One of the most sought after kind of dresses in the vintage world are beaded 1920s dresses. Fragile by nature, few have survived to the modern day, and those that have often require lots of restoration, as the weight of the beads damages the delicate silk chiffons and georgettes.

Last year I restored a ’20s evening gown for a customer who was wearing it for a special birthday. The bodice featured a beaded panel, much damaged over the years – the dress was unwearable as is, especially as she wished to dance in it, so I removed the bodice panels (front and back), matched the silk chiffon and silk charmeuse to new fabrics and (with the help of a friend) sewed them all together using silk thread.

Then I spent a week restitching the entire beaded panel. Originally sewn with cotton thread, it had deteriorated over the years and as I touched each bead, it came adrift – so there was nothing else for it, but to redo it all. It took me over fifty hours but I was happy with the result. I don’t think that I’ve ever spent so long restoring a dress for sale, and the resulting price did not reflect all the work and material costs that had gone into it. But it was beautiful and my customer was happy.

Please excuse the dreadful photos: as well as being out of focus, they don’t represent the true colour which is a delicate shade of pale green referred to during the Art Deco era as “eau de nil” (the first image, sans flash, is the closest). The original 1920s beads are a shimmering silver-white. I’m glad that there were enough intact to complete the task, as it would be hard to find more of the same.

The front is high and the back low, ornamented with a beaded rosette. The back detailing along with the silk charmeuse and bias cut skirt (below the drop waist) suggest that this gown is from the late 1920s, perhaps not long before the waistline returned to it’s natural place in 1929. Whilst featuring elements of 1930s style, it’s still very much a flapper dress, ready to kick up her heels at one more fabulous party.

Hi all,

I’m organising a group to see Loel Thomson’s Costume Collection.

Loel is a private collector who has dedicated her time and resources to the collection, preservation and display of two hundred years of Australian fashion. Many of her pieces were included in my book Love Vintage. I’m sure that she has the best collection of Australian fashion in the country, as well as jewellery, accessories and lace. There’s also an impressive tea cosy collection!

When: Wednesday 17th February at 7pm.
Where: The Costume Collection, 39 Greenaway Street, Bulleen.
What: Tour and talk on 200 years of Australian fashion.
Cost: $5 which Loel donates to a local nursing home.
Bookings: call Circa on 9419 8899

For those who are interested in social history, the history of fashion or just beautiful clothes, I thoroughly recommend this visit. Numbers are limited and RSVP is essential.

Here are some links to photos that I took on previous visits – please note that Loel often changes the displays so you might see some of these but you’ll probably see others from her collection of over 3,000 pieces:
Early 19th century dress.
Victorian era.
Edwardian era.
1920s dress.
1930s dress.
1940s dress.
1950s dress.
Swimwear.

1950s swimwear from Loel Thomson’s Costume Collection.

UPDATE 8th Feb: As sufficient numbers have been received to fill the group, we’re now taking names for any one who might be interested in a second tour, hopefully in the next few weeks. Please call the shop on 9419 8899. Thank you.

I’m pleased that the oldest piece in my personal collection is now on display at the City Museum for an exhibition on womens dress.

Details:
What: What Women Wore: Fashion at a glance 1820-1960
When: October 2009 – February 2010
Where: City Museum, Treasury Building, Spring Street (top of Collins Street) Melbourne
Cost: Adult $8.50 Concession $5

I acquired this in 1989 from a Sydney private collector, the crimson silk gown dates from the late 1820s – for twenty years I had thought it was the 1830s but when I recently unpacked it from the hundred or so layers of acid-free tissue paper in which I bedded it down in 1991, I looked at it with new eyes. I now consider that it is a bit earlier – it has the very full sleeves of the 1830s but not quite full enough and also a higher waistline and slight bustle at the rear formed by tightly stitched cartridge pleats.

Pre-dating the sewing machine, the entire gown is hand stitched and trimmed with piping. The lining is a fine linen and it secures up the back via hooks and eyes. Apart from a small bit of silverfish damage (which arrived before we met) and a fraying hem (suggesting it was too long for it’s last wearer) it’s in excellent condition. I have a few gowns from around 1860s-1880s and they haven’t fared as well as this one, which I find remarkable. The gown itself is both small and tall for the time – I suspect it was worn by a tall adolescent as it has very little bust shaping, it may have gone on to be worn by a second wearer, who was less tall. It’s currently displayed on a mannequin sized for a five year old child and it’s too small to do up properly at the back.

