Increasingly, students ask me to help with assignments that they have on vintage or the history of dress or the industry - to make things easier, I thought I’d answer Jenny’s questions here. If my responses are of use to you, you’re most welcome to use them with accreditation. Thank you.

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What an amazing sale! Thanks to everyone who came on Monday and helped me clear out Circa’s cupboards. At the end of the three hours, over two hundred garments had gone off to new homes - we bagged up what was left and donated it to the Brotherhood of St Lawrence, who run the Hunter Gatherer shops so hopefully the best left over vintage items will end up there.

I hope you joined us and picked up a bargain! One happy customer is Gala Darling who snaffled eight fabulous items for only $16 - check out her blog for pics of her modelling her new outfits.

Spent most of today setting up the stockroom sale for tomorrow - and I’m excited!

For those who are coming, there are seven very full racks with quality vintage at below cost prices:
- Dresses from the 1920s onwards at a flat $20 per dress! Look out for ’30s rayon florals and ’40s beaded crepes.
- Long dresses (maxis, ball gowns and evening gowns) for a bargain $30 each!
- Overcoats and jackets for $20.
- Tops, skirts, trousers and lingerie for $10 each.
- Large quantity of menswear, ladieswear and other items for $2 a piece.

Where: upstairs, Circa 102 Gertrude Street Fitzroy.
How to get there: enter off Young street, there’s a car park behind Circa and there you will see the door going upstairs.
When: Australia Day holiday, Monday January 28th, from 12pm to 3pm only.
Everything sold as is with no returns or exchange.

Payment accepted: preferably cash, EFTPOS available for amounts over $20, Credit cards for amounts over $50.

Hope to see you there!

I’m currently sorting out all my stock - and there’s heaps of it! Too much, in fact, to fit into the warehouse.

So we’re going to have a massive stockroom sale! Details:

Where: upstairs, 102 Gertrude Street Fitzroy.
How to get there: enter off Young street, there’s a car park behind Circa and there you will see the door going upstairs.
When: Australia Day holiday, Monday January 28th, from 12pm to 3pm only.
What: vintage clothing from the ’20s to the ’90s - items from only $1!
Payment accepted: preferably cash, EFTPOS available for amounts over $20, Credit cards for amounts over $50.

Hope to see you there!

Hi all,

Due to the festive season, our hours will change slightly:

Sunday Dec 23rd - 12noon to 4pm
Monday Dec 24th - Closed
Tuesday Dec 25th - Closed
Wednesday Dec 26th - Closed
Thursday Dec 27th - 11am to 6pm
Friday Dec 28th - 11am to 6pm
Saturday Dec 29th - 11am to 6pm
Sunday Dec 30th - Closed
Monday Dec 31st - Closed

For the month of January, we’ll be open usual hours, Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 6pm.

Hi all,

for those who are looking for inspiration, here are some simple little things for those you care about this Christmas:

For ladies -
Vintage and antique jewellery from $15:

Stockings from What Katie Did and Leg Avenue, from $18:

Frilly knickers from What Katie Did, $38 in red, pink or black:

For the chaps:
New vintage style men’s hats from $35

Vintage ties from $10 and cufflinks from $30

New vintage style braces (clip or button) from $35

All mens suits come with complimentary Circa pocket square for that polished look:

And finally, pick up a Circa calico shopping bag - a bargain at only $5 each!

Last Monday I got married!

Here’s a pic of Tim Hamilton and I at the Melbourne Registry Office, during the ceremony:

Tim and I with his parents, Neil and Carol Hamilton, in the Treasury Gardens:

Tim and I with my father and step-mother, Brian and Jean Jenkins:

The Bride wore a beaded silk crepe gown from the 1930s, set off with diamante dress clips from the era and her late mother’s silver locket. The Groom is in head to toe Anton’s - many thanks to Anton and Co for whipping up the matching silk waistcoat in only three days!

Afterwards, we were joined by family and friends for champagne and canapes at Fitzroy’s Polly. The following day we headed off for a short honeymoon in Queenscliff - all too brief, sadly! I was back in the shop on Saturday and getting ready for Christmas. Why did we choose this crazy time of year to get hitched? A novel way of celebrating the seventh anniversary of a most memorable kiss.

What a beautiful day it is, here in Katoomba! We’re here for a few days photographing the Darnell Collection, one of the most impressive private collections of vintage clothing in Australia.

I couldn’t resist taking a few snaps of the Carrington Hotel, where we’re staying. It’s such a beautiful place. I first saw it a decade ago, while it was undergoing renovations. I tried to sneak around and was exploring the old stables when a security guard escorted me off the premises. Thankfully it’s now open to the public, and for the price of a room you can explore to your heart’s content. Here’s the view from the verandah:

I seem to have it all to myself - now, if only someone would bring me a gin and tonic, life would be perfect!

The Carrington is that most of wonderful of establishments: built to great aplomb in the Victorian era and extravagantly redone in the 1920s. It has an interesting construction, as the original building wasn’t so much as changed as expanded - it’s like a ’20s hotel (with Macintosh, nouveau and deco touches) built around an elaborate Victorian one. So you have fabulous stained glass windows that open onto corridors and enclosed verandahs, and a veritable rabbit warren of rooms. It has 66 guest rooms, and all manner of public lounges, a library, a billiards room, a bar, a dining room, and of course, a magnificient verandah from which you can safely view the hoi polloi below going about their lives down on the main street.

Want to see more? Click here - warning: image heavy. (more…)

Next June, the National Gallery of Victoria will be hosting an exhibition on Art Deco from London’s Victoria and Albert museum called Art Deco 1910-1939.

Recently the launch was held, complete with a beautiful car of the era - and models dressed by Circa and Sydney’s Vintage Clothing Shop.

Photos courtesy National Gallery of Victoria.

This week will be the last week of Circa’s third birthday sale - in store you will find the following:

- Rack of tops, jackets, trousers, dresses and waistcoats all reduced to clear: some below half price!
- Half price off all mens’ tweed jackets.
- All handbags and purses from Glamourpuss of Sydney reduced to clear - up to half price off all styles made from original 1950s fabrics and vinyl.

Sale will finish next Saturday, September 15th - here are some pics of the Glamourpuss goodies while they last:

And here are some of the garments on sale rail:
1 - 1950s pink floral frock - now only $55
2 - 1950s cotton gingham “Lucy” frock - now only $65
3 - Kenzo tie top - now only $50
4 - Early 1960s blue lace beaded top - now only $35