The Melbourne Spring Fashion Week is currently in swing and this year, there’s a lot for those of us who prefer our fashion to be of the vintage persuasion. To make things easier (there’s so much going on) here are some highlights and Must-Sees (including a few small contributions by Circa):

Tuesday 31st August
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in sleepwear for the theme “Slumber in the City”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street, between Collins Street and Flinders Lane.

2pm – 3pm: Everyone’s favourite vintage fashion blogger, Candice DeVille aka Super Kawaii Mama is presenting a workshop on vintage glamour, with a focus on sleepwear. It’s a free event but arrive early because choice positions will be in hot demand! Candice will be assisted by Eszter and Marianne, who will be modelling outfits from Circa and (rumour has it) one of Melbourne’s most elegant lingerie labels.
Location: City Square on Swanston Street.

6 – 9.30pm: Merry Go Round – a luxury event. “Makeovers, Manicures and Martinis and Miss Money Penny have teamed up to bring you a luxury shopping event that combines mini pampering treatments with a personal styling session and an elegant showing of hand-picked pre-owned designer items.”
Location: Longroom, 162 – 168 Collins St and cost is $70. Bookings required.

Wednesday 1st September
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in day and evening wear for the theme “Women’s Wonderland”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

2.30pm: ACMI are screening “Beyond Biba: a portrait of Barbara Hulanicki” as part of a series of films on fashion icons. “The woman behind the iconic London retail hotspot, Biba, Barbara Hulanicki revolutionised British fashion in the seventies. Capturing the fascinating story of the woman who bought a new level of glamour to high street fashion. ”
Location: ACMI Federation Square.

Photo courtesy MSFW and ACMI

Thursday 2nd September
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in swimwear for the theme “Beauty and the Beach”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

3.30pm: Candice (SKM) is back again with her lovely models for a second Vintage Glamour workshop, this time with a beachy theme. As before, this is a free event. “Ever wanted to discover the elements that make a polished, vintage look? Wondering how to choose the right vintage pieces for your personality? Vintage model and style blogger Candice DeVille shares her secrets in this exclusive session that will help you find your perfect vintage glamour look and how to mix it with a modern wardrobe.”
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

Friday 3rd September
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in men’s wear for the theme “It’s a Man’s World”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

Might be a good day to go and see the Age of Fashion exhibition that is on at QV Square, QV Melbourne, between Russell, Swanston, Lonsdale and Little Lonsdale streets. “CELEBRATE Melbourne’s love affair with style, sophistication and sleek chic at this must-see fashion photographic exhibition. Offering Melbournians a tangible slice of history, documenting the influences, ideologies, icons and inspirations behind Melbourne’s signature style. ” Here’s one of my favourite Melbourne fashion icons, Jeannie Shrimpton in her headline grabbing 1965 Day at the Races.

Photo courtesy MSFW and QV.

Saturday 4th September
10am: Round She Goes. “Round She Goes is one of Melbourne’s most popular preloved fashion markets for women – buy fantastic preloved designer and quality vintage fashion and accessories from various stallholders. It’s a free event and can be found at Collins234 – Boutique Place, Level 2, 234 Collins Street

Sunday 5th September
2.30pm – The Upmarket. “Miss Money Penny Fashion Emporium and Take 2 Markets present: The UP Market. Join Melbourne’s queens of designer fashion chic-o-nomics at our luxury shopping event. Shop amongst 40 glam stalls for only the finest brand new, just slipped on and vintage designer fashion treasures – for a fraction of the retail price.” Venue is Alto Event Space at Melbourne’s GPO, 350 Bourke Street and the cost is $50. Bookings required!

Lately I’ve been working extra long hours to get Circa’s webshop finished in time for launching on August 13th, Circa’s 6th anniversary. And it was done! Hundreds of items photographed, edited, measured and loaded online for your perusing pleasure. Hundreds more almost ready to go up, so there will be lots of new stock soon.

Whilst that was happening, it was easy to take some extra photos for the Vintage Fashion Guild’s new fur resource – it’s going to be included in the new and improved site which should hopefully be available soon. Here is Circa’s small contribution. If you hover over each image with your mouse, a title will appear – perhaps you might like to see if you can guess them first?

A note on furs, because it can be a contentious issue – whilst I do not support animal cruelty or factory farming, I have no trouble with vintage furs because the animal has died long ago. The demand for vintage furs is much less than the supply and so I consider valuing and preserving them to be a form of respect for their sacrifice and the aesthetics of our fore-mothers. Besides: many vintage furs are being saved from landfill, as they are little valued these days, compared to the past when they were a great symbol of status.

