Nicole Jenkins – Style is Eternal

Nicole Jenkins is one of the leading lights in Australian vintage circles, with a reputation that extends far beyond the local scene to an international audience. One of the best types of vintage dealers – a lady who came to it through a passion for both textile art and social history, and who acquired many years’ worth of hands-on experience before opening her own vintage shop. She wrote a very thorough, practical, beautifully illustrated and accessible guide to vintage in her first book, Love Vintage (2009).

She is now venturing on a second foray into publishing, with Style is Eternal – launching tomorrow night at Berkelouw Books in Paddington (click through the link to purchase tickets to the event). This book promises to offer suggestions on how to invest in a wardrobe and accessories that offer versatility and your own personal enduring style – and from conversations I’ve had with Nicole over the years, and insights she’s shared, it promises to be as delightful and as practical as her first book.

I’ll be there tomorrow night if anyone wants to say a hallo, and am looking forward to reading and reviewing the book!

AAADA 2014 Revisited

Beaded Lanvin bag, 1910s-20s

What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Sydney than by having one final pass at the AAADA Fair at Randwick? I wanted to pick up a couple of pieces I’d seen on Wednesday night, and the girls were keen for another browse. We expected it to be a bit quieter as the Fair wound down, but there was still a lot of activity out there. I was surprised that some of the pieces I thought would be snapped up – the Norman Lindsays, the wonderful Diana Art Deco sculpture, the excellently priced plaster Art Deco nude – were still there.

I was struck again by what an interesting and diverse selection of items were represented – mourning hair jewellery, miniature portraits, large modern canvases, 1950s hand bags, an amazing array of taxidermy at different stalls (I saw two different Victorian platypus display cases, not to mention two polar bear rugs), a fair representation of Asian art (although not the textiles, which I rather missed), some very interesting silver and a great period range in furniture, including some more modern pieces that certainly earned their place by virtue of interesting materials/construction, like the molded glass table near the entrance that had almost an organic feel to it.

Art Deco enameled pendant from Chilton’s Antiques, part of their fine Art Deco jewellery collection – from sterling silver to platinum pieces.

Lena at Coutura vintage seems to have had a very successful weekend – her display mannequins had changed ensembles, indicating that some of the flapper dresses were snapped up. I bought the interesting sequin and feather “bird” headpiece that was found with the 1920s dress we bought on Wednesday…not sure if they’re original to each other, as it struck me as an earlier piece (dress is second half of the decade and this has a more 1910s feel to me), but they were clearly put together at some point, and it was too interesting to leave.

The other buy was a Jeanne Lanvin purse/mirror bag – with an earlier label…possibly pre-1920s?

Visiting Dianne at Online Antiques (ArteDeco), she had a wonderful silver threaded netting hairpiece, set with rhinestones – a lovely little flappery number that we were delighted to buy.

So well-worth the return, and hopefully a strong showing for the dealers so we can look forward to another fair next year.

Accessories and decorative pieces for sale at ArteDeco

Australian Antique and Art Dealers Association (AAADA) Fair Sydney 2014

Art Deco at the Online Antiques stand

Sequin flapper dress at Coutura Vintage – no, not the one I bought!

I’ll do the full write up after I’ve dropped by again, but just a head’s up that the AAADA Fair is on in Sydney this weekend. It might not be the first place you’d think of visiting to source your vintage clothing from, but two excellent dealers – Online Antiques and Coutura Vintage – are visiting, and they have racks of Victorian through to 70s vintage to look at (including some truly beautiful 1920s pieces). There’s also a great selection of accessories at the other stalls…beaded and mesh bags, celluloid Spanish combs, and of course spectacular Deco jewellery.

I suspect that some people are intimidated by the idea of an Antiques Fair on this scale, but it’s worth the price of admission along to see the art, furnishings and jewellery on display. If you get weary of the transfer printed china and dross that makes sifting through antique stores an eye-glazing, mind numbing drill, this is a very different way to experience antiquing. With every piece selected, and a great many different specialists represented, there is not only quality, there is tremendous variety. Also a great range of price points, from the exceptional fine arts that command commensurate prices to the little curiousities and bargains that make collecting and/or furnishing a home so much fun.

And yes – I did walk away with a spectacular, OTT flapper dress that I’ll be detailing in later posts and some other bits and bobs. Do get in to see it if you can…it is an extremely pleasant way to spend what promises to be a rather dismal rainy weekend!

AAADA FAIR 2014 

Website

27–31 August 2014

The Kensington Room, on the ground floor of the new Royal Randwick Grandstand, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Alison Road, Randwick NSW 2031.

