This dramatic memoir of a woman's search for her international identity unfolds against a backdrop of world events, and each chapter focuses on a significant outfit that defines the various stages of her life: A toddler's party dress enchants during the Mossadagh crisis in Iran; a girlhood skating skirt allows for joy amidst family dysfunction in Switzerland; a tween yearns for 50s style in a fashion doll; an adolescent experiences a magical cultural education wearing her fur coat in Finland; a young woman asserts her uniqueness through a self-designed suit in Lebanon during the Cuban missile crisis; a bride marries in a Romanian wedding dress rescued from the Cold War; an insecure professional overcomes a male-dominated academic world to gain her doctoral gown; a woman in love travels to China and acquires an imperial robe, then suffers her lover's loss after the Tiananmen Square massacre; a mother discovers her sexual and literary creativity in Moroccan caftans; and a mature woman understands the ancient secret of love through Indian fabric.
The book's use of clothing reinforces the author's theme of life as an interwoven fabric.