I’m still stunned to find such an early garment in Australia – even now with the wonders of collecting via the web, these items are hard to find. This is the first time it’s been displayed and I shall be keeping an eye on it – although the exhibition goes for six months, this gown will be evaluated for light fading and may not stay for the whole exhibition.

Next up in the small but striking display is an amazing blue and silver gown from the 1860s – this is from the wonderful collection of Seams Old. I love the strong colours of this one, and the condition is remarkable, almost perfect. It stands in glorious contrast to the simpler gown of the earlier time. Then we have an oyster silk gown from the late bustle era, 1880s. The detailing is wonderful, and it reminds me of the paintings of Tissot – this one too is from Seams Old, as is the 1890s silk mourning gown that you will see next.

In the next room you will see some gowns of the twentieth century – a silk devore from the ’20s (as featured in Love Vintage book) and a hand-embroidered Chinese silk coat. I wore this to the opening of the NGV’s Black in Fashion exhibition last year, where it caught the esteemed eye of Zandra Rhodes.

The 1950s are represented by one of my personal favourites: a couture silk twill polka dot dress from local fashion house Le Louvre. This dress is also featured in Love Vintage and has impressive quality and construction. I suspect it originally came with a matching belt – I love the way that pieces of spotted fabric are centred over buttons, and it has a self-cravat (which can be tied in a small bow or left loose like this).

As for the 1960s, you’ll have to pop down to the City Museum to see what’s in store!

As well as Circa having some gowns on display, the Love Vintage book will be available for sale at the gift shop and I will be doing a couple of talks about vintage – Friday February 19th at 6pm and Thursday February 25th at 1pm. More news about them will follow as details are finalised.

Today I have something special for you – a silk 1920s evening gown from the House of Chanel. I photographed her today before she goes to her new home – a Sydney based collector who is sure to appreciate it as much as I have.

Tomorrow we’re driving up to Sydney for the vintage fair and book launch, and it seemed the perfect opportunity to deliver her to her new home. I couldn’t possibly entrust such a cargo to Australia Post!

She needs professional restoration and isn’t quite wearable at the moment – although she looks solid, it wouldn’t take long before those white and silver beads started to fall. In fact, as well as packing her well in acid free tissue paper, she comes with a bag of beads that have found their way loose.

As you know, I do lots of repairs and restoration on vintage but despite my strong skills, some pieces need to be entrusted to museum-level restorers or preserved as they are. I will leave that choice up to her new owner.

If you look closely at the hand-beaded skirt, you will see that the rows of beads start as all white on the top level, gradually increasing rows of silver so that the beads are all silver by the bottom. It produces a lovely graduating effect, that shines under the lights. A lady kicking up her heels with a vigorous Charleston would be quite a sight to see! This dress was made for dancing, I’m quite sure.

If you click on the images, larger versions will load.

I’ve just had a bit of a holiday and so my in-box is rather full. Apologies to anyone who’s emailed me, I shall get back to you shortly – in the meantime there is a backlog of events so stay tuned for more announcements.

In a few weeks, Sydney will be hosting the first Silent Film Festival:
Join us in the glamour and the emotions of the 2009 Australia’s Silent Film Festival taking place in Sydney on October 15, 18, 24 and 25th at the sublime Dixson Room and Metcalfe Auditorium, both at the State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street Sydney.

More information can be found at the website. You might like to see the programme which includes Keaton, Chaplin, Garbo and local major films The Story of the Kelly Gang and The Sentimental Bloke.

Not to be missed.

Gorgeous image of favourite Louise Brooks courtesy Australia’s Silent Film Festival.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted some flapper fashions so here are a couple of pages from a Winn’s catalogue of the 1920s – Winn’s was an Australian department store that produced mail order catalogues for their customers.

This catalogue is from the collection of Geoff Walker, who kindly let me borrow it for the Book. I love the simplicity of the images – and the consistency of the shapes. I hope you like them too.