All of these items are available for sale at Circa, with the exception of the Arctic fox (sold last week to a lovely visiting Gallery owner) and the Baboon (not for sale as it’s an endangered species). The Baboon is pretty popular at Circa actually: it gets regular visitors despite not being for sale.

I spend a lot of my online time at the VFG forums: as well as being the best place to get respected and professional opinions on whether that 1940s cocktail frock is real or a 1980s inspired style, or what a particular fabric or detailing is called, it also has the best Fashion Label Resource. Recently I heard something about there being over 3,000 labels there? The great thing about a label resource is that, as well as providing lots of good biographical information, it’s a useful tool in dating garments, as most fashion companies change the design over time.

But back to Circa’s webshop – it’s now open and you can see it here. There will still be some tweaking but all in all, I’m pretty pleased with it. In particular, hope you like the return policy: it’s my job to find the right owner for each vintage garment so if you don’t like it, or it doesn’t fit you, we’ll be happy to take it back.

An annual highlight, the Fifties Fair is on again next month in Sydney:

Have a blast and relive the good times at the annual Fifties Fair with live swing and rockin’ hillbilly, DJs & dancing, and vehicle displays set against the backdrop of Rose Seidler House.

Specialist collectors and dealers will sell fabulous 50s pieces including household gadgets, toys, jewellery, knick-knacks, books, clothing and furniture.

What: The Fifties Fair
Where: Rose Seidler House, 71 Clissold Road, Wahroonga, NSW 2076
When: Sunday August 29th, 10am to 5pm
Cost: General $20 | Conc/member $15 | Family $55

More information at the website.

For those of us on Gertrude Street, it’s been hard to ignore the Projection Festival. Twice in the last week I’ve walked the street of an evening and the second time (last night) I bravely attempted to take some photos for you – I say “bravely” because without the benefit of a good camera, a nice tripod, a better skillset and images that don’t move quite so fast, it’s been like photographing ghosts.

It’s quite a challenge for an amateur: if you use the flash, the images vanish beneath the shock of light. Without flash, the length of time required in the dim street light produces a blurry image because inevitably, it will change or you will move or both.

I’m sure that the results can tell interesting stories about the ephemeral image and the necessity of living in the moment. Sadly, it doesn’t make for good visual memories though so I encourage you to go and see it before it ends on Sunday night.

If you’ve seen it already, I encourage you to go again: there is much to see, and much that changes – the best example is the Rose Chong window, which features live performers! The first night we were there, two ladies sat, one read and one knitted. Last night was more exciting though: the two (a different two?) were prancing and dancing with animal masks on their heads, whilst two small dogs “ruffed” at a small child with a teddy bear (a threat to their territory perhaps?). Not high art, maybe, but definitely fun.

One of the reasons that I’m enjoying it is because it encourages you to engage with the street in a different way. We walked up both sides of the street looking out for the numbers that would indicate that an exhibit was present, and searched (sometimes in vain) for the artwork. Gertrude Street makes for a good gallery: there are lots of nice spaces to display things and it’s quite dark in bits, well suited to a projection.

This is the third year of the festival and it’s getting better and better – there’s still lots of potential and next year I’d like to see more buildings host artworks, and more information about each artwork displayed. Circa will hopefully be involved again, as a sponsor and venue.

UPDATE: This event has been cancelled.
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For those who live in or near Albury/Wodonga, the Albury library museum are organising a bus trip to visit Loel Thomson’s Costume Museum in Bulleen and Circa in Fitzroy (both are in Melbourne).

I’m going to give a talk about the work that I do with collecting and restoring vintage garments and Loel will also talk about her work with her collection.

What: Bus trip and visit to Loel Thomson’s costume collection and Circa Vintage Clothing, from Albury (NSW) to Melbourne (Vic)
When: Friday 14 May 2010, 7:00 AM – 7:30 PM
Where: Albury NSW
Cost: $80.00 $72.00 Friends of the Gallery
Bookings: please call 02 6023 8333

More information at the Albury City Council website

1890s gown from Loel Thomson’s collection.

Loel Thomson’s collection of two centuries of costume is amazing, and probably the largest collection of Australian dress in the country. You can read more about it here.

This week Circa welcomed a new sales lady, Carly from The Lindy Charm School for Girls. It seemed like a good opportunity to introduce her to some vintage lovers as well as the Circa coterie, for High Tea at the Park Hyatt.

What I found particularly interesting, of course, was what everyone chose to wear – Vic dressed in 1930s, Candice wore a ’40s inspired printed 1980s frock and most of the rest of us were somewhere in the 1940s or 1950s with the exception of Jules, who wore a sweet 1960s inspired creation of her own.

