Author Archives: liztregenza

What I’ve been buying lately: Suits, dresses and jackets galore

Posted in 40s, 50s by

Today I thought I would share with you all some of my recent purchases, my very kind Nanna and Great Aunt both gave me some money for Christmas so I have been lucky enough to have a little bit of spare cash to spend on vintage!
I’ll start off by saying I’m actually feeling really let down by ebay at the moment, well in the UK at least. I am finding that there are less and less sellers out there offering high quality vintage pieces that are accurately described. There are a few exceptions, Lestervintage is one such seller. I’ve bought from this seller before and their items are always exactly as described. I also really appreciate how well photographed they are. Another on this list is redappleclothing who again I have bought from in the past.
The problem seems to be the sheer volume of incorrect listings out there. I’ve ended up with three paltry eighties copies of 50s dresses lately due to people insisting things are genuine 50s that are not. If you aren’t sure, state it!
So yes, this means my vintage buying habbits have swerved overseas and I’ve been buying quite a few bits from America, something I never used to do for fear of a)import charges and b) the items taking an age to arrive.
This has surprisingly not been the case and I’ve been really happy with the items I’ve picked up from the US and the price I’ve paid including postage.
Here are a few of my recents.


First off these lovely two Bobbi Brooks jackets which I think cost me under £40 for the two and from America. They are in MINT condition and are really versatile too. They both look amazing with jeans, and when the weather warms up a little more I’m sure they will become my springtime failsafes.
I also bought this SENSATIONAL 40s red suit. I’m sure it only cost $45, it wasn’t expensive at all. The quality of this piece is quite frankly wonderful. It has padded weighted pockets it is beautifully lined in silk throughout and has a really strong metal zipper. The fabric is some sort of Gaberdine and its pretty warm. I think come February I’ll be wearing this number regularly. I’m not normally one for wearing red (I think it looks a bit funny with my skintone) but the colour really looks good on, and even better the suit makes me feel amazing.

 Then onto this lovely little Blanes dress. Another of my obsessive collecting labels. I believe this dress is a very early 60s piece and is a sensational fit too. What gives this dress the edge is its lovely cowl draping at the back. I just need to find a belt to go with it now. Hmmmm….

I also wanted to show the fact that I don’t only buy vintage and sometimes the odd new piece creeps into my wardrobe too. I bought this during the week in Leeds as my finishing coursework treat to myself. I love a good bit of zingy orange and it has some little side splits for added interest. I bought it in the Whistles sale and it was reduced from (if memory serves me correctly) £175 to £40. Ace! I just want to apologise for my drag queen worthy make up in these pictures, unfortunately the light in my room is absolutely horrendous and I can never tell until I leave the house quite how heavily I have clarted the make up on!

Celia Birtwell book: A review and investigation

Posted in 70's, celia by

For Christmas I received a rather delightful book that I had wanted for a while the new book on Celia Birtwell. What I like about this book is that it is a real marriage between beautiful images of original garments, Celia’s prints and tales from the time. It gives you an insight into Celia’s life and also  helps you to better understand her prints. It not only gives an insight into her heyday in the late 60s and 70s but brings you right up to the present. For any print aficionado I cant recommend it highly enough.

I have a bit of a book obsession. This is my book shelf in my uni house. Almost all of these books are about fashion history with a few books dotted in about some of my other random obsessions too (graffiti, mid century typography Dali and Gaudi feature heavily)

What I also really liked was that it gave me a few more clues into the interesting links between Alice Pollock, Ossie Clark, Quorum and Radley. Which has been one of my big vintage obsessive research areas of the past six months.

Reading the book helped me to uncover something really interesting. This is the Celia prints on Radley dresses debate. Something that I’d long known about was that Ossie was fiercely protective over Celia’s designs and whilst designing for Radley Celia rarely produced any designs for Radley which were not on Ossie dress designs. Why therefore does the odd definite Celia print occur on Radley dresses without the magic Ossie name too?

Well, the book sheds some light on this Ossie stopped working with Radley in 1973 but Celia continued to work with Radley (producing 2 fabric collections a year) until 1976. It would appear therefore that those unmistakable Celia designs that are sometimes seen on Radley dresses without the accompanying Ossie name date between 73-76. Helping me to date my own lovely Celia Birtwell print dress.

