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Paul Brockman and his wife Margot -
Courtesy of Elodia Corona - Creative Director/ PR - 55 thousand Dresses |
Every once in a while I am lucky enough to meet an amazing person in the fashion world.
This spring my friend and vintage fashion blogger, Lotta Yanong of Delux Redux
Vintage, invited me to join her on an amazing trip to to meet Paul Brockman and view his 55,000 Dress Collection. His collection has vintage dresses from the 1950's all the way to the late 90's. This collection has been recently titled the worlds largest collection of designer label dresses in the Guinness Book of World Records.
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| The warehouse in Gardena, CA |
We were lucky enough to view the collection located out in Gardena, California. When we entered the warehouse where they were stored, it was like accidentally stepping into a vintage lover's dream. Trying to keep my cool, I was hoping to purchase some of these gems for my boutique in Chicago.
Everywhere there were racks of multiple dresses from past decades just waiting to be unleashed and debuted on their newest buyer. I was so excited looking through each section, it was almost overwhelming.
You might ask how did this man get so many dresses? Well, the answer is purely
enchanting and what most women would dream of. Paul bought them for his wife. A wonderful, romantic story that is intertwined with the collection. Even making it more appealing, hearing his stories while perusing through it. After all, this out of love? He bought these dresses because he always wanted his wife, Margot, to step out in the newest and next dashing thing when they went out dancing together.
Still in love over 50 years later, Paul and his wife Margot came here when they were first
married from Bremen Germany. Paul, as a child had been affected by the war and how clothes would be a scarcity just as much as food. As a young man he had fetched employment at a local ocean port. He had never seen so many dresses come in at the port in his life. They were from the United States and at the time the American dresses were influenced by the designer Christian Dior. He had never seen such beautiful, feminine pieces with tucked in waists and full skirts. This experience would soon funnel an obsession with collecting dresses for Margot spanning over five decades.
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| Paul with his Lucille Ball dress |
Here in the United States is where they built their life. Paul built his construction business from the ground up as a very hard and smart working man. With this success, he liked to buy Margot something new to go dancing in. Paul not only bought new, he also bought dresses from yard sales and estate sales. He even scored a dress that was formerly owned by Lucille Ball. We were lucky enough to see that one in their personal collection at home.
Le Thrift Consignment is now featuring dresses from this famous collection. Yours to purchase and enjoy here.
Here are just a few of the pieces we have from his collection.
Evelyn Rice's Desert Belle
red vintage dress
Styled by Saybury
silk robe dress
Jonny Herbert Original
seafoam blue vintage dress
