Skip to content

Sarah Ainslie’s Wardrobe Portraits

October 27, 2015
by the gentle author

Contributing Photographer Sarah Ainslie has been taking portraits of people in their wardrobes since 2002 and she has done over fifty. Today I publish a selection and you can see the whole set on exhibition at 7 Ezra St, E2 7RH for the next two Sundays – October 1st & 8th from 11am until 5pm

Viscountess Boudica of Bethnal Green

Emily Shepherd

Julie Begum

Hydar Dewachi

Madeleine Ruggi

Sara Sheppard

Luke Dixon

Lara Clifton

Shakila

Brand Thumim

Jo Ann Kaplan

Sid Dixon

Penny Woolcock

Prue Ainslie

Simon Hoare-Walter

Jenny Carlin

Lel McIntyre

Ryan-Rhiannon Styles

Ruhela

Francine Merry

Sabeha Miah

Kassandra & Dan Isaacson

Andrew Dawson

Shelagh Ainslie

“Wardrobes are private places where personal belongings are kept, not only clothes but also objects with special meanings and memories. Children see them as spaces where adults hide secrets and I always felt there were secrets in my parents’ wardrobes. As a child, my grandmother’s knicker drawer fascinated me, and we would search for sweeties that she kept in jars and beautiful evening dresses in her wardrobe that she let us touch. My father had a bespoke wardrobe with special racks for shoes and drawers for all his different garments, and my mother had a big walk-in wardrobe. I conceal letters and strange memorabilia, like casts of my teeth, in mine.” – Sarah Ainslie

Photographs copyright © Sarah Ainslie

You might also like to take a look at

Sarah Ainslie’s Brick Lane

9 Responses leave one →
  1. October 27, 2015

    When the post title came through by email I thought, oh no… a load a ‘well off’ people standing in their bespoke dressing rooms! So what a lovely surprise to see photos of ordinary people – like most of us – everyone with a mixture of furniture or rails. Really enjoyed seeing the photographs.

  2. October 27, 2015

    beautiful lives a sense of theater in all

  3. Emily permalink
    October 27, 2015

    How lovely. I really enjoyed going through this.
    Such a diverse collection but at the same time we are all
    the same when it comes down to it .
    Loved the one with the girl lying down and the one with the guy sitting in
    what looked like a blow up one.

    Must go and tidy mine now.

  4. gabrielle permalink
    October 27, 2015

    What an original, fascinating idea. Once again, thank you for bringing another wonderful fact to my attention!

  5. October 27, 2015

    What a marvellous idea. Loved this.

  6. October 27, 2015

    A very fine idea for a photographic job — indeed!

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  7. Ros permalink
    October 28, 2015

    Really enjoyed these. They made me smile!

  8. Michelle Yates permalink
    January 1, 2016

    What amazing photos! Wonderful!!

  9. December 11, 2016

    Wow! My smile for the day, too… so creative & fun! (For some appalling reason I missed these first time around.) Thanks, Sarah / GA 🙂

Leave a Reply

Note: Comments may be edited. Your email address will never be published.

Subscribe to this comment feed via RSS