PATCH WORK A Life Amongst Clothes

Narrator Antonia Beamish provides a clear voice and consistent pace for Claire Wilcox's rich descriptions of her work at the Victoria and Albert Museum. As a curator of fashion there, she must deal with such challenges as raincoats with rigor mortis, shattered silks, and fugitive dyes. The various reasons for garments' existence--medical, regional, and pure self-expression--are discussed in an academic tone. However, when Beamish transitions to Wilcox's personal memories relating to textiles, one expects a more emotional delivery. An "oh, no" falls flat, and a description of childhood teasing feels dispassionate, though the listener can imagine the hurt. Happily, these moments don't diminish the overall result. Other, more poetic, parts with abstract prose work well with Beamish's tempo and beautiful timbre. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2021]