CHIT CHAT: Devore Vintage
I discovered Devore Vintage six years ago, thrilled by her gorgeous photos and clothing. It was like a decadent dream. Owner Hannah Conzelman-Joseph and I connected in DMs and quickly realized that while she was then based in Australia, we are from the same town… AND she was moving back!
A mutual admiration and friendship has grown over the years, and I’m so excited to share with you a new feature called “CHIT CHAT,” where I get to step into the world of a creative I greatly admire and share a bit of their world with YOU!
HANNAH CONZELMAN-JOSEPH: My earliest memories of vintage clothing were two in particular. My grandmother Elsie had a beautiful home in Cherokee Road with a walk in closet / bathroom combo where she had all her beautiful vintage shoes displayed that were all bright colored and made of lucite, which is a very rarely used material now a days. They were all size 5.
My mother also wore a lot of amazing designers in the 1990s. She was a single mother and would take my sister and me along sometimes to Bottega cafe. I remember looking up at her so many times in her vintage slips and old Calvin Klein and thinking “I want to be just like her”.
She shopped at a store called Tallulahs in Homewood, as well as Betsy Prince and the iconic store called Jinx in the 1990s ; I have vivid memories of playing dress up alongside her in these stores.
HCJ: This is a loaded question for me as I love film.
Stylistically the most influential film for me— which is actually not set in the era that I sell or love— is The Virgin Suicides. This movie single-handedly changed the way I dressed, approached my home interiors and music taste. It is beautifully shot and very period realistic. It is ethereal and uses a lot of religious artifacts in the styling and set design which I love. I adore everything that Sofia Coppola produces.
Photo courtesy of Devore Vintage
American Beauty is another film that imprinted on me and touched an emotional part of my psyche that I did not know existed; it is also very beautifully produced and shot from an aesthetic point of view.
Wild at Heart— best Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern film ever made, of course produced by David Lynch who I love. Brilliant movie, wonderful soundtrack. I loved Laura Dern’s wardrobe in this.
Heathers— I adored the wardrobe styling in this ,as well as the way it was shot, and I love dark comedies.
Welcome to the Dollhouse— I love the wardrobe styling in this film.
Party Girl— Love Parker Posey’s wardrobe in this as well as the plot of the film.
Empire Records— as a 1990s kid this film, especially the soundtrack is a part of my heart and soul. I loved the androgyny of Robin Tunney’s character when she shaved her head. That was a pivotal moment for me when I realize the beauty of androgyny and androgynous women, which I try and carry into my business. As hyper feminine as it is, I add elements of masculinity and androgyny.
Slums of Beverly Hills, Igby Goes Down, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Nest, Life as a House… oh I could go on.
My father and mother were divorced at a very young age, and my father immersed me in film from a very tender age when I would have my weekends with him. I’m forever grateful for this.
HCJ: I specialize in antique clothing from the 1920s - 1930s but really focus on the 1930s. I carry some select pieces from 1900-1919. My favorite aspects of 1930s womenswear are the technical aspects of the way that the dresses are cut, most of them being cut on the bias, which allows more room for different body shapes. I love sheer fabric, my favorite being silk organza, which was used a lot in the 1920s and 1930s. I adore puff sleeves, and bishop sleeves very commonly seen in 1930s garments.
Most of all I love silk fabric. I love natural fabrics and I really try to stay away from selling any synthetics.
From the 1920s, my favorite pieces of all are the embroidered net dresses, that have raised floral embroidery and usually panels of filet lace. I try to source those as much as possible as those were one of my first coveted items when I started a decade ago.
I source 80 percent of my garments from France and the USA. I am obsessed with antique French lingerie and have an entire rack in my shop dedicated to 1920s - 1930s underpinnings.
My most coveted piece in my personal collection is an 18th century gilt gold headpiece adorned with birds and florals, from Paris that I wore on my wedding day. It will be passed down to my daughter. They are as rare as hen’s teeth.
I also collect antique 1920s cocoon coats and another piece I cherish is a silk velvet and fox fur cocoon coat from south Australia c.1920 that I purchased during my travels to south Australia when I was living in Melbourne. Antique coats from 1920-1929 are becoming way harder to source so I try and collect them.
I collect and wear natural diamonds only. In a world where lab diamonds are flooding the market, it is important to recognize the complexity and value of something that the earth takes thousands of years to create versus something man-made in a lab in a week.
I love warm colored old mine cut diamonds in the L-M color rage, as well as the asscher cut diamond. I love 18k gold and my most recent obsession is platinum, due to its pure form and ability to withstand time.
I love setting an antique stone in a modern setting mixing the old and the new, which is also my ethos with my company— showing the relevancy of antique pieces in the modern day.
I love aquamarine and it has a special place in my heart because my grandmother wore it a lot.
I love a few brands : Foundrae, Jade Trau, Jessica McCormack, Studio Mullins, Jessie Thomas.
HCJ: I lived overseas for many years and would travel very far by plane, train and then foot to meet a man name John who once owned a shop in Gawler South Australia and had over 100,000 pieces of vintage in his home built in the early 1800s.
This house was very , very remote. The house had no electricity, everything was on wire hangers. I had to spend days on end with him going through everything with a flashlight. I found some of the best pieces to date that I’ve ever had in that house.
Hannah Conzelman-Joseph, Melbourne. Courtesy of Devore Vintage
I’ve sourced in Japan in very remote areas outside of Tokyo where there was a major language barrier but got some amazing stuff.
Travels in Japan, courtesy of Devore Vintage
Some of the best sourcing I have done has been in the community of Mountain Brook, Alabama where I grew up. Nothing extraordinary to say other than the pieces are from my home and to me, that is extraordinary in itself.
Photo by Moe Kite, courtesy of Devore Vintage
HCJ: 1930s for sure. I would be wearing peignoir sets all day, silk and lace. Free sized. Marabou and satin shoes.
Photo courtesy of Devore Vintage
In another alternate universe I would be living in England in the 1960s - 1970s wearing Moss crepe Ossie Clark, Celia Birtwell, Gina Fratini, Alice Pollock, Bill Gibb.
HCJ: Yes, an Alice Pollack gown. Her pieces are very hard to source and while they are 1960s/1970s, they so fit in with my ethereal eye.
HCJ: I have a very small, curated wardrobe despite what some would think. For me, there are a few pieces I got in Australia that hold emotional significance to me that I will not let out of my collection.
Family heirlooms I will always keep. My wedding outfit will go to my daughter, depsite thousands of requests from people to buy.
Hannah and her daughter, Abaco. Courtesy of Devore Vintage
Other than that - I have a very eternal perspective and realize they are just things and more will always come along!
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