Dressed in Dreams

A Black Girl's Love Letter to the Power of Fashion

By: Tanisha C. Ford

Narrated by: Tanisha C. Ford

This program is read by the author.

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"Everyone from the shopaholic to the clearance rack queen will see themselves in [Ford's] pages." —Essence

"Takes you not only into the closet, but the inner sanctum of an ordinary extraordinary Black girl who discovered herself through clothes." —Michaela Angela Davis, Image Activist and Writer


From sneakers to leather jackets, a bold, witty, and deeply personal dive into Black America's closet In this highly engaging book, fashionista and pop culture expert Tanisha C. Ford investigates Afros and dashikis, go-go boots and hotpants of the sixties, hip hop's baggy jeans and bamboo earrings, and the #BlackLivesMatter-inspired hoodies of today.

The history of these garments is deeply intertwined with Ford’s story as a black girl coming of age in a Midwestern rust belt city. She experimented with the Jheri curl; discovered how wearing the wrong color tennis shoes at the roller rink during the drug and gang wars of the 1980s could get you beaten; and rocked oversized, brightly colored jeans and Timberlands at an elite boarding school where the white upper crust wore conservative wool shift dresses.

Dressed in Dreams is a story of desire, access, conformity, and black innovation that explains things like the importance of knockoff culture; the role of “ghetto fabulous” full-length furs and colorful leather in the 1990s; how black girls make magic out of a dollar store t-shirt, rhinestones, and airbrushed paint; and black parents' emphasis on dressing nice. Ford talks about the pain of seeing black style appropriated by the mainstream fashion industry and fashion’s power, especially in middle America. In this richly evocative narrative, she shares her lifelong fashion revolution—from figuring out her own personal style to discovering what makes Midwestern fashion a real thing too.

Total throw back

I loved everything about this book and how it transported me to the memories of my high school and college years. The author perfectly described fashion and how it made me feel growing up. I completely identified with her experiences even down to having a cop as a parent and her first trip to NY. This is a great book.

Awesome

Tanisha's book was a genuine love story about fashion, hair, all types of relationships, and young girls from "little known" cities who are "bigger" people than they've ever imagined. What a creative tale. Well done!

Unwinding a Life -

As I listened to Dressed in Dreams, memories resurfaced of my life growing up in Chicago. Decades earlier, I had experiences that warrant a beautiful novel, such as this.
It is only now that I understand the experiences of my daughter, now 45, experienced as a Black girl being pulled from California to live in Chicago. Finding her place and growing along side our fifteen year age gap.

Bomb!!!!!

I felt such a void with only having male and NYC perspective documentary of the fashion. Grated it was still very exciting to read and watch on tv but I am a woman and there were elements of identification that were not made available to me. But TANISHAAAAAA!!!! You did it with this one, I felt every emotion and turned down every corner, saw every picture on the wall and breathed in every aroma described! Thank you for leaving it all on the paper with this one!!! What an amazing chronicle on the many dimensions on black womanhood with an eye for expression in fashion!!!! This is a must read!
XOXO
Cher :)

Excellent

I thoroughly enjoyed this book...the writing style, narration, and the symbolism of fashion as it related to decades and culture. Fantastic!