The Sydney Fair Opening Night

Chiparus ivory and bronze statue of the Dolly Sisters (1950s reproduction)

The Sydney Fair opened last night at the Byron Kennedy Hall in the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. I met up with the girls and we headed over after work – the doors opened at 6pm so there was time for cocktails beforehand and what was planned as a quick change into a 1930s devoré velvet gown. I’d brought all the accessories and even remembered the shoes, but alas – had not remembered that the gown was rather…er….sheer in parts, and required a slip! After contemplating myself in the bar’s mirror for a few minutes and deciding that no, I am not of an age or figure where semi-transparent gowns are becoming, I opted to wear the accessories with my work attire (fortunately black and flowing), along with a 1920s black velvet coat. Not quite the look I was going for, but one must improvise!

Virtanen Antiques – only part of their display

There was a decent sized queue to get in – we were fortunate to have comp tickets from Dianne at Circa Vintage – but the bar staff swiftly equipped us with champagne and away we went. Virtanen Antiques had a large, quite dramatic display of furniture and art works opposite the entry, and they demonstrated the workability of a theory that I’ve long cherished – namely, that certain pieces of Art Deco and Biedermeier furniture would look superb together, even though a century or so stands between the eras. The clean lines of the former and the restrained neo-Classicism of the latter, the use of light woods and inlays…it looked superb, whether the Biedermeier was original or c1910 revival.

A case full of goodies at Coutura Vintage

We worked our way around to Lena at Coutura Vintage, who always has such a superb collection of 1920s and 30s pieces, both clothing and accessories. Sure enough, there on a mannequin was a lovely 1920s black silk pink beaded gown comprised of an underslip with beading on the hem, overslip/tunic, and long belt/sash. There was also a rack of gowns, capes and coats. Her display cases were brimming over with everything from early sewing kits to 1950s jewelry, with plenty of Deco pieces mixed in, including a few lovely evening cloches and bandeaux.

Lena recently acquired some 1920s necklaces with lampwork beading and we were particularly interested in these – after agonising over the choices, and being particularly divided been a dramatic red and black one and a very pretty black with pink and gold, we purchased the red and black.

Deco Diva’s flock of “Captured Birds”

Then on to some of our favourite dealers, all of whom are passionate as well as knowledgeable about Art Deco. Deco Diva is a case in point – one of my favourite Deco dealers in the world, with a remarkable collection of bronze, spelter, glass, pottery and porcelain. Sculptures, clocks, tea sets, cocktail shakers…all the beloved Deco pieces. I was entranced with a grouping of  Josef Lorenzl’s  “Captured Bird” – a whole flock of them, in the different sizes Goldscheider offered this charming figure.

German perfume lamp, 1920s

Prism Lighting also had a wonderful display – lighting, of course, with beehive pendant lamps going toe to toe with classic Diana lamps and an array of shades, but also fabulous decorative pieces. I believe it was they who had a beautiful grouping of opalescent glass including works by Lalique and Sabino.

Moving around we came to Online Antiques which always has not only beautiful pieces of furniture, art and vintage clothing and accessories, they are also displayed beautifully. I was intrigued by some Chiparus sculptures that were far better than contemporary reproductions, particularly one of the Dolly Sisters. As it turned out, they were cast in the 1950s. I’d have happily walked away with almost all the furniture, but a French sideboard with carved Deco-style flowers was one of the standouts. As always, Dianne had wonderful figural clocks and lighting. Moving around to the cabinets, I spotted a blue and white Egyptian revival Czech piece. Jill – usually a voice of caution warning me to do a full circuit before I start buying – put her foot down and insisted I needed it there and then, so purchased it was!

Lots of 1920s – 30s lovelies to be had, like this beaded bag, compacts and bakelite necklace.

We found another stall – the name of which escapes me – that had quite a few quirky pieces, like a 1930s tin chocolate box styled like a crocodile skin handbag. There was a lovely 1920s beaded bag there that needs a bit of restoration work but, as it was a great price, we purchased it. Then a bit of a sit down before a final foray – by now there was time to say hallo to old friends and meet new people, as I caught up briefly with Eloise (wearing a lovely 1950s peach knit ensemble) and a couple from Melbourne who had come up to the Fair to hunt for the perfect pieces for their Art Deco home, and who had had considerable success.

Eloise and friends in vintage

Finally back to Lena and the pull of the pink beaded dress on the mannequin…to finally cut the long story short, “Reader, I purchased it!” Or rather Sandra and I jointly did. And while we were at it bought the black, pink and gold necklace we’d considered earlier (after all, it was the perfect match for the dress!) and a lovely 1920s black chiffon with prong set rhinestones and crystal beading.

