Susanna Tamaro’s loved garment

Currently exhibited, the loved garment of Susanna Tamaro, writer. 

This coat comes with a long history, and Susanna Tamaro still gazes at it with a sense of reverence every time she opens her wardrobe. There’s almost a fear of using it since it could get ruined, and doing so might somehow spoil what it represents, the hope of seeing one’s dreams come true.

“I had been living in Rome for years, and life was really tough because I have always been unable to teach myself how to earn enough to get by. I dressed in clothes from flea markets, not the ones I wanted but the ones I could afford. But one day, walking by a shop window in down town I saw this coat. It was made in Salzburg, and it was on a huge sale. I was drawn to it in a strange, almost unsettling way. I told myself, ‘One day, I’ll be famous, and I’ll need a blue coat,’ because in my somewhat childish imagination a blue coat was the ultimate symbol of distinction. So, with enormous sacrifices, I bought it, brought it home, wrapped it in plastic, put it in my wardrobe and that’s where it stayed, for years. Later on in my life, when I became famous, I wore it for the occasions that called for it. But since I’m not much for social events, it mostly stayed in the wardrobe. Still, it’s as beautiful as ever—even now, I sometimes wear it as a gown.”

Sometimes a garment can turn into a relic. It transcends its practical use, taking on a new purpose as a symbol. It becomes infused with the energy of a particular moment in our lives, until it represents a dream or a goal. At that point, wearing it becomes almost unnecessary—just looking at it is enough to evoke a vivid and powerful memory, as if it happened only yesterday.