MISSOULA — A fashionista, collector and book lover's dying wish to leave her wardrobe behind to benefit the Missoula Public Library (MPL) is coming true.
On Saturday, Lydia Weeden's clothing collection will be up for sale at the place she spent so much time.
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"She cared about fashion and she loved pretty things," Youpa Stein, Lydia's daughter, said Friday. "And so this collection is going over to the library."
Books and fashion. Both worlds will collide on Saturday in memory of Weeden, who passed in March at the age of 90.
"She was drawn to shiny things and she almost couldn't help herself," Stein said.
But Weeden's shiny things won't be collecting dust. Instead, they'll find new homes during Lydia's Layers, a benefit sale in support of lifelong learning at MPL.
"She had some anxiety about what would happen to all her stuff and if it would be a burden and she really just had some comfort in knowing that it could benefit the library," Stein added.
It's a place Weeden considered home. She loved MPL so much, she spent her 90th birthday there.
"This was a place where she could be in and part of the community, and she also loved just the beauty of the library," Stein said. "So we decided to celebrate on the Cooper Room on the 4th floor, and it was a beautiful day and friends and family from the community came out and celebrated.”
Her collection is full of items accumulated throughout her entire life, including vintage, natural fiber, adult and children's clothes along with jewelry, books and household goods.
“It's an eclectic collection because it's from, you know, vintage to contemporary to fun, you know, natural fibers to very formal, fancy, very fine tailoring to, comfortable summer fun prints, so it's, it's very diverse," Stein explained.
The public will have a chance to buy pieces of that diverse collection, which will then benefit MPL's programs: such as the Summer Learning Program, Indigenous programs, collections, and cultural displays, and experiences like the recent Anne Frank Historical Exhibit.
"The foundation supports the library and its many endeavors and including lifelong adult learning and community events and making sure there are books on the shelves and different kinds of programming for kids," Stein said.
You can help keep Weeden's legacy alive through her collection by visiting the first floor of MPL on the south end, Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
