Page M12 June 13,1990. This Week FEATURE Colwood costume lady maintains links with past By JOHN STANTON This Week Contributor ears of snooping around for old clothing is beginning to prove fruitful for Colwood resident Linda Moorhouse. The main bed- room of her home has been given over to four racks, groaning under the weight of at least 400 dresses, gowns, lingerie, wedding outfits, children’s clothes, shoes, hats and more. But these are no ordinary clothes — a stroll through this bedroom-sized closet is like taking a walk back into fashion history. Behold a 1920s flapper dress replete with genuine Austrian crytals sewn into the silk chiffon fabric. In the sunshine the garment sparkles as if charged with electricity. Moorhouse looks closely at the gown. “There was a lot of work involved here. It would have been a very pricey item.” In commenting on this dress and many other items, Moorhouse noted the passing of an era anda modern-day attempt to bring back the bias cut fabric that was all the rage early in the century. “You can’t find this nowadays. They’re trying to imitate it. You can see it down at the better shops, but it’s not the same at all.” Another interesting outfit is a 1908 Egyptian- style hat with feather and a veil. The dress that goes with it features imitation Egyptian motif. Ancient Egyptian culture was very popular, especially among people of British descent in those days. The British Empire was nearly at its peak of power and influence, and archaeologists were exploring and plundering the tombs and other artifacts of that bygone era. So it became “in” for fashionable ladies to dress up to look like ancient Egyptian people of importance. Moorhouse showed off a Chinese wedding gar- ment made about 100 years ago, with some of the trim estimated to be at least 200 years old. “There is gold and silk in the trim and pongee silk was used to line the jacket.” The signature of the seamstress, in this case the SS DAILY RESHARPENING / THE HOOKSHARP BY CHARLIE WHITE, ISA POWERFUL, PORTABLE ELECTRIC SHARPENER THAT GIVES A FISH-CATCHING "STICKY-SHARP POINT IN SECONDS! STRIKE FOOTAGE ; Able Al CANADIAN TIRE STORES CO-OP - Keating X-Road KEEP DAD SHARP. UNDERWATER TV y 4 RESEARCH SHOWS THAT 1, “STICKY-SHARP’ HOOKS “, MORE THAN DOUBLE A 64 FISHERMAN'S CATCH! EVEN FACTORY- SHARP HOOKS NEED LATEST VIDEOS. ‘| DAD WILL ENJOY THE SECRETS d\ TO CATCHING MORE FISH | AND WATCHING CHARLIE’S AMAZING UNDERWATER TV THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL ENJOY THE WILDLIFE SCENES AND KILLER WHALES / HARVEY'S SPORTS - Sidney HOME HARDWARE - Sidney SPORTS TRADE MALL: Discovery St. i FASHION CONSCIOUS Linda Moorhouse has a closet most clothes-freaks would die for The Colwood collector owns at least 400 dresses — but she doesn’t wear them. Elderberry Interna tablets, a bulk laxative, herbal teas and a blueprint for lifetime weight management. * experience a new sense of wellness and rejuvenation as metabolic wastes and toxins are eliminated by the body. © following the instructions may result in weight loss. « each kif comes complete with instructions and sufficient product for the entire program. Ask for Dr. Zechelius’ book “Elderberry Internal Cleansing Therapy” with purchase of program. Experience the most innovative cleansing program of the 90’s Switzerland’s nigh effective Seven-day Cleansing Therapy Detailed in the book by Dr. Brunhild Zechelius, the Sambu therapy iS an easy fo follow, 100% natural program consisting of juice concentrate from elderberries and flowers, herbal extract SPECIAL INTRODUCTION bride to be, is written on the lining, she said. Her eye for the unusual and the valuable goes back to her childhood. “From the time I was a child I was always interested in the older clothes. My grandmother was a Seamstress when she was a young woman.” She gave Linda some of her old clothes during the years and thus began Linda’s quest for more clothing. “At first I wore them and then I realized, ‘what am I doing’, because they’re so old and I didn’t want to ruin them.” Dolls have also caught her fancy including an -Katon’s beauty doll from the 1920s. Even though she got a good start from family members, she frequently travels through the prov- ince tracking down garments of interest, bringing them back to Colwood for repair in the sewing room across the hall from her giant closet. Now that Linda and husband Dave have moved into a smaller bedroom in their home she is planning to expand her horizons and business. g “I want to be able to display the clothing and have people come and see them in a tea house- museum setting.” She also plans to reproduce some of the items and sell them, she said. Another idea is to offer period clothes to Victoria merchants, on various occasions, to enhance the city’s heritage. A business opportunity seems to be shaping up in television. Two Georgian-era tops in dusty rose silk will make their debut on television next season, on the CTV-produced series Bordertown. The old items of clothing were repaired for the program, — she said. : “They can be shown on television because TV doesn’t show up the flaws.” As she plans for a more public future, Linda carefully holds a silk velvet coat with an ermine collar, vintage 1920s and.in very good condition. She ponders whether it will be displayed in her clothing museum one day or become a prop for a TV show. AMBU PPAR TES Ursion "9 Offer expires June 15/90 (reg.$139.95) Available at Country Foods Sears Health Food _ Nature’s Fare Good Nature Market Sunflower Health Foods Mayfair Shopping Centre Shop Natural Foods Saanich Centre” 7060 West Saanich 383-0221 Hillside Mall (in Sears) Fairfield Plaza (Quadra at McKenzie) Brentwood Bay 595-9111 592-3136 727-9888 652-1211 Logical Foods Natural Health & Beauty. Self-Heal Herbal Colwood House of Sidney Natural Foods Hillside Mall (in The 1465 Hampshire Rd., Centre Nutrition 2473 Beacon Ave, Sidney Market) Oak Bay 1106 Blanshard ee Goldsteam 656-4634 5-6421 383-1913 olwo' mers: 595-4224 59 476-3244 = ss go into a i