Always a happy ending when I get to buy another lovely 1920s dress, like this one from Coutura Vintage.

So another successful Fair, and with so much to look at we’re thinking about returning over the weekend for a second look-through.

The 1920s necklaces we purchased at Coutura Vintage and Online Antiques.

Tremains Art Deco Weekend 2014 – Wednesday Night

I’ve been given a bit of a “razzing” by friends for neglecting to write up the weekend the last couple of years, so here’s a belated attempt to do that…it will take a few posts! We’ve now settled into a bit of a routine of flying over on the Wednesday and having a party in the County on Wednesday night as a catch-up with all those friends we haven’t seen over the years. As we usually don’t have much time between arrival and the start of the party, the original theme of lounge-wear – first chosen because many of us couldn’t make the Thursday night lounging at the Hawkes’ Bay Club – has turned out to be a good, relaxed first night option.

Leigh with the spectacular sunset

The trip over was a bit of an unprecedented disaster, as they held our flight from Sydney up so a large group of passengers could make the connecting flight. Nearly two hours delay, and making the connection in Auckland was impossible. At first we thought we’d miss the next flight as there were only two seats (self-sacrificing Sandra was telling us to go on ahead, which was most certainly not going to happen! Leave no woman behind…), but by the time we’d arrive at the domestic terminal, they had three available. As it turned out, we were only delayed by an hour, and by the time we’d settled in to wait with the traditional sparkling wine at the cafe, Mike turned up, having flown in from Brisbane – we were on the same flight, which did much towards consoling us to the delay!

As I’ve always said, flying into Napier sets the heart soaring – there’s nothing quite like looking out and making out first the pines along Marine Parade, then the Dome, and then other familiar landmarks.

Gathering the girls who were wearing shades of peach!

Leigh and Martin already had everything under control for the evening – glasswear arrived, we popped down for an extra dozen bottles of wine for our guests (blatant plug: the County does excellent deals on organising catering and drinks), and as we raced to quick shower and change, Leigh was tapping on the door of the room with a welcome glass of Moët. Never were we more glad that it was a case of tossing on the loungewear – I was just wearing an Edwardian teal kimono-influenced gown (consider it very early Deco dress!) with a hair-hiding evening cloche, while Jill and Sandra had soft PJs.

Jan – one of my favourite Deco people.

I love this night – over the course of the weekend, with so much going on, you don’t always get to spend as much time with friends as you’d like. This was a change before the whirl all began to enjoy a chance to see people. We stay in touch during the year via social media, calls and the odd visit, but it’s always welcome to see so many people you’ve missed. We were treated to a fantastic sunset on the balcony, and the 1920s Jazz played on (later comment from Mike – “I’d forgotten how many songs in how many languages were written about the Charleston!”). We always make an effort not to party too much before the party – a fatal mistake – but a very good time was had by all, and it was the perfect prelude to the party to follow.

The Sydney Fair 22 May 2014 – 25 May 2014

The Sydney Fair is almost upon us again, after last year’s dazzling debut – a fabulous event for those of us who love Art Deco and 20th Century Design. You’re unlikely to find a more impressive concentration of Art Deco furniture, lighting, sculpture, art, ceramics, glass, jewellery and vintage fashion – the array of 1920s gowns and accessories is worth the visit alone.

I have a few day passes for use Friday – Sunday from Coutura Vintage to give away if you’d like to send me an email – first in, best dressed!

Bryan Kennedy Hall

Moore Park, Entertainment Quarter

Thursday 22^nd May, 2014

6:00pm – 9:00pm

Friday 23^rd May, 2014

11:00am – 7:00pm

Saturday 24^th May, 2014

11:00am – 7:00pm

Sunday 25^th May, 2014

11:00am – 5:00pm

$30 Opening Night

$20 General Day Admission

$10 Concession

Children under 16 free when accompanied by an adult

Art Deco Weekend, Napier on the Horizon

With my wonderfully stylish mother, Sandra

As February draws near, the thoughts of Antipodean Deco Dabblers and our friends around the world turn to Napier, New Zealand and the annual Tremain’s Art Deco Weekend.

