Discovery of £100,000 of designer clothes collected over 70 years and NEVER worn

The Daily Mail isn't known for its accurate factual reporting!

Beamish is a living history kind of museum....there's a recreated Edwardian town with shops, a school, pub etc. Plus a railway line, a colliery, a farm... as far as I remember all the buildings have been saved, transported and rebuilt brick by brick. I went years and years ago - it's the other end of the country to me (as is the sale, sadly). Perhaps some of the collection could become the dressing for a lady's outfitters, or a seamstress's front room. It's not a museum in the traditional sense and I'd imagine the more everyday clothes would be at home here, rather than the high end (if indeed there is any).

I've never heard the name Vervia before. I like it.
 
LOL Terri!

Yeah, most of it looks pretty meh but still, what fun going through it all! I have a thing for old beauty products so it would be the bathrooms I'd hit up first.
 
This is, of course an interesting story. Wonderful that she saved so much of this for a new generation to have!

I agree that what I saw in the photos was not too impressive, not 1 single piece that made me go..wow!....but there was a great deal of it. The sheer amount of stuff is what is driving interest in this story. I am sure that many of us have been in houses exactly like that woman's, I know I have. You know the routine. Old lady, either never married or husband long dead, who saved everything including clothing never worn and cosmetics, etc. Peeling paint in unheated rooms full of tons of stuff. We see it all the time. Actually I am sure some of us have been in similar houses, but with the dead woman having had a LOT more money to spend and with nicer clothing. This lady's taste was rather mundane, to me.

I did not see anything museum worthy. And where are all the HATS?? If she saved "everything" she would have definitely had good hats to go with her outfits. No question. All I saw were a few tired old hats that I would pass by at a flea market without even stopping to look. This tells me there were good hats and they have all been snatched up already. And I will bet the really good clothing is gone already too.

I did enjoy seeing the media play this up. But is it worth $170,000.000??? I don't think even close to that.

I think they took a cue from the story about the man here in California with the warehouse full of dresses!!
 
I noticed the article had a number of reporting mistakes, including the title calling her a "war widow" and then stating she never married.

It's the kind of fun sale I'd LOVE to attend if I lived close! But I think the writer or the promoters incorrectly called this hoard "couture," museum quality, etc., when it's basically cute, department store quality clothing, as Jonathan pointed out. It's interesting as a time capsule, that's for sure.

Jen
 
Here's the lowdown on the sale, and more information - it makes no claims of 'designer' or 'couture' so I think that was an overenthusiastic journalist. It also says "most have only been worn a few times and are in pristine condition".

It's all fixed price.

It's ticketed - £15 to attend in the morning - only 150 places, after 1pm £5 on a one-in-one out basis. And it's sold out.

http://www.wherevent.com/detail/Dregs-of-Society-Vervia-s-Attic-Vintage-Clothing-Estate-Sale
 
Thanks for posting that link, Ruth--reading through it (and the FB page, where a relative says she was in Vervia's house many times without any idea how stuffed with clothing it was!) clarifies things a lot more t han the journalist's hyperbolic article. And the clothing looks much more appealing in the organizers' photos than in the article too:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152094175012053&set=gm.322654457877198&type=1&theater

Says the prices are between 15 and 150 pounds. I really hope someone in the UK will snag a ticket and go!
 
At any rate, it's always interesting to take a trip back in time and be privy to someone's obsession! I would have gladly volunteered to do so! You do have to wonder what the condition of the items would be....as they have been stored under who knows what conditions! And, I would have to guess that the dress stored in the chimney might have suffered some damage, but, none the less, an interesting story, indeed! Thanks for sharing!
 
I couldn't see how old the house was, but it's quite possible the dress up the chimney could be a ritual object (hidden within the frame of the building) itended to ward off evil spirits/witches etc. The practice continued in England into the early 20th C so the time frame would fit if it were her mother's. Apparently it's supposed to be reported with photographic evidence of how it was found, though I doubt somehow this was the case...
 
Linda, you said, "when you find such a large accumulation of even mediocre vintage, well, it's a big deal"

I can see your point about vintage in resale or thrift shops. Yes, it's very hard to find anything good in most thrifts. But, wow, I guess we must be really fortunate, because we live in a part of the country (New England) where people, in general, don't often throw their old clothes out. As a vintage dealer, I've visited many, MANY homes with "large accumulations of mediocre vintage." I've found great things but also passed over many hoards because the clothes just weren't interesting to me, or condition was a problem, they needed too much work, etc.

The "off the rack" vintage stuff is still out there, it's just that maybe it is hanging in people's closets.

Jen
 
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