The book helped me further with this dress too. Whilst I’m still not 100% sure of the exact print it is definitely one of her bouquet prints which were some of her most popular designs.
I love a good bit of fashion investigation, and I highly recommend purchasing this book too!

This is how 2011 looked for me

Posted in Hampshire, Leeds, London, Vintage by

With my beautiful best friend
I can’t believe that 2011 is coming to an end, it is a petrifying thought. 2011 has been the best year of my life. I remember at the end of 2010 my best friend and I Katie Rickard stating this is going to be our “year of opportunities” and goodness me, it has been (This is true for both of us by the way, my amazing best friend this year got a first in her undergrad degree from Warwick in politics and international studies, is now doing a paid internship with the OSC and has been offered a place at Oxford for her masters).
I started off the year working for Hampshire museums service on my placement, which I began in 2010. Although, it was really 2011 that was my crowning glory. Seeing the Little Black dress exhibition that I had worked so hard on open in February and receive amazing comments and feedback was really enthralling. It felt like such a vindication to see all of the wonderful objects I had chosen bring back memories and provide people with inspiration. One of the best things though was seeing the exhibition  awarded with a guide award in November 2011 for “best exhibition”. Wonderful stuff!

I continued my time at the museum service working on a number of other wonderful projects and meeting some truly amazing people. Although one thing I have to say is that my placement allowed me to meet one of the most wonderful people I know, my supervisor Alison Carter. Alison knows more about dress history than I think I could ever aspire to know. In the time I worked with her she taught me so much and offered me so many opportunities. Not only is she a fantastic curator and historian but she is also one of the loveliest most giving people I have met, and I don’t think 2011 would have been even half of what it was without her.
This year blogging and twitter have taken me to all new places ( I now have more views on my blog per day than I got per month at the beginning of the year!) Social media allowed me to meet Naomi Thompson, one of the friendships I feel most privlledged to have made this year. Naomi is best known as stylish and vintage personal shopper Vintage Secret. I helped Naomi out with her book Style Me Vintage which is out in February. (Just a tad exciting!) You can pre order on Amazon now!!! Naomi is another insanely kind and generous person who has allowed me to see some wonderful pieces from her collection and also allowed me into the vintage world of London. Without her I don’t think I would have plucked up the courage to go to some of the events I have been to.
On the Beautiful Naomi’s birthday in December. She was poorly, but still looks lovely as ever i think 🙂
Photo by Hanson Leatherby 

Undoubtedly two of the best nights I have been on this year have been The Vintage Mafia presents the Ric Rac Club. Fine frocks and fine company. Even if one did leave me with  a horrendous drunken injury (scarred hands, scraped knees and a bruised chin anyone?)
 Sophie, Simone and I at the second Ric Rac Club, photo by Hanson Leatherby
Both of these events I went to alone. But everyone was so welcoming that it didn’t matter. I have to say special thanks to Mara, Johanna , Sophie, Simone and all of the VM for really making these events so fun!
I turned 21 in August too and I have to say a huge thanks to all of my beautiful friends that came. Especially to the Tribe girls. There is no need for a gushing love in here girls, you know how much i love you all : )
Some of the tribe girls on my 21st birthday
Coming back to University  was a scary experience after a year out. But I am in the process of writing my dissertation which I hope should become a piece of interesting an exciting research on the wearing of historical dress. And my two design modules aren’t going anywhere near as badly as I thought they might do.
And at the moment I am applying for masters, here I am with fingers crossed that maybe I might just get offered a place at one of my universities of choice. I need to live the academic life!

 Emily, Laura and I showing off our dance moves

I have to also offer my thanks to my wonderful housemates, Vic, Ally, Emily and Laura. I love them all to pieces and my uni experience wouldn’t have been half of what it is without them. I have to say a huge thanks to them too for putting up with the vintage selling I do from my bedroom, taking in the ridiculous number of parcels I sell and putting up with all the fur coats I had stinking out the place for months!
So yes, professional life on track, uni life on track and for once maybe even my personal life is on track.
Wonderful.
Thanks for treating me so well 2011 and roll on 2012.
As Katie Rickard and I have defined it “A year of taking risks”