Chores ᐧ 28 To me

The swift swell of salt sprang from my sternum
so suddenly to both precipices
of unswallowed throat and lower lash line
that at first I was too scared to confront
the stone I felt lodged in my barefoot sole.
Yet when I finally dared peek at it
bravely — there was no blood nor stone nor trace;
and I cried, the stone I’d been so sure-of’s
betrayal worth more than any flesh wound
to me.

Poem by Shaina Yang

ᐧ 

In a contrasting khaki green to a family otherwise full of blues, 28 To me is an exception both inside and out. Its splashes of embroidery and beading are stitched in deceptively muted tones across the entire jacket; meanwhile, inside the body is a symmetrical patchwork of four different fabrics which the wearer may choose to display by wearing it in reverse. The coat’s name — stitched on the inside of the front breast pocket — remains a gift to the wearer alone.

Garment measures 48" cross chest (side seam to side seam), 29" body length (high point shoulder to hem). Made from a vintage 100% cotton chore coat, cotton embroidery floss, glass beads, and lining reconstructed from antique indigo-dyed cotton fabric scraps. Please dry clean or hand wash cold with mild detergent and line dry, warm iron on reverse with a little steam.

ᐧ 

Chores  ᐧ  Collection 2  ᐧ  Season 1 (2023, No. 19-28)

Made in collaboration with architect and poet Shaina Yang
and patternmaker Lorraine Lum

This season contains ten embroidered vintage chore coats with reconstructed linings, patchworked from antique indigo-dyed fabric scraps.

Each coat was embroidered in tandem with a corresponding poem written from a memory of the seaside — the seaside providing a consistent backdrop across shifting eras and emotions. Together, they recollect the ways in which our surroundings can witness, support, or even force changes happening on the inside.

Collection photography by Echo Yun Chen
Modeling by Terumi Murao

ᐧ 

*Choose what you pay

Tier 1 - $680
Covers materials and labor for creating one piece

Tier 2 - $880
Helps sustain my practice by paying for work that happens beyond garment construction alone

Tier 3 - $1080
Contributes to the growth of my practice, allowing me to invest in tools, people, experimentation, and future projects + comes with a bonus item

Payment plans available

Please note: If any one pricing tier is marked as "sold out," the item is no longer available. This is due to a quirk in the website's inventory management system that Joy has yet to find a good solution for. Thank you for understanding!