July 11th 2011

sponsor spotlight: bess georgette

Please welcome one of the newest sponsors here at Elegant Musings: Bess Georgette! Teresas beautiful shop of vintage treasures bills itself as vintage for modern times, and she certainly has an eye for picking out pieces that would work well in my ladies wardrobes. She was kind enough to share a bit about her inspiration behind the shop as well as some fantastic tips on caring for vintageso be sure to read through the whole interview!

Welcome, Teresa! Could you introduce yourself a bit? Thank you Casey! As youve already said, my name is Teresa and I live in Brisbane, Australia. I tend to drink copious amounts of tea, have a terrible weakness for cheese and am always seen wearing a skirt. When Im not occupied with my day job in graphic design, I like to spend the majority of my time finding beautiful vintage, reading and socialising with my friends and family.

When did you start Bess Georgette and what inspired you? Is there a story behind the charming name? Bess Georgette started about a year ago and was born out of my passion for all things vintage. Ive always been a little obsessive when it comes to searching for and finding vintage for myself and one day, I thought hey! Why not harness some of that obsessive energy and share my love for it with others? Most recently (and just as a little self-plug!) Ive been releasing collections that focus on some of the particularly amazing pieces in my store. My last collection was called Parisian Belle and my new collection Wild Tea Rose will be launched on my website later this week.

The name Bess Georgette was inspired by the dazzling spirit and beauty of my favourite era, the 1920s. I like to think the name complements the tom-girl Bess with the more lady-like Georgette. After all, theres a little Bess Georgette in most women!

You have such a lovely selection of vintage clothes; what is your favorite era or style to hunt for? Thank you! My absolute favourite style to hunt for would have be the fabulous and full skirted dresses of the 1950s. Its a style that varies in the most subtle of ways and each dress is individually defined by its choice of fabric and embellishments like ric rac, eyelet lace and bows. With their fitted bodices, matching belts and lovely full skirts they are also one of my favourite things to wear.

What would be your ideal summertime vintage outfit? Any key pieces that are a must have this season? When it comes to summer and living in hot and humid climates like Brisbane, wearing as little as possible is the key. Which is quite a scary thought for someone who loves layering up for winter like myself! My ideal summer outfit would be a lightweight cotton full skirt (with pockets!), teamed with a beautiful silk or cotton blouse. Simple, stylish and most importantly breathable! You cant go wrong!

Caring for and storing vintage is always a hot topic among those who buy vintage. Do you have any tips for storing and keeping vintage pieces looking their best? Light, dirt, dampness, insects and excessive heat are all enemies to vintage. Heres my advice for storing your vintage:

  • Before storing any vintage clothing, its important to make sure the item is as clean as possible.
  • Airing is one of the most effective ways to remove any smells.
  • The space where you store your vintage should be dry with a cool, even temperature and good air circulation, such as an interior room or a wardrobe.
  • Hang your vintage dress in a fabric garment bag, not plastic. Plastic bags trap air and prevent garments from breathing.
  • Dresses with heavy embroidery or beading, sheer lacy fabrics, trains, bias-cut sections, and heavy skirts should be stored horizontally in a container lined with cotton or acid free tissue paper.

I recommend hand washing your vintage items, as they are often quite delicate and wont take the rough and tumble of washing machines. Id suggest:

  • Rather than hanging your hand-washed items, lay them out flat to dry to prevent any stretch or distortion to the garments shape.
  • If you need to soak an item never leave it to soak for too long as some older fabrics arent colour-fast and may discolour or distort.
  • Hanging out your just-worn vintage overnight so that air can circulate before storing them back in your wardrobe.

If youre ever unsure on how to launder a particular garment then a general rule of thumb to remember is that less is more.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Thanks for those tips, Teresa! I also wanted to note that there is currently a coupon code for Elegant Musings readers for the Bess Georgette shop: take 10% off with the code musings during the Etsy checkout. Be sure to check out the Bess Georgette shop, as well as the blog and follow her on .

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