Two things are happening to let us know that time moves on. First, we are starting to get 2026 calendars in (and already have the August 2025-June 2026 planners) at my work, and second, 2026 reader copies are becoming available so we are ready for next year (and here we’re not even halfway through 2025!). But one of those readers (that I found online) which is due mid-January 2026 was Clothes to Make You Smile: Patrick Kelly Designs His Dreams by Eric Darnell Pritchard and Shannon Wright.
I had not heard of the designer, therefore, I was interested in this introduction to the life of Patrick Kelly and their designs. And what some interesting designs and vision this person had. They just pop off the pages with the illustrations of Wright. The text captures the quirkyness of each outfit as well as the images that were Kelly themselves. The cover of this picture book lets you know what to expect inside with the artwork. It is bold, silly, fun, colorful, even exciting. From humble beginnings to living (and eventually dying) in France, we see how and what inspired the man behind the unique and special designs that would rock the fashion world.
The nice part of this biography is that we are meeting someone we might not know about, though he was influential and well known at the time. Also, we get to see in a cozy setting how Kelly checks many boxes including being a queer icon, man of color influences and was willing to be himself regardless what the fashion world first felt about his creations.