Category Archives: Horrockses

Finding vintage duplicates

Posted in Alice Edwards, Horrockses, Vintage by
Today I am going to share with you one of my absolute strangest obsessions. Finding vintage duplicates. Now I know this may seem mad, and slightly odd, but honestly it never ceases to bring me pleasure to see that actually a vintage item I own isn’t the only one out there! I know other people that HATE the idea that their vintage item isn’t unique, but i just like the fact that it reminds you that clothes were mass produced in the past!

First off I’ll share one of my vintage purchases from this week. It is by one of my favourite 50’s brands Alice Edwards. (I’ve bought a few Alice Edwards lately so i think i am going to need to update this post soon!)
Also a little note on this dress. On the front of the dress you can see a little half sash section. This is a real typical feature of Alice Edwards dresses and is always something to keep a look out for.
I recently bought this from ebay, but currently for sale is the EXACT same dress. See it here (I paid less than half the price asked for this one though. Ho ho ho)
Then I can get onto Horrockses.
I have a sizeable collection of Horrockses (23 on my last count) and I have seen dresses I own appear on a number of occasions. What is interesting with Horrockses is that they often used the same print fabric on different dress designs. Sometimes you may even see a day time shirtwaister Horrockses and a full length evening gown Horrockses with the same print.
This is one of my all time favourite Horrockses. The print is by Pat Albeck. Currently for sale on ebay is this stunner in the same print, but a bit more of a formal style.
I reckon this must have been a pretty popular print as I have seen another 3 examples of this print (2 in a blue and green colourway and one in a just blue colourway).
What interests me even more is that these dresses have different labels. Mine has the typical label seen up to 1958. Whereas this dress has the label often associated with the later (though still collectible) Horrockses. Maybe this print was so popular it was used for more than one season?
I’m getting to a point now that I am loosing count of how many times I have seen this Horrokcses print. I think this was the fourth Horrockses I bought, and is probably the one I wear most. I’ve seen this colourway design at least 6 times, and I have seen it in a paler pink version a few times too. There was a lovely one for sale at Vintage@Southbank. There is a wonderful pic of it here.  A dress in this print was one of the highest priced Horrockses ever to go on ebay (June 2011) sold by the seller brewery-house who has in recent months sold some of the most stunning Horrockses imaginable.
And then I have these two wonderful examples of my own Horrockses which appear in other colourways with Hampshire Museums service. The one was my second ever Horrockses purchases and is my oldest one too (distinguished by its yellow and white rather than grey and white label which is almost papery). AND my example has set in sleeves. In all the Horrockses i have come across that i have been able to get close enough to study properly this is the ONLY one i have seen with set in sleeves.

These  Horrockses features the label normally associated with the late 50’s (as seen in the pink floral number above). Mine is the blue one and the yellow one is from Hampshire Museums service)  Both of these dresses have absolutely wonderful colour combinations. What intrigued me most  is that both my one and the one held by Hampshire Museum service are in amazing condition (both to me look unworn!) My example is particularly confusing as it has had its hem let down, yet there are no puncture marks in the fabric whatsoever to suggest it was hemmed in the first place.  

These aren’t actually all of my examples of duplicates i have come across but they are a few of the best!

Not just a Horrockses but a NOVELTY PRINT Horrockses

Posted in advantage in vintage, Horrockses, novelty by

I’m so wildly in love with my new Horrockses dress it gets a whole post to itself (and i had a better more informative post planned too). Its got the pretty standard Horrockses label that dates it to pre 1958. I’m reckoning with the side zip and the fact is is a size 14 but equating to around an 8 i would say it is probably 1952-55. After Horrockses introduced their size 10 it seems their sizes got considerably bigger. Hence why i believe this is pre their introduction of a size 10. The print on this is completely fabulous it defies all belief. I’m wondering who the print might be by… Something makes me feel it might be a Pat Albeck as i know she designed some pretty fabulous novelty prints whilst at Horrockses. I’m going to do my research on this one! See what else i can dig up.

Vintage at Southbank

Posted in 50s, advantage in vintage, Horrockses, Vintage, vintage at south bank by


(pic courtesy of http://www.homesandantiques.com/feature/we-saw-you-vintage-southbank-centre)

On Friday I went to Vintage at Southbank and had a totally wonderful day. Mostly the day was spent chatting and spending more money than I have (all good in my book!). I went wearing one of my fave Horrockses frocks, and throughout the day numerous people asked me about my dress. I had my picture taken more times than I can count!

I did spend an insane amount of time at the Horrockses bed linen stand chatting to the lovely designer Sarah and also showing Chris Boydell what I had been purchasing since I last met her! More to come on the Horrockses bed linen in another post though…

Anyway, I just wanted to show off my purchases. I somehow managed to be quite restrained!

First off this lovely little 50’s bracelet, right up my street!

Then was this lovely ¾ length sleeved dress, I love the striped print, and I can see this being one of my more winter suitable dresses, worn with nice thick tights and a vest underneath.

Then I bough two pairs of shoes. The black pair are in need of reheeling, but the brown pair still have their original box!

And finally I bought this AMAZING dress.It’s by the brand Blanes who are one of my favourite brands of the 50’s and 60’s, and I actually can’t believe I got this dress. Last year at Goodwood I saw the dress and I was desperate to buy it, but at the time I had no job and no money, and decided that it was just out of my price range. When I saw it again on Friday I couldn’t quite believe my luck. Of all time dresses under the label “ones that got away” this is the second most regret I have ever felt about buying a dress. When I saw it I’m not joking I got a bit choked up. He remembered me from Goodwood last year too! The best thing of all about this dress is the fit. It is possibly one of the best fitting pieces of vintage I own, and I can’t quite get over the fact its mine! I think this might have to be the dress I wear for afternoon tea on my 21st! I am so happy, I can’t quite believe it.



I really did have an amazing day, but I have to say in terms of the atmosphere it wasn’t as good as Goodwood last year. The problem was a lot to do with peoples attitude. I feel that last year people had really made the effort to dress up and make a real day out of it, where as this year it was more or less just an opportunity to shop. I also felt that this year it was too focused on the young. Most people there were in the 18-25 age bracket I would say, and I didn’t feel like it catered so well to an older clientele like I felt last year the festival had. I felt this was a lot to do with the fact that the vintage marketplace was free and therefore not attracting the same kind of people who were actually interested in vintage.

I did also have quite a lot of issues with what was on sale. I picked up some pieces I loved but yet AGAIN it was a fair dominated with poor quality 1980’s rubbish, and slightly tacky vintage repro pieces. Unfortunately it is this type of vintage that is diluting the whole meaning of vintage. The word vintage suggests a certain sense of QUALITY and finesse, yet more and more vintage I see can be seen as nothing more than poor quality second-hand clothing.