Flappering it up in Napier

“Weekend” is a bit of a misnomer, as it is truly a festival that takes place over the better part of a week. It is scheduled on the third weekend of February to commemorate the Hawkes’ Bay Earthquake of February 3, 1931 that levelled the town and in which at least 256 people died – 161 in Napier, 93 in nearby Hastings, and two in Wairoa. Those tragic events are remembered over eighty years later amid the festivities, with earthquake survivors participating (and more than a few vintage cars that came through the event in the huge annual car parade), services at the local churches and Naval ceremonies to honour the role of HMS Veronica in relief operations. One survivor I knew – sadly since passed away – told me of his vivid memories of his parents bringing him down to the quayside after the quake to see the Veronica and thank her men.

With the wonderfully stylish Claire – 1920s meets 1930s (I’m cheating a bit here – that’s a c.1922 evening dress that I’ve dressed down as an afternoon dress).

We’ve been attending since 2007 – Sandra, Jill and myself – often bringing family and loved ones along, as virtually everyone in our circle hearing tales of Napier wants to give it a try. It’s not for the faint-hearted – it took my sister so long to recover from her encounter with the energetic partying that is Napier that she seriously considered the possibility she might have chronic fatigue syndrome.

At the Leisurely Lounging party – always a favourite!

Over that time, we’ve built up a group of friends in Napier, our bonds with whom extend far beyond a few days in February. Seeing them each year is one of the things we most look forward to doing, and to be able to do that in an atmosphere of parties and Art Deco makes the experience all the more treasured. Thanks to our internet connections and the odd visit, we’re in touch all year round, sharing our collecting triumphs, our ideas and our (for those who, unlike me, do sew) creations.

The wardrobe planning takes place over the course of the year, and we need all that time to pull it together as most of what we wear is original vintage with a few replica accessories. Some months out everything has to be inspected, and Sandra does her conservation and restoration work year around. We arrive and host our first party on Wednesday night in our hotel – the wonderful County (a rare pre-earthquake survivor), and from then the party goes on until Sunday evening. That’s five nights worth of evening wear and four days’ worth of day outfits, usually with more than one change a day.
With three of us – and sometimes more – we do often double up on hats and other accessories. Someone might wear a red cloche one day, or an evening bandeau, and then someone else might don it on another. Pooling our resources means we can take more variety in the accessories that really complete a look. And then there is the delight of chiffon! It is remarkable how many vintage chiffon day dresses one can pack…leaving more room for the heavily beaded evening extravaganzas!

Fortunately, Hawkesbay in February is usually very warm, so one can get away with shawls and some lighter capes and coats for evening (this is not the time to bring the magnificent velvet lined lamé coats with the huge fur collars…I know, I’ve tried).

French beaded dance dress on muslin base, c.1926

Although the earthquake took place in 1931, the dress is Deco themed, which means an emphasis on the 1920s and 30s (and with a rather theatrically inspired version of the 1920s at that – chook feather boas in the mid-morning are very popular!). I respect the latitude of interpretation because this is a fun event that doesn’t take itself too seriously – if someone has raided their wardrobe for the dropped waist eighties dress worn and wears it with a modern bucket hat as a cloche, my main concern is whether or not they’re enjoying themselves, not how authentic they are. I’ve given a few lectures at the weekends over the years regarding Art Deco dress, but I always stress that these are guidelines to be adapted and information to use as the listeners may or may not wish. While many of my friends do impeccable 1930s (and Jill has some lovely 30s day and evening wear she sometimes favours), my fondness is for earlier Deco fashion, from its roots in the teens through to the sharply geometric later 1920s…I’ve gone some Edwardian robes for the lounging parties (gorgeous cocoon coats), but most of what I wear is 1920s.

Over the next couple of weeks, as we prepare to head over there, I’ll try to put up a few posts detailing the wardrobe preparations. But for now, here’s a post with a few examples of past Napier Art Deco weekends.

The Sydney Fair Inaugural Event 13 – 16 June Moore Park

Roseanne, Inger, Eloise and Katie Louise in 1920s vintage at the opening of The Sydney Fair

Eloise, Roseanne and Katie Louise wearing 1920s vintage gowns from Coutura, seated on an Art Deco lounge used in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” – it is part of the furnishings in Nick’s cottage.

It’s not all that often here in Sydney we have the opportunity to indulge in my favourite era, but The Sydney Fair, held from the 13 – 16 June at the Byron Kennedy Hall in the Entertainment Quarter, with its focus on Art Deco, Art Moderne and Mid Century, brought together the furniture, decorative items and the fashion of the period.

