To accompany the Hart & Hand exhibition of vintage clothing at Heritage Hill museum in Dandenong, I’m giving a talk about antique and vintage clothing. Copies of Love Vintage will also be available for sale.

From the Star News:
Ms Jenkins will reveal how and why she became so fascinated with vintage clothing and where to find it.
She will bring several antique and vintage pieces from her own extensive collection to use as illustrations and encourages participants to bring garments of their own for discussion.

What: Love Vintage: A Collector’s look at Antique and Vintage Clothing – presented by Nicole Jenkins of Circa Vintage Clothing.
Where: Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens – McCrae St, Dandenong
When: 2-3pm, Tuesday March 2nd.
Cost: $12 includes afternoon tea.
Bookings Essential, very limited places – please phone 9793 4511

There are two more talks associated with the exhibition:

Tuesday 16 February, 2pm
History of Hand Made Lace – presented by Patricia Begg O.A.M

Tuesday 23 February, 2pm
History of Machine Made Lace: presented by Patricia Begg O.A.M

More information at the Heritage Hill website.

If you’re in Perth, look out for an interview in today’s Xpress magazine. A friend sent me this scan:

click on it to see in full – thanks Hayden!

Here is the online text version (sans pretty frocks) – scroll down for the piece. Soon I’ll have a proper version too.

Hmm, I think it’s about time I set up a proper media page – with all these interviews, TV appearances, radio guest spots…it’s getting a bit hard to keep track.

Since the book has come out, I’ve been doing a bit of writerly publicity – there are a few magazine articles still to come out, an appearance on Deborah Cameron’s ABC radio show in Sydney and a nice big article in the Age by James Cockington (I’ll post it when I get around to scanning it, so that you can see the photos too, but you can read it online here).

Recently I got to go on national ABC Radio for the Coodabeen Champions. Tim has edited the segment down to the 13 minutes we chat about the book and vintage. Click on the link below – be warned, it starts to play right away!

Nicole on the Coodabeen Champions.

There was also a mention of the book in a reading guide included in the Sydney Morning Herald and another mention in the latest Qantas inflight magazine. Also: lots of blogs (which is especially wonderful)!

As well – look out for the Collectors segment on vintage swimwear this Friday at 8pm. The episode guide is already up on the ABC website – if you look very carefully you can see a tiny image of me in my wisteria-print dressing gown, admiring shop mannequin Clark in his shiny ’40s bathing trunks. Can’t wait to see Candice parading the women’s swimwear.

From the website:
Nicole Jenkins literally parades her collection of vintage and retro swimwear, with familiar names like Jantzen and Speedo going back to the 40s. The ladies’ one-piece cossies from the 50s make for a very attractive tableau.

It will be repeated on Monday evening, and available for download from the website after it screens.

We spent two days and one evening at the Sydney Vintage Clothing Fair. The official launch was on the Friday night – usually I like to come for the evening and then fly back to Melbourne so that I’m in the shop for Saturday trading at Circa but this time not only did I stay the whole weekend but so did Tim, Victoria and Candice. It was a bit like travelling en famille…en vintage famille.

The pictures tell the story – some highlights;
- lucky me got to wear two fabulous hats (the leopard print is by Schiaparelli).
…and three frocks (the floral one you can’t see here, but you’ll see it when I talk about swimwear on The Collectors, December 4th).
- Tim and Victoria got to quaff sparkling wine in celebration. I put my glass down…somewhere….
- Charlotte Smith gave two talks about the Darnell Collection, in particular the items that are included in Love Vintage. Charlotte has her own book coming out next week about the DC, I’ll post about that soon.
- Spending time with the wonderful ladies of the Lindy Charm School! They’re hosting another Melbourne workshop next month, must post about that too.
- I bought some great stock for Circa including lots of mens suits, cravats, a tie lined with an image of a scantily clad lady, party frocks, purses, handbags and waistcoats.
- Delivered perhaps the only ’20s Chanel that I’ll ever get my mitts on – to a very happy (and deserving) new owner.
- Tim entered Friday night’s best dressed competition, and the Lindy Charm ladies kindly said he should have won.
- Candice and Heather won Saturday’s best dressed competition!
- What a wonderful fair, with so many best dressed competitions…
- I didn’t win any best dressed competitions, but I did get to launch my book – and meet lots of lovely people and chat about our vintage lives. It’s an event I’ll never forget…a highlight of my life.

