by Meg Lukens Doonan
(Chosen by Domestic Goddess)
Some background links to get you started:
- Review by Lesley M M Blume in The Wall Street Journal
- The author's website
- J.H. Cutler website
- Stefano Ricci website
- Dormeuil Fabrics website
- Vicuna in The Encyclopedia Brittanica
- "The Coat Route by Meg Lukens Noonan tells story of a $50,000 overcoat" by Sherryl Connelly in New York Daily News (contains a good pic of the coat)
- Meg Lukens Doonan in audio interview with Jackie Lyden on NPR's All Things Considered
- did different versions of the book's cover change our expectations of it?
- was it surprising how much of a story was spun out of a single coat?
- why would someone pay $50,000 for a coat? What type of person is this?
- why, in such a technologically advanced age, do specialist craftsmen still exist (and even flourish?)
- is the point of a coat like this that other people notice the quality, or that you (the owner) notice the quality?
- how shocking are the landfill statistics - disposable society...?
- what is the difference between bespoke and tailored?
- why do the top tailors stick just to men's suits?
- how has the apprenticeship process changed over the years? Is it still seen as a desirable thing for young people?
- what trades no longer exist?
- do people still have the patience to train for so long to master a skill?
- how cute are Vicuna??
- in what ways did the old-fashioned patronage system support true artists and craftsmen to master their crafts?
- when did wedding dresses become one-off wear garments?
- was this a good STORY?
Ratings:
Range: 5 to 9
Average: 8.11
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