CLOTHES TO MAKE YOU SMILE

Designer Patrick Kelly discovers the magic of fashion as a child.

Patrick is inspired by the elegant ladies’ outfits he sees at church and in magazines, so the women in his life teach him how to sew. It isn’t easy, but his grandmother encourages him to laugh in the face of his challenges. Soon Patrick is making clothes for the whole town of Vicksburg, Mississippi—but his dreams are bigger. In Atlanta, New York, and even Paris, designers and store owners alike fail to appreciate Patrick’s designs. As a gay, Black, Southern man who often rocks overalls, sneakers, and a colorful hat, Patrick doesn’t fit in. But he knows how to laugh, and he doesn’t give up, opting to design theater costumes. Finally, major fashion houses start to take notice. Patrick’s first runway show features models diverse in skin color, shape, and size; his creative outfits include a fur coat made of teddy bears, plenty of buttons, and dresses festooned with hearts, dolls, and pearls. The backmatter refers briefly to Patrick’s sexuality and Bjorn Amelan, his “life and business partner,” though his impact on the gay community isn’t explored. Cheerful mixed-media illustrations layer angular painted paper collage with photographic elements like buttons and thread. The result is a fabulously tactile visual experience that pops off the page.

A playful and poignant look at a designer who dressed the world in joy.