It was hard choosing a winner for last week’s Love Vintage contest – five lovely people choose correctly the red floral 1950s dress with the big satin bow (that as Christina pointed out, should adorn a bottom not a front).

Photo courtesy Victoria Bennett.

There can only be one winner however – Anastasia, please email or call the shop to arrange delivery of your copy of Love Vintage. Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered – and special kudos to those who picked the ’30s dresses – it’s a quirk of the era that they often have high necklines and low backs so they look like they’re on back to front when they’re worn correctly.

My lovely new book on vintage clothing is available from Circa, bookshops in Australia and New Zealand and directly from the publisher.

Photo of Tim, Love Vintage and I, courtesy of Victoria Bennett

Here’s a list of some of the bookshops – note that many are still ordering it so it will be other places as well, and if you’d like your local bookshop to stock it, it doesn’t hurt to ask them.

Shop Town State
ALS Library Services Pty Ltd Edwardstown SA
Angus & Robertson – Glenelg – F Glenelg SA
Angus & Robertson – Lithgow – F Lithgow NSW
Angus & Robertson – North Adelaide North Adelaide SA
Angus & Robertson – Norwood – F Norwood SA
Angus & Robertson – Southport Park – F Southport QLD
Angus & Robertson – Unley – F Unley SA
Angus and Robertson – Kiama Kiama NSW
Artisan Books Fitzroy VIC
Ballarat Books Ballarat VIC
Better Read than Dead Newtown NSW
Boffins Bookshop Perth WA
Book Review St Ives NSW
Books In Mudgee Mudgee NSW
Books Plus Bathurst NSW
Boulevard Bookshop Bunbury WA
Brunswick Street Bookstore Fitzroy VIC
Classic Promotions Akaroa
Clifton Hill Books Clifton Hill VIC
Coaldrake’s Bookshop Brisbane QLD
Collins Books – Beechworth – F Beechworth VIC
Collins Books – Bendigo Bendigo VIC
Collins Booksellers – Sunbury Sunbury VIC
Collins Booksellers – Traralgon Traralgon VIC
Collins Booksellers – Warragul Warragul VIC
Dymocks – Albury Albury NSW
Dymocks – Belconnen Belconnen ACT
Dymocks – Camberwell Camberwell VIC
Dymocks – Indooroopilly Indooroopilly QLD
Dymocks – Marion Oaklands Park SA
Dymocks – Mornington Mornington VIC
Dymocks – Watergardens Taylors Lakes VIC
Historic Houses Trust Sydney NSW
Kinokuniya Book Stores of Australia Pty Ltd South Sydney NSW
Matilda Bookshop – LEB Stirling SA
Megalong Books Leura NSW
Morwell Newsagency (Atrium Books) Morwell VIC
Narnia Bookshop Tamworth NSW
Next Chapter Books Wahroonga NSW
Planet Books Mount Lawley WA
Readings Hawthorn Hawthorn VIC
Rocks Newsagency & Lotteries Geraldton WA
Shearer’s On Norton Leichhardt NSW
Sun Bookshop Yarraville VIC
Technical Books Christchurch Christchurch
The Bookshelf of Oz Highgate SA
Warner Books Pty. Ltd. Clayton VIC

As well, you can buy it directly from Circa for $50 and I can sign it! I’ve got some postage quotes at last –
Melbourne $7.45
Sydney or Adelaide $10.90
Brisbane $11.50
Perth $14.40
If you would like Registered Mail, please add $2.80. I will cover the GST and packaging component for the mail. If you would like us to send you a copy, please call the shop on (03) 9419 8899 during trading hours (Tues-Sat 11am-6pm) and we can take your credit card details.

International mail – I’m sorry to say that it’s a big book, and almost 1.5kg in weight!
UK – Air $49.50 Sea $26.80
US – Air $39.30 Sea $26.80

Update: Carter’s can offer cheaper overseas postage rates. Contact them for a quote.

Unfortunately it will not be available through Amazon.

Last Wednesday we held the Melbourne book launch for Love Vintage, with a vintage parade of thirty outfits from the ’30s to the ’70s (most of which are featured in the book).

Without further ado, allow me to present some photos from the parade – if you click on each one, you can see it in full. All photos courtesy Victoria Bennett.

