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Sarah Whitworth... revisited

Discussion in 'PUBLIC Vintage Fashion - Ask Questions Get Answers' started by mercyonthesubway, Aug 19, 2008.

  1. mercyonthesubway

    mercyonthesubway Registered Guest

    I could once be found here a lot! (I've forgotten my old password, hence the new ID - Hi Lizzie! Sorry I've been rubbish about writing...).

    So, I'm selling off my collection, because I have to be nomadic once again. I put one of my favourite Sarah Whitworth gowns up for sale, and this inspired me to search out some information Sarah herself sent me when I had some images of her gowns up on a short-lived website.

    Here's the nice frock:

    [​IMG]

    And here's what Sarah said. It adds some detail to what we already have on the label resource, and there are some initial details about the dresses themselves.

    "As for value - I would have thought not much. The original prices for the early stuff would have been around £120 - £160. 'Bitch' is probably the best one, I sold 100's of those in various fabrics. 'Bustle' would be the second best seller - but this one has shirring elastic panels which would probably have rotted by now.

    BTW, the purple moire is not silk, it is acetate. Maybe someone put the wrong label in it - oops! That particular one was a special order - I would never have mixed purple moire and black silk dupion by choice, it's a slightly odd combination.

    I have trouble remembering which dresses were in what years. However the moire one isn't that recent. In the 80's, due to the recession, it became more and more difficult to source interesting cloth that was available in small quantities (ie under 1000m) and so I was forced to have to work with silk dupion and velvet only. So that one isn't that late.

    I am very happy with what you have written, and as I have a very modest ego (finding myself of the web was amusing and flattering, but I have no wish to interfere!) I would not want to rewrite anything. The only fact that is missing is that I also had a shop in Richmond called Hourglass - I opened it a year or so before I closed Deadlier in Hyper Hyper. This was all around 1990.

    I no longer make the wedding dresses, I didn't enjoy that adventure. I closed the business in 1999, and went to work for a friend, Martin Kidman (you will find him on the web too) for a few years. However this should not be mentioned in any blurb as I was not designing for him, I was managing production. I had a great time there, but Martin isn't trading anymore either.

    The only place that my work might be seen these days is on me, at venues such as Torture Garden. Which is a nice neat full circle, as that is why I started making them in the first place, to wear to clubs :)"

    So, I still hope to done one of my two remaining 'bitch' dresses and find a fellow-wearer at Torture Garden (unfortunately I'm not *that* frequent an attendee) and find that it's Sarah W.!


    Lin :hiya:
     
  2. Hey Lin!!! So good to see you again. that dress is totally stunning and the photo makes it look like a million bucks!! How cool to have Miss Sarah herself write you!!

    Now, I am intrigued!! What is Torture Garden...sounds like an S&M club!!:horny:

    Bonnie
     
  3. mercyonthesubway

    mercyonthesubway Registered Guest

    helloooo Bonnie!! Hope you're very well!

    Erm. Yes. It is a fetish club encompassing... all of the above... I've been once or twice with an ex; it's mostly an amazing spectacle of transformation - everyone turns themself into something highly exotic for the evening. It really is the place to be a peacock - hence the dresses!

    Sarah herself sounds very cool in her writing tone-of-voice: very down-to-earth and wry. I was in a real organizational fix when she wrote to me, so I never replied, and never dug up and forwarded the info, until now...

    *pondering* I guess I should add 'custom design' to that listing. Gosh, I've got well rubbish at marketing...
     
  4. fuzzylizzie

    fuzzylizzie Alumni

    Well, hello stranger!:hiya:

    Thanks for posting the photo and the new info from SW. I'll be sure to credit her in the update.

    So, you are about rady to make the big move?

    Lizzie
     
  5. mercyonthesubway

    mercyonthesubway Registered Guest

    "So, you are about ready to make the big move?"

    er. *starts laughing* *laughs some more*

    not really!

    more of an update soon... must go :asleep: now...
     

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