Looking around at the diverse outfits, I couldn’t help thinking that here were a variety of dresses that were originally intended for a particular type of occasion and yet in the 21st century all are appropriate for an afternoon of tea and cakes. It’s one of the aspects of vintage that I love the most: how easy it is to create your own personal style.

Tim and I were early, so raised a toast to the impending afternoon:

Most of the ladies arrived in quick succession and took their places around the table – it was especially nice to be able to introduce people who knew each other online but were yet to meet in person.

Julie from Ballarat Vintage Style, wearing a gorgeous nylon late ’40s picnic dress, Kesenya from Alice Jeans in a floral party frock (love the red beads) and Jules from Poppet wearing one of her own designs, soon to be available from Poppet Vintage hopefully.

Circa’s new lady Carly in a fabulous 1940s cocktail dress, with Esther (also Circa) in a late ’40s picnic dress.

Hubby Tim Hamilton with Maria from Vintage Suburbia in another of those ever popular picnic dresses, this one from the early ’50s. Perfect for afternoon tea! Maria accessorised it with a great floral bag too.

Candice from Super Kawaii Mama in a bold 1980s floral with Claire from HarbourMaster – wearing a silk ’50s party dress.

Marianne from Esme and the Laneway in a cute ’40s day frock, Victoria (from Circa) in ’30s floral rayon afternoon dress and Eszter from Kitty’s Drawings in a 1950s cotton print sundress.

Tamasein from Underground Cinema in an early 1940s dinner dress (I have dozens of these and I never get tired of them) and Fiona, burlesque dancer Foxtrot India (and also Circa) in a 1950s petticoat and polka dot skirt.

Now you’re probably wondering what everyone’s dresses look like in full? Here’s a group shot minus a few who had to leave on time – the rest of us seemed in no hurry as it was such a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Thank you to everyone who came: it was wonderful to see you all and we must do it again soon!

Next week’s talk on vintage clothing at Heritage Hill is sold out and there’s an impressive waiting list, so we’ve scheduled a second talk.

This is to accompany the Hart & Hand exhibition of vintage clothing at Heritage Hill museum in Dandenong, although the exhibition will finish before the second talk. 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 30th.
Cost: $12 includes afternoon tea.
Bookings Essential, very limited places – please phone 9793 4511

More information at the Heritage Hill website, although it’s yet to be updated with the second talk.

At last Friday’s talk at the City Museum, I brought 23 frocks and talked about them, as representative of different times in the 20th century (the frocks covered the the years from the 20s to the 80s). It worked well, although went on for much longer than planned – I’ll use a similar format to this, but bring mostly different frocks so that people coming to both will get a different perspective. I’ll see if I can bring some pre-20s as well.

A couple of lovely ladies came into Circa today with some fliers for the new Red Door Burlesque evenings at the Order of Melbourne. I have a soft spot for burlesque and with the fabulous Miss Emma Peel DJing and the equally fabulous Mr Andrew McClelland as Master of Ceremonies plus special guests, what’s not to love?

Details:
Red Door Burlesque
Sunday 28th February
The Order of Melbourne – Level 2, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Doors open 6pm, show starts 7pm
$20 entry – To book, call 9663 6707

Red Door Burlesque will be happening on the last Sunday of each month – the last time they were on, the line ups were wonderful and they quickly sold out. I’ll be along next Sunday to see what’s in store.

More information at the Facebook page. And if you happen to see any ’50s frocks printed with fruit in outer space, let me know. Apparently they’re in demand. They’re certainly wacky and I like that.

It’s going to be a busy week –

On Wednesday evening is the group tour to Loel Thomson’s Costume Collection. Now, the tour is fully booked but it’s likely we’ll do another one soon for those who’ve missed out. If you are coming, please meet us out the front (35 Greenaway Street, Bulleen) just before 7pm.

On Friday evening I’m doing a talk on vintage clothing at the City Museum – please phone the City Museum on (03) 9651 2233 for bookings. I’ll be bringing some garments from my collection.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced office or studio space, a friend of mine is looking for someone to share in Collingwood – Circa’s stockroom is at the Langridge Design Centre so I can vouch for how good it is – more information can be found here.

Coming up: on Tuesday March 2nd, I’m giving another talk on vintage at Heritage Hill in Dandenong. Please phone phone 9793 4511 for bookings.

As well, the 20% off Sale continues at Circa all week – here are some of the goodies in store now, all are available at a nice discount – thank you to my wonderful model and shop lady Victoria.

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.