My Grandma

I love looking through my Nan's closet and see the dresses she wore 40-50 years ago, explore her cupboards containing boxes with black and white photos, fabrics and sewing stuff, and drawers with jewellery and silk scarves.


My Nan doesn't own a lot of things or anything expensive, as both she and her husband were holocaust survivors and had to struggle to keep food on the table a long time after the war. But there's still so much history stored in her house that I find interesting. All the things I find tell me about the daily life of past times, and about 1950's and 60's fashion, style and design, which is very interesting for a vintage lover like me!


But they also tell me a lot about my Grandmother's adult life, her dreams and her disappointments, and about my Grandad who died years before I was born.


Granddad bought this mirror for my Nan, whilst still living in a refugee camp, dreaming of one day having a house with enough space for a beauty table where this mirror could be put on display. However, the mirror has been lying in a box all these years and never been used, so when I found it she gave it to me.


Looking at these beautiful pictures of my Grandma from when she was younger inspire me when it comes to clothes and style; even though she was very poor she looked nice.


But it also makes me sad to think that now she's sitting at home all by herself most of the time, with these pictures reminding her that she was once surrounded by friends and people she knew.


She's lonely, unhappy and regrets some important decisions she's made in life. But what makes me really sad is that she doesn't see the beauty in life, and there's not much I can do to change her attitude.


Maybe one of the reasons why I love looking at her old things and photos is because they show my Grandma from a time when she still had dreams and hope for the future, when she would dress up and wear nice clothes and go to the theatre.


There aren't many things from her wardrobe that fit me (most of it is too big), but I found this skirt and jacket that fit me perfectly and little bag that she doesn't use anymore. This is just another example showing how stylish my Nan used to be. She doesn't treasure these things like I do, but at least she's glad that I can get some use out of her old things.