Almost anyone in Vancouver who is into fashion, costuming and the history of both knows who Ivan Sayers is. For those of you who don't, he is our local Fashion Historian whose incredible collection spans from approximately the 1700's, until around the 1960's. I was lucky enough to be invited to tour his home and view some of his collection.
This is a man who really does live his art. He has rooms that are dedicated to eras, floor to ceiling boxed collections, 1800's, Edwardian era, it is incredible. I took many pictures of the clothing, but felt that taking pictures of his home was maybe a bit too personal and a bit invasive. His collection of books and magazines are absolutely drool worthy, I took notes as much as I could, but it seems I didn't write down the era span of his vogues....it was impressive, make no mistake.
He was so gracious as to ask me what I might be interested in seeing, so that he could fish it out prior to our visit. It was such a hard question, with so much to choose from, where does one start?? So, I went for the things we get the least access to. Historical mens wear. I LOVE women's wear, but there is so much more access to information and even the garments themselves, that I thought mens wear would be great educationally.
So here are some of the many photos I took. I tried very hard to keep my dates correct and organized, but please step in and comment if I've somehow mixed them up!
(image above: vintage zipper, 1905/06)
