Souvenir Jeans

And the most incredible vintage denim archive I've ever seen.

Jul 02, 2024

I am currently back in Los Angeles after a month in London, where I spent a fantastic amount of time with my kids in parks. I also shopped. And did some denim-hunting. And threw a dinner party for my friend Anna Foster who designs the sustainable clothing line, E.L.V. Denim. It was the most fun I’ve had in London, yet.

With my son Walter (yellow shoe :) in Kensington Gardens. Vintage Levi’s, white tee, Anderson’s belt, and my Trip Jacket (sold out in smaller sizes, but I’ll be restocking very soon. Email me if you want one).

For someone who doesn’t particularly love to shop, I did a lot of shopping in London: Antique indigo fabrics from Bleu Anglais; cabinet knobs from Chloe Alberry; a vintage (and relatively cheap) Céline duster from Rellik on the farthest end of Goldborne Road. At the Chelsea Art Society exhibition, I bought an oil-on-linen still life by Sue Silk. At Liberty, I bought black Issey Miyake jujitsu pants (on sale), a Marie Lichtenberg baby locket, and 3 meters of this fabric to replace the gingham lining on the Sézane trench I purchased in a hurry when I arrived (London was colder than expected in early June). A new lining will do the Sézane trench wonders, I think.

Honestly, it was a lot more buying than I’m used to. And by the end of my trip, I really should have been done. But then, with just one hour left before stores closed on the night prior to my departure, I compulsively popped into Pippa Small for a stone pendant. Why? Why, in the final hours of my month-long stay, was I doing what felt like panic shopping?

I love a souvenir and mostly go for inexpensive objects that remind me of a specific experience: A turned-wood camel figurine from the souk in Marrakech because camel-riding was something I did with my daughter there; an iron coat hook shaped like the sun and made by an artisan in Sardinia whose studio I visited with friends. A proper souvenir has the essence of a place within it. One is enough. If it’s good, one is everything.

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But this – what I was doing at Pippa Small – was different. It wasn’t about materializing a memorable experience, but, I think, an attempt to acquire more of the actual city. Tangible pieces of London that I could keep and hold and wear all the time because I had been so happy and done so many things that were valuable and worth remembering during my stay. It’s a lovely thing, to feel real happiness in real time for weeks; to know it in the moment v in hindsight (as I am prone to do). Who wouldn’t want to make that last? My attempt to hold on to the June-in-London feeling forever by grabbing as much from the shops as I could was futile, I know. And maybe even silly. But, and I swear, it came from the heart.

One thing I enjoyed most was the dinner I hosted for Anna of E.L.V. Denim at the house I was renting near Westbourne Grove. For those who may be new here, E.L.V. stands for East London Vintage and Anna, who is fully committed to sustainable clothing design, uses only reclaimed fabrics to make it. I love the Boyfriend jean, personally, and have also featured the Freya here.

Left: I got the flowers for dinner at the wild and wonderful Calluna on Goldborne Road. Right: My haul on Portobello.

Fêting Anna with friends was such a dreamy, post-solstice treat. The table, which we pulled into the garden because the weather was so nice, proved the perfect size for the indigo-dyed fabric I’d just purchased from Noel Chapman of Bleu Anglais. Anna made napkins from the softest denim scraps and dressed them with silver napkin rings once belonging to her grandparents. Meaningful details. Old things made new. It wasn’t until 9:30pm that we lit the candles. That’s how late it stayed light out that night. I didn’t want the evening to end.

Me and Anna before the guests arrived. She’s in the Freya jean. I’m wearing one of E.L.V.’s upcycled Diana shirts.

The other very special, denim-related thing I did was visit The Vintage Showroom in Central London, which designer Malin Dyer arranged for us to do before having lunch. Malin, attempting to prepare me for the experience, had said quite plainly: “it’s the best vintage denim collection & the best vintage archive in London.” I was still shocked when I walked in. A subterranean room filled with some of the most exquisite and unusual jeans I’d ever seen. Doug Gunn, who started the showroom with fellow Portobello market vendor Roy Luckett 17 years ago, walked me through. “I’m a bit obsessed with aging at the moment,” he said pointing to a pair of Depression-era jeans so patched it was hard to tell where the repairs started and stopped. “Things that have a time element in it. Really early European workwear, post-WWI. And I like Lees,” he said pausing on a pair of the brand’s overalls.

Doug Gunn at The Vintage Showroom’s Central London archive, where most of the denim is stored and displayed.

A resource used by creative directors and designers for fashion, film, and television, The Vintage Showroom’s two locations are “less about retail, and more about reference,” Doug explained. Appointments are required. For most clients, the first point of entry is the primary West London showroom, which is thoughtfully organized by colors, categories (knitwear, hunting & fishing, etc.), and concepts (‘London Summer of Love,’ for example). Yes, the collection is impressive, but it’s Doug and Roy’s ability to curate, style, and tell stories with what they’ve collected that makes their showroom so marvelous. A masterpiece of visual merchandising, it never stops changing. “Some brands are in here every three months,” Doug told me. “We want it to look fresh every time.”

The denim showroom at the Central London location.

I’m showing you this because people like Doug and Roy and places like The Vintage Showroom are important, behind-the-scenes contributors to the fashion conversation. Just looking at everything Doug brought forward – super distressed pieces, ripped and torn and layered so beautifully on top of one another – made me think denim could be headed in a messier direction sooner rather than later. If Doug and Roy are feeling it, chances are fashion will be soon.

The Levi’s I found at The Vintage Showroom are almost identical to a style worn by Georgia O’Keeffe.

Last but not least, look what I found in a pile there – a pair of Levi’s, nearly identical to the California Ranch Pants that Georgia O’Keeffe wore (!!!). They’re missing the belt loops, and someone chopped them into shorts with Halloween-y hems (how punk), but the pearl snaps and side zipper are a direct match. Ask Malin, I gasped when I saw them. And then convinced Doug to let me buy them because I wasn’t leaving London without a proper souvenir.

The Vintage Showroom. Central London: 27 Mount Pleasant, WC1X 0AS. West London: 20 Buspace Studios, Conlan Street, W10 5AP. Email: info@thevintageshowroom.com; @thevintageshowroom; +44 (0) 208-964-8785.

I’m back in my studio with new jeans next week. Drawstring styles are coming up a lot, I’ve got a few to try and tell you about. Should I do shorts? I appreciate every comment, every like, and every subscription, at every level. Denim forever.

Jane