Irene in Town & Country, August 1954
[Article] Golden Coastlines This Page: Mrs. Howard Morton Lang visits the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in a Black-and-grey striped ensemble of French imported tissue-weight wool. The suit consists of a striped vestee jacket and a plain black skirt. The coat is a striped classic Chesterfield with a deep slit in back. By Irene at Bullock’s-Wilshire; Gunther Jaeckel; Nan Duskin. Rex velvet roller. Click thumbnail for larger view. Thanks to Bret Fowler for sharing this with us!
Read MorePola Stout Custom Irene Suit
Hi Karlyn, I recently did some restoration work for a member of Pola Stout’s family, consisting of two suits, an Adrian and an Irene, that were part of Pola’s personal wardrobe. I thought you might like to share photographs of Pola Stout’s custom Irene suit, along with the original PSI swatch card labeled “Irene – Fall 1948″, a studio portrait of Pola wearing the suit c.1948, and an original length of the sample yardage done in the reverse colorway. Pola and Irene were longtime friends and Irene had this suit custom made for Pola in 1948 from her own hand woven textile. Pola Stout treasured the suit and wore it for many years, having it re-fit and the lapels cut down sometimes in the late 50′s. Enjoy, Bret All Artifacts...
Read MoreIrene 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 MoreIrene building her Malibu beach home
I would like to see what this home looks like today.. My mother remembers staying here for mini-vacations. Unfortunately, she recalls that she could never sleep well because the waves were so noisy. I love the sound of the ocean. Apparently Irene did too. She loved the beach and had always wanted a beach home. Hope you enjoyed the photos. Clicking on them will show you a larger view by the way. Have a great day!
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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