Thursday, May 14, 2009

Inspiration: Long Lost Sisters

Officially I have five siblings. Unofficially, I have seven. It's those long lost sisters, Emily and Anna, that fascinate me the most.

There was a time they both lived near my mother's house in Silver Spring. Anna, raised partly by my father, may have lived with us at one point. Emily, though she was my father's child, lived with her biological mother and stepfather. My memories of them range from vague to traumatic. Anna dislocated my shoulder when I was a toddler. She was punk. She smoked. She had a chelsea cut and she wore cutoffs. I remember cowering in the living room while she cranked up Elvis Costello's "My Aim Is True" and screeched about how the song was dedicated to me, since my name is Allison. (I said the song isn't about me. She screamed back, "YES IT IS!")

Emily was worlds apart from Anna. She inherited my father's easygoing personality, and she was small, pretty, and mild. Sharing neither parent with Anna, she looked completely different. Despite their differences they were close friends.

Now Anna lives somewhere on the west coast and I haven't seen her for more than a decade. Last I heard she was traveling through Europe selling a new type of caffeinated alcoholic beverage. That was years ago, and I don't even know if it's true. Emily has a family somewhere in Oregon, and she seems to live a happy, normal life.

Here's to my style inspiration: my long lost sisters, Anna and Emily. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

Anna (c. 1990)

Anna (c. 1990)

Emily (c. 1992)

Emily, flanked by friends (c. 1990)

2 comments:

KL said...

Uh, can we talk about that guy who Emily is friends with in the t-shirt with A TAILED HEDGEHOG ON A SKATEBOARD?

Please sell this in the store.

Ylla said...

i'm so happy someone else noticed that awesome t-shirt because it's a real easter egg for me.