I’d also like to thank everyone who helped with the event –
Models: Candice DeVille, Samantha Doll, Becky Argent, Fiona Hamilton, Nici Blue Eyes and Nicole Gregurek.
MC: Andrew McClelland.
DJ: Nic Toupee.
Doorman: Jeremy Murphy.
Stage Manager: Anna Schoo.
Dressers: Esther Hayes, Remie Cibis and Denise Cox.
Hair and Make up: Carly Robinson of the Lindy Charm School.
Book sellers: Anna Knight and Tim Hamilton.
Photography: Victoria Bennett.

Big thank you to The Order of Melbourne for providing a wonderful venue, and everyone who came – including Jean, my step-mother, who flew over from Perth for the night. It was fabulous, the largest event I’ve organised and everything went off like a dream. Andrew as MC did such a great job, he had all of us laughing, especially the models! You have to click on the images to see their smiling faces now.

The books are of course, available to purchase from Circa and book stores every where – cost is $50. I’ve had some enquiries from outside of Victoria so tomorrow I’m going to get some postage quotes for other destinations (apologies to those who have emailed, response will be forthcoming).

And now a little contest…one of the dresses in the parade was worn back to front. Can you guess which one? Comment below (you can see the name of each photo if you hover your mouse over it) and a lucky person will receive a copy of Love Vintage, including postage to anywhere in Australia. Entries close COB Saturday (6pm Melbourne time).

I’m finalising the details for tomorrow (Wednesday) night’s vintage parade and book launch, and I realised that some of you might not have let us know that you’re coming yet!? It’s at the Order of Melbourne, and we can only fit so many people in so if you don’t want to miss out, I recommend that you call Circa on 9419 8899 asap so that we can add your name to the door list.

You can see the full details here. It’s free entry and sure to be a night to remember.

We have six of Melbourne’s most glamourous models (including pin ups Candice Deville and Samantha Doll), all frocked up in some of my favourite vintage gowns from the book “Love Vintage”. Andrew McClelland will be hosting the evening, looking very dapper no doubt. As a special treat, Carly from the Lindy Charm School will be flying in from Sydney to make sure the models hair and make up is looking fabulous.

Here’s the events board at the Order of Melbourne. It’s not long to go now! I can’t wait.

Melbourners – this is the one you’ve been waiting for! Get out your glad rags for the much-anticipated launch of my book on vintage clothing – plus a parade of glamourous models wearing garments from the book. What could be better?

What: Love Vintage Melbourne launch and parade.
Where: The Order of Melbourne, upstairs 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne.
When: 6pm Wednesday October 21st – parade starts at 7pm, don’t be late.
Cost: Free entry.

Copies of “Love Vintage” will be available for sale on the night – choc-full of my vintage secrets, garnered over thirty years of collecting and restoring, plus over 350 photos and illustrations of gorgeous gowns, fabulous frocks, snazzy separates and amazing accessories from the ’20s to the ’70s – all for a bargain price of $50.

Please call Circa on 9419 8899 to RSVP – we need your name on the door. First come, first served – we’d love for everyone to join us but we can only fill the venue to so much.

Click on the above image to see in full size. For those who can’t make it on the night, copies of Love Vintage will also be available in-store at Circa. I’ve been looking forward to this night for a very long time – I hope you can join us.

UPDATE: you can RSVP at Facebook too.

I can’t believe in all the excitement, I almost forgot to post about the best vintage fair in the country – and of course – my book launch for “Love Vintage” at last!

Opening Friday next week, the Sydney Vintage Clothing, Jewellery and Textiles Show will continue all weekend.

Where: Canterbury Racecourse, King Street, Canterbury
When: Fri Oct 16th 5.30pm-9pm, Sat Oct 17 9.30am-4.30pm and Sun Oct 18 9.30am-4.30pm
Cost: see website for ticket prices for the fair. There is no additional cost to attend the book launch.

Come early on the Friday night for the book launch – it starts at 6.30pm, followed by the Best Dressed competition (always a highlight). You might like to allow time for queuing as there will lots of like-minded people.

I’ll be available to sign copies of “Love Vintage” on the night, and for most of the weekend – if you can’t make it to the launch but will be there at some other time during the weekend, please look for me at the Carter’s stall. I’ll be displaying some of my favourite gowns from the book, including the blue ’50s party dress that graces the cover.

Charlotte Smith from the Darnell Collection will also be displaying gowns from the book, and she’s giving a talk at 2.30pm on the Sunday on antique and vintage fashion.

The full programme can be seen here. Stay tuned for news of the Melbourne launch, which is on Wednesday October 21st and includes a vintage fashion parade.

Lovely ladies in vintage – Photo reproduced courtesy the Sydney Vintage Clothing fair.