I was contacted by Dianne of Online Antiques, one of my favourite dealers in antique and vintage clothing, furniture and collectables, to ask if I’d be interested in helping style some models who would be wearing 1920s gowns from Coutura Vintage for the opening night and on Saturday – the answer was a resounding yes. Unfortunately I came down with a heavy dose of the ‘flu the week before, but I was able to put her in touch with Eloise, who I’d met in a stunning 1920s outfit at the last Vintage Clothing Fair, and who has such a good look for the era. She was able contact the inimitable Katie Louise  and the very lovely Roseanne, and the trio were a wonderful ornament to the opening night as well as moving examples of Art Deco style as they modelled the gowns.

Deco girls in 1920s vintage at the Deco Diva stall

The girls are such Deco enthusiasts they didn’t require much help with their styling, so we had plenty of time on Thursday night to examine the stallholders. I knew from the list of exhibitors that the stock was going to be very high quality, and such certainly proved to be the case. Deco Diva, for example, is one of my favourite Deco stores in the world – located at the Sydney Antiques Centre, I’m always delighted when I call in and the owner is there as you could easily wile away hours talking to him about Art Deco figurines, sculpture, pottery etc.

A showstopping Goldscheider figure at the Deco Diva stall. Deco Diva provided many pieces to dress the sets in Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” – I do remember seeing a Butterfly Dancer in Myrtle and Tom’s New York apartment, but can’t recall if this is the one – I suspect it was a smaller version.

Lena, who owns Coutura Vintage, had put together a wonderful display showcasing the colour and variety of 1920s gowns, from the straight beaded chemises to the robe de styles, and a range of bandeaux, evening cloches, capes, etc. I always love taking to Lena at vintage clothing fairs as she so adores and appreciates the design aesthetic of the period – you can see the sheer joy she takes in the beautiful gowns she has and all the lovely jewellery and accessories. I saw so many people come into and out of her stall over the weekend and just discover vintage clothing that they fell head-over-heels for. I had a hard choice of wonderful headwear, but finally chose a filigree bandeaux with a faux amethyst stone.

1920s vintage dispay by Coutura Vintage

Meanwhile, my mother wanted to have a quiet word with me. She, it seems, had fallen in love herself – with a very gorgeous Limousin lamp, supported by two bobbed-haired beauties. It simply slowed in the surrounds of the rest of Dianne’s marvellous Deco surrounds. My birthday isn’t for a few months yet, but Sandra decided this was obviously the gift I was meant to have.

Coutura Vintage’s 1920s display – more on the coral dress with the rose embroidery to come in my next post…

A wonderful opening – all the stall holders were charming and found time to chat to the guests, and I haven’t seen such a gathering of interesting Deco pieces since the V&A exhibition toured here a few years ago. There were also some more contemporary pieces – the Despard Gallery was represented, and I think I would happily have walked away with a work from any of the artists represented. 

My beautiful Limousin girls from Online Antiques. Who’s a lucky birthday girl, then?

More on The Sydney Fair in the next installment…

Vintage Fashion Day and Appraisal at Labassa

For those of you in Melbourne, an event that I wish I was attending –  Nicole Jenkins, author of Love Vintage and owner of Circa Vintage (and all around magnificent person) is going to be hosting an appraisal of vintage items at Labassa, the fabulous French Renaissance revival mansion completed in 1890 – a must-attend if you can get there!

Event details: Sunday 18 August 2013, 10.30 am – 4:30 pm (Appraisals between 11am – 11.45am and 1pm-1.45pm)

Rock Around Randwick – Vintage Fair

How very like me to start a blog and then neglect to update it for weeks! Not due to a shortage of news, mind you – plenty of news, plenty of wonderful new 1920s vintage – but because events have done their usual business of swamping me. I had a major move back in April and have been playing catch-up ever since. However, things have been moving on and I’m still buzzing the innaugural Sydney Fair held this past weekend and some fabulous purchases there, so updates are coming soon.

In the meantime, just a note not to forget that there’s a vintage fair out at Randwick this weekend for you Sydneysiders.

The theme this time is 1950s (with some 60s via a display of Mod fashions), and it’s titled Rock Around Randwick – Vintage Fair, organised by The Way We Wear fairs and Randwick City Council. 20 stallholders and Vintage and retro clothing, accessories, homewear, free entertainment…

When: 22 – 23 June 2013

Time: Sat 10 – 5.00 pm, Sun 10.00 – 4.00 pm

Location: Randwich Town Hall

Admission: Free

We went a couple of years ago to the All that Jazz version of the fair and had some great finds (courtesy of Online Antiques and Coutura Vintage)…everything from an Edwardian coat to a 1920s lamé cape. I also took my little seven year old niece along to introduce her to vintage shopping, and she had a perfectly marvelous time – she started a cat broach collection. I know that Lena from Coutura will be taking her stock there, so that alone is worth the visiting the fair.