A fashion archive featuring significant Irish and international designers …
Tales From My Wardrobe, a style series from THE GLOSS community, is a love letter to favourite pieces and hard-earned investment buys with a story to tell. Here, Naomi Fitzgibbon from Vintage Finds You in Dalkey, Co Dublin, shows us inside her treasure trove.
I like to that say I have sequins and silk running through my veins. My mother, Helen Kirrane, was my style icon – she was fearless, original – and my grandmother ran a dressmaking business in Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal. Style is our family inheritance.
From childhood, I was obsessed with clothes. A traumatic moment of arriving at a party in the same dress as another girl (I insisted on been taken home to change) cemented my lifelong commitment to wearing pieces no one else has! In college, I lived in my mother’s wardrobe. The first vintage piece I claimed was a black art deco velvet top which was so striking that everyone asked where it came from. From then on, I was hooked. Friends borrowed my finds, then asked me to source pieces for them. I lived in London for ten years which only fuelled the obsession and my collection grew.
In 2013, after completing my MSc in UCD, and losing both my mother and my sister Orla, everything changed. That heartbreak pushed me toward purpose and my business was born. I discovered that I had a talent for unearthing extraordinary pieces.
Last year, I showed part of that archive publicly for the first time, including at the Irish Embassy in Paris ahead of Fashion Week. I’m endlessly inspired by the fabrics, craftsmanship and stories behind garments from the 1920s to the 1980s. Many are handmade, bespoke and built to last. Every piece I source is a one off – wearable, beautiful and impossible to replicate. Vintage Finds You began as an online boutique and now includes personal appointments for those seeking something truly unique.
Of particular significance is an Irene Gilbert wool dress from the 1960s – she designed for Princess Grace – which I found on a vintage shopping trip to Berlin. At the time, I also came across a very precious piece – the most exquisite silk velvet dress by Maggy Rouff – the label was handstitched into the lining. She was the daughter of Christoff von Drécoll, an Austrian who designed fashions for the Imperial family of Austria. Rouff started her own couture house in house 1929. In 1937, she opened a London outpost at Park Lane, dressing Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. I was contacted by Niall Morris, who was looking for a costume for his lead opera singer in his production of The Life of Marie Callas at Bord Gais Energy Theatre. We decided that the Maggy Rouff dress was the perfect piece for one of the scenes. On further research, I discovered that Rouff had designed costumes for Marie Callas. The coincidence was incredible.
My favourite piece is often the one I’ve not yet found and the thrill when I do is so special. Especially when I have my private clients in mind and I know the joy that it will bring them. Recently, I was so proud to see author Cathy Kelly and singer Lisa O’Neill wear an art deco cape and tweed coat from my collection.
My most sentimental item is a dress made by Thomas Wolfangel for my mother, which I wore to meet the former President Michael D Higgins. She would have been thrilled that I wore it. My art deco wedding band and engagement ring are also of sentimental significance. I never take them off.
The best bargain in my wardrobe is a precious 1970s YSL black velvet jacket that’s totally priceless! Another key investment was a woollen YSL jacket that I found in Siopaella and wear all the time. The piece that has paid for itself in price per wear is my Ib Jorgensen couture gown, which I’ve shared with NCAD students. It’s stunning, with yards and yards of silk jersey, and a hand-beaded design of Celtic motif across the front. It’s a beautiful piece that’s rarely seen outside of museums and I’m incredibly proud to have it in my private collection. I never leave the house without a keen eye, an open mind and the opportunity to seek out my next find in the most unexpected places.
I’ve always had a grá for Irish textiles, design and fashion. My muses and mentors growing up were Irish designers like Mary O’Donnell and Pat Crowley. As a young girl visiting family in Donegal I was always mesmerised by the Irish woollen mills and the pieces they would produce. Reflecting on this today, I’m so happy to have in my possession the most spectacular pieces by Irene Gilbert and Sybil Connolly. I take such genuine joy in showcasing my archive at events like the vintage salon experience with Magee 1866. It’s full circle for me, especially sharing designs that Magee would have had a hand in as part of the creative journey.
Ireland has a thriving vintage scene, driven by those who are passionate about bringing the best vintage pieces to their customers. The time it takes to find vintage pieces can’t be underestimated. The passion needed to bring customers a full range of clothes and accessories can’t be put into words; it’s nearly a vocation and totally addictive. I alway pop into Siopaella for unusual consigned vintage as you never know what you will show up. I Can Tell by the Moon Vintage and French Found in Blackrock Market in Dublin are both fabulous. Dirty Fabulous in Monaghan is my go-to for the most show-stopping gowns and wedding dresses. Elsewhere, London’s Portobello, Screaming Mimi’s in New York, and vintage markets in Rome and Turin are great for glam Italian vintage. And, of course, Paris where there are vintage markets in every arrondissement, which are always inspiring. The least fashion thing I own are my silver Air Max runners that I got (box fresh) in a vintage market in Turin.
A dream fashion piece I’m lusting after is a vintage cream tuxedo jacket and green velvet Rochas jacket, owned by designer Oran O’Reily, which was given to him by Peter O’Brien. Also, anything from the fashion archive in NCAD!
My most hardworking accessories are my clip-on vintage earrings. I always get a pair while on holiday as a memento of the trip. Vintage jewellery is the gateway to incorporating vintage into your wardrobe.
Need to know: On May 9, Naomi is hosting a vintage salon in the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland at 63 Merrion Square in Dublin 2 where guests can explore Naomi’s archive of Irish design, enjoy panel discussions with Rosy Temple, CEO of Magee 1866, and Laura Fitzachary, fashion and beauty historian from Seek the Historic. The award-winning plein air painter Jamie Dunne will show his recent oil works and create a live piece inspired by the day. Attendees will also have access to the RSAI’s library and private book collection. The day concludes in the Blue Room with a glass of bubbly and the chance to browse a curated selection from Vintage Finds You. @vintagefindsyou
Do you have a style story to tell? Share your tales at [email protected].
SEE MORE: Tales From My Wardrobe – Bonnie Ryan
