Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely places. I had just turned 40 and was in graduate school. I found a dress (girl’s size 10) at an antique mall that reminded me of a dress I’d worn as a child. I realized this style dress has been worn for generations—by pioneer girls, my daughter, my granddaughter, and me. It started me thinking about identity, and how women are often defined by their relationships. And how their identities can be limited by culture. I embroidered various “identities” around the hem of that dress and photographed it. Then I wondered about the power of photographing many dresses in one place at one time. This started me on the trajectory that continues today: exploring issues of memory, memento, identity, and cultural expectations.