Sunday 25 August 2013

By George!


I had a spare moment to pop down to Savers by myself ( a very rare occurrence) yesterday afternoon and being able to concentrate unfettered  on the job at hand, walked away laden with goodies.
Amongst my treasures was  a gorgeous green cardigan, a lovely black angora mix cardigan, a vintage black Sandra Dee hat, the coolest beige Nana heels and a little piece of Melbourne's history.

 
I discovered my humble 1980's piece of Georges history in this sweet 50's style frock with gorgeous colours of aqua, hot pink, orange, blue and black creating a cool tartan pattern.
And did I mention the ruffles!
 
 
Dainty little ruffles decorate the sleeves and peter pan collar and add some girly charm.
It is kind of prairie chic meets highland belle.
 
 
 
It did sport some very 1980's elbow length sleeves that severely offended my delicate sensibilities so had to be hacked off and shortened.

 
Georges was always a brand synonymous with quality  and this dress is beautifully made, and now, with it's updated sleeves, is ready to be road tested and taken out for some fun.
 
Georges was a Melbourne institution from the 1880's all the way through to 1995, when it unfortunately closed it's Collins Street store after  115 years of business.
 
 
Georges was founded in 1880 by two brothers, Harley and Willie George, and thanks to the gold rush,  Melbourne was reputedly one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
 
 
Georges, situated on the "Paris end of Collins Street", became the fashionable place to shop, a mecca of good taste and class, where the service was impeccable and only the finest wares were sold.
 
 
The store was founded on the simple motto, "Quod facimus, Valde facimus" or "What we do, we do well", and indeed for over the 100 years they excelled and became a Melbourne icon and assisted with the exclusive status of Collins Street.
 
 
Although Georges closed it's doors in 1995 its legacy continues with the beautiful building now housing other high end stores.
I was chatting with a lovely elderly lady from my work who was sharing some great shopping tales about Georges and told me that she picked many of her wedding gifts including her china (which survived all of her married life!) from Georges.
 
 
 
  I just love looking at this beautiful illustrations of some of the items sold advertised in the Georges catalogue.
I adore my new to me Georges frock for its cute details but even more because it represents a great quality Melbourne brand, unfortunately now gone.
Are there any brands that you particularly treasure?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


12 comments:

  1. I love old brands, clothes used to be almost like a piece of art, that quality, I would love to weat vintage only, too bad it's so pricey, I love your dress! I have few vintage treasures including my grandfather's trench coat made by a brand that doesn't exist anymore, I would love to resize it as it's really beautiful :)

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    1. I love the history and quality in vintage but it is a shame a lot is too expensive. (That's why I try and shop in charity shops instead of pricey vintage stores) Your grandfathers coat sounds great - it is even better when a great vintage item has sentimental value as well!

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  2. score! I am after a checked dress, I love the history attached to your frock, and stories that go with it, that's something I love about second hand, where has it been and what are we going to go? the hat, shoes and cardi's are fab....and you went by yourself, shopping alone is a rare luxury, well done Missus! x

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    1. I do enjoy shopping alone but I hardly ever get to do it! Vintage and second hand is great because every piece has a history, has been loved and lived in and I love that I can add a bit more to the pieces history. (Probably not a very exciting part of its history but oh well!)XXX

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  3. Gorgeous! Or is that Georgeous?!
    Love the hat. Suits you perfectly!
    Shopping by yourself= gold!

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    1. Still laughing about "Georgeous". Good one! Shopping by myself is as rare as gold in my life that is for sure.

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  4. Foxy frock!!! My goodness, you had some splendid luck, darling! XXX

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    1. Thanks! I do seem to have more luck when I can fossick and rummage by myself. More time I suppose when I don't have a little person complaining about how they hate op shops! XXX

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  5. the georges dress is a great find. great colours perfectly mixed in a lovely tartan print. those beige shoes look so comfy. i need a pair like these aswell ...

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    1. Thanks! The dress does have some fab colours and I have always loved a tartan. I just wore my beige nana shoes on the weekend and they are great but a calamity has befallen them with the rubber on heels crumbling so I will have to wait a bit to wear them again :(

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  6. I do love finding special pieces like your gorgeous dress, which are a little piece of history, especially if they are a well-known UK brand. Great finds - just shows what you can do when you're shopping on your own! xxxx

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    1. Pieces with history are even better aren't they? Now I need to plan my next solo shopping trip.... XXX

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