Objects are emotion holders. What we accumulate in this world means little when we return to dust. She is the angel of history, walking backwards into the future, surveying possessions behind her.
its about the human act of hoarding. we spend our lives collecting and for what? what's the point in saving that dress when you could die tomorrow and never get to wear it? the vanitas tradition is there to remind us that we can make all the money in the world but cant take it with you when you die.
hems are distressed to represent both the act of ageing through the passing of time and, if a hem is already destroyed before purchase, the wearer will not hold it so precious.
