Clothes to Make You Smile: Patrick Kelly Designs His Dreams

PreS-Gr 2–Vivid collages accompany the uplifting story of an unlikely fashion icon. Patrick Kelly, a Black boy from Vicksburg, Mississippi, didn’t have much money, but he had a loving family who supported him with love and laughter and encouraged his love of fashion. Inspired by watching the “fashion parade” of folks going to church and reading old fashion magazines, Kelly learned to sew and soon began to make clothes of his own. Although he tried to make it in the fashion world in Atlanta and New York City, Kelly and his colorful, vibrant clothes didn’t fit in with the snobbish fashion elites. It wasn’t until he went to Paris and began designing clothes and costumes for artists and dancers that his designs caught the attention of the mainstream fashion world and he became a celebrity. Colorful mixed-media collages that include buttons (a favorite of Kelly’s), cloth, paper, colored pencil, and maps are the perfect backdrop to the story of this remarkable young man, who exuded a sense of joy and fun and wanted to make clothes to “make people smile.” Though Kelly’s life was short, he left behind an indelible body of work and an inspiring story of tenacity and creativity. Includes additional biographical information, an author’s note, and a selected bibliography.