said, everything changed. A percentage of Caroline’s Closets profits started going to the DiDi Hirsch Mental Health Center of LA, an organization committed to erasing the stigma of mental illness. Slowly I began to weave a new path. Today, that path no longer has the need for old Pucci prints or corduroy bell bottoms, but, it certainly has the need for new fabric, red fabric to be exact. Along with some other building materials...
Caroline's Closets was my proof that it is possible to prevail over panic, self-injury disorder, and depression. The whole experience was messy, often times a nightmare, absolutely exhilarating, and always exhausting. And, I wouldn't trade it for the world. But what I will trade, gladly, is the old stash. Whatever funds you donate in exchange for our remaining vintage vittles will go
directly into raising the brick and mortar Red Tent. A place where my work with women in recovery, work that began during my days at Caroline's Closets, can find an enduring home here on the west-side of Los Angeles.
What I learned through DiDi Hirsch about the mental illness epidemic in this country turned my life and path on its head. Literally. The energy I once spent dumpster diving is busy building community at a new address: www.redtentrising.com
So, as the vintage adventure rolls for one last ride, I'm issuing my final double dog dare: Do something bold. Support a local alchemist. Donate some dough in exchange for our one-of-a-kind classics from decades ago-go and watch a red tent rise.
