FiftyFive65 - Vintage Styled Dresses To Die For!

We first met Kate Nowak, the designer behind FiftyFive65 when she exhibited with us a few years ago at Malone House, so we are delighted that after a long break she will be back with us at our next event - The Spring Into Summer Vintage & Handmade Fair at Clandeboye Lodge Bangor on Sunday 3rd April. We love her collection of skirts, dresses and evening wear - retro styles which are strictly rooted in the magic ten year span from 1955 to 1965 - and we think you will love them too! 

​In the words of Kate herself..........

'Fashion came to me quite late. In my early 20s I started paying attention to form and colour, to what I and other people were wearing and what it means to wear clothes as a picture of your self-expression. This realisation was marked by my joyful acquisition of a few wonderful vintage pieces--jewellery, and accessories that became little treasures to me. Right then it felt like the whole vintage world opened before me. These small things were soon embellished by vintage clothes and furniture and an ever-increasing curiosity about fashion history and the great designers who made it happen. The mid-century period became my firm favourite: the ultra-feminine design; the simple yet striking shapes; the vibrant colours; they all lured me into this enduring love affair with the 50s and 60s.  I would spend whole lunch hours and weekends in vintage shops, chatting to the ladies behind the counters, getting my fix each and every time. As any vintage fan will tell you, it’s difficult to get the right size--pot luck in fact. Being a size 14 I was finding it harder and harder to let go of things because it simply didn't fit. Let's face it, back in the 50s women were...well, smaller. The notion of “new vintage” clothing then came to mind: multiple sizes; new, unused clothing with less wear and tear; fine modern fabrics. That notion has now become FiftyFive65 and I hope you like our store'.