Love Story is a culmination of years of being immersed in vintage clothing and my love particularly for all things furry and tactile. Amongst the collection you will find my beautiful range of 70’s inspired furs, including the long rabbit vests and rabbit bombers and my new range of brightly coloured racoon vests and coats. The vintage collection includes many great labels such as Emilio Pucci (one of my all time favourite designers!), Chanel, Dior, Prada, Lanvin, Mugler, Biba and many more great names. Love Story came about from my love of vintage furs. I had been scouring markets for as long as I can remember for vintage clothing and brought home my first vintage fur around the age of 15 to my dad (who was a tailor) and proudly announced that it was “real rabbit”, thinking that was an extremely valuable find!
Little did I know that thirty years later, I would have my own label, which features rabbit, fox and raccoon furs.
My love of clothing was inspired by growing up around the fabrics that my parents imported for their clothing boutique in Double Bay. They were both tailors and crafted beautiful hand made suits for many Eastern Suburbs women. Ita Buttrose was one of their most highly valued clients.
Fashion is in my bloodline; my great aunt having dressed the queen in her corsetry. She had a shop opposite Harrod’s in London, where she hand made her beautiful lingerie.
When I first came out of high school and started a job in the corporate world as a secretary at the A.B.C., I would turn up to work in outfits I had picked up at Paddington markets that weekend that were more suited to a vintage fair! Needless to say I did not last long at that job. My job with a catering company finished when I wore a hot red bob wig to a function. On graduation from my counselling diploma, it was my teacher who eventually encouraged me back to fashion. As much as she thought I would make a good counsellor, she said that fashion was where my heart and passion lay.
I have always expressed my creativity through my clothing and dressed oppositely to what was expected of the event. The one comment I often hear from people is: “Only you could get away with wearing that Liz”. I have always found that if you feel comfortable in something and wear it like it’s your skin, you can get away with almost anything. You have to be confident wearing the clothing and not let it wear you!
The best way to sum up how I feel about fashion is a beautiful quote by the fashion photographer Bill Cunningham “Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life”
