Irene Collection shared by Greg LaVoi
What a great time! I was invited by Greg to visit Raleigh Studios, in Hollywood California, for a tour of where he’s been working on the set of The Closer. Author and Designer, Greg LaVoi – our gracious Host for the day – has been an admirer of Irene’s for years and snaps up vintage Irene Lentz designs whenever he can. He has collected a wonderful Irene ensemble there at the studio and they suit “Brenda”, played by actress Kyra Sedgwick, so well. Greg offered me the opportunity to photograph his Irene Collection and I’m so excited to share them with you here. My photos are of just a small portion of his collection, but show you some of my favorites from the visit. Thanks again to my friend Greg, who gave my family and I...
Read MoreWearing Vintage Irenes on The Closer
It’s wonderful to see the beautiful Kyra Sedgwick, who plays Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson on TNT’s hit show The Closer, dressed in Irene’s suits. Kyra wears them wonderfully! Designer, Greg LaVoi, has been dressing Kyra in Irenes for some time now and has built up quite a nice collection from what I hear. I have been invited to come down to the studio to view this collection and I’m so excited! So Tuesday, I’m headed off to Hollywood! I have been enjoying Greg’s blog files at TNT for a while now and so look forward to meeting Greg in person. I hope to take some photos that I can share with you here next week. Meanwhile, head on over to TNT’s “The Closer” site, to read up on Greg’s Fashion Files where...
Read MoreThe Detailed work of Designer Irene Lentz
A few weeks ago, I posted the photos of the beautiful gowns from Winifred’s Irene collection. Winifred offered to share some more detailed photos of these gowns, so we could see some of the up-close, hand-sewn work Irene’s designs entail. It’s not often we get the chance to take a deeper, more investigative look (so to speak) into Irene’s handi-work, so when Winifred offered to share with us, I was thrilled and hope you enjoy as well. Thanks again to Winifred for sharing photos and insight into the detailed work of Designer Irene. From Winifred: .. I can tell you, and from my experiences in sewing and tailoring, the majority of the work that was done on each of these dresses was done by hand. It was not easy to capture this kind of work...
Read MoreWinifred’s Irene Collection
On occasion; I receive emails from Irene fans and collectors. What a joy to get these notes and read what others appreciate most from Irene’s work. Sometimes, folks will share memories of how they, a parent or grandparent knew Irene, worked with Irene or know of her work. Sometimes they will share photographs of their personal collection of Irene’s designs. Winifred is one such woman I’ve had the pleasure of communicating with recently. Winifred lives near Chicago, is working toward her fashion merchandising degree and enjoys sharing her love of vintage garments with others, especially her young daughter, who apparently already started a vintage jewelry collection of her own. How fun! Many thanks to Winifred for sharing her sweet sentiments with...
Read MoreHayden Ave view of former Irene Inc
Last week, I posted Irene Inc, which included a photo of Irene in front of her studio. I thought that getting an updated view of the building would be fun, but I couldn’t remember the name of the street! My mother reminded me it was Hayden, so I looked it up on Google Maps. Don’t you love technology? I don’t know the building number, otherwise, I may have been able to find out what business occupies that space now. I’ll work on that. For now, the photos: This is a recent picture Hayden Ave (courtesy of Google Maps). Click for larger view. .. and 1950′s Irene...
Read MoreIrene Inc.
This is a photo of Irene leaving her studio, Irene Inc. in Culver City. “Once the designer for Los Angeles’ swank Bullock’s-Wilshire store, Irene, who is married to Hollywood Writer Eliot Gibbons (brother of MGM’s art director, Cedric Gibbons) went to M-G-M in 1942, where she heads a staff of more than 200. She will now cut down her M-G-M designing to eight or ten major pictures a year, delegate the rest to her assistants. MGM, anticipating profitable publicity tie-ins from the department stores, is entirely happy about the setup.” Read the full article from TIME, originally written Aug. 25,...
Read MoreAbout Irene
Irene is my grand-aunt, and admired for her work in women's fashion and Hollywood costume design. Her talent as a successful clothing designer in Los Angeles led to her long career as a costume designer for many great films in Hollywood.. until her sudden death in 1962. I hope you enjoy your visit.. ~ Karlyn
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