The way we wear clothes has changed a lot in the last few decades, in particular with regards to underwear and accessories – the overall casualisation of clothing isn’t always a good thing, I think.

Vintage clothes were designed to look their best with vintage foundation garments – these days, you don’t have to strap yourself into corsetry, suspender belts or girdles unless you want to, but we can all benefit from the goodness that is a decent petticoat.

Our grandmothers understood it well: a nice petticoat will make your clothing fit and look better as well as add to your comfort. It also makes dressing more of an occasion – walking around whilst you get ready of a morning (or any time you change outfits) is easier and more glamourous whilst wearing the equivalent of a sexy, sultry slip of slightly sheer fabric that covers and enhances your assets. After all, has Liz Taylor ever looked better than she did in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Butterfield 8?

Circa is currently closed so I can’t show you any of our beauties, instead here are some lovely examples from other vintage shops: far too nice to be limited to your boudoir, many will happily double as evening frocks, especially for the hot summer nights ahead.

Clicking on each image will take you to the full size version (and believe me, they look much better in full size) and there is a link below each that will take you to each shop for more information. All photos remain the property of their respective websites.

Stockings and suspenders are an essential part of creating a vintage look for a modern gal, but even Dita can’t duplicate the saucy elegance of old photos and the irreverent look of an immoral woman.

Beneath the cut are some of my favourite pics, collected over the years from assorted Livejournal communities. Dating from the Edwardian era to the early 1960s, all are work-safe: containing luscious thighs and scanties but no actual nudity….many were exceedingly racy back in the day and many are fetishistic: then as now. I’ve displayed them roughly in era order, so you can observe the different approaches (and increased raunchiness) as we go.

A good friend mentioned that her husband enjoyed a post I once wrote about vintage stockings…so Chris, this one is for you and also for the rest of us who hanker for a bit of vintage sexy-style glamour – the best sort.

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Along with my two younger brothers, I was born in Sydney. One sunny day early in 1975, the whole family piled into dad’s vintage Studebaker and crossed the Harbour Bridge on the journey of a lifetime.

Over a few months, we drove first to Melbourne and then on to Adelaide – where a tiny cog in the almost-fifty-year-old car wore out. A new part had to be made to the original US specifications, and so mum, my baby brother and I flew the rest of way to Perth whilst dad and Evan killed time in Adelaide until all was ready to drive the car across the Nullarbor plain.

Their arrival in Perth caused quite a stir – and made the front page of the state newspaper “The West Australian”. Dad kindly sent me one of the photos taken – I present it here courtesy The West, who own the copyright and hopefully won’t mind me publishing it here.

1928 Studebaker GB (Big Six), with Brian and Evan Jenkins arriving in Perth in 1975 (you can see the old Boans department store in the background).

As you can imagine, there’s a lot of attachment to the Stude in my family – nowadays she’s safely ensconced in dad’s Perth garage, undergoing restoration. She still bears the colour scheme that she received during her original restoration in the early ’70s: black and burgundy – not dissimilar to these lovely examples, who also have loving homes – they’re from a great website called Old Car and Truck Pictures. All photos owned by their original owners.

1927 Studebaker Commander 4 door sedan, Big Six – I suspect this is the model before dad’s. Owned by Jerry White of Grand Island NE, USA.

1928 Studebaker Director Royal Sedan – owned by Steve K. of Sydney, Australia.

1928 Studebaker taken at Yarmouth County Museum, Yarmouth, NS USA by J. Stuart McLean. Perhaps this is the same model as dad’s?

On Saturday August 2nd, Circa participated in an Art Deco fashion parade organised by Chris Horne, for the National Gallery of Victoria as part of their Art Deco exhibition. High Tea was held at Sofi’s, and quickly sold out – before we knew that we would be involved – otherwise I would have invited you all!

Here are some shots from the day – there were over thirty outfits in total, all are original to the period 1910 to 1939. The first seven outfits (one for each model) were the last ones out, and all are from the late 1930s. All garments and accessories are from the private collection of Chris Horne, my own or from Circa. More pics will be posted as they’re available!

Many thanks to Chris, for allowing us to be a part of this amazing event, and Doug Cloud for the photography. Click on each one to see the photo in full.