This story more or less started at Paddington markets, when it first came into being in the early 1970s. With a glorious parade of freaks expressing all sorts of diverse culture. There were clothing makers unconstrained by previous fashion doctrine perhaps aided by substances that Aldous Huxley said created “the doors of perception”. Maybe listening to a music groups like “The Doors”  “Led Zeppelin” “Jefferson Airplane”.
Hippies could be seen spinning their own silk and creating clothes out of it. Travellers collecting jewelry, and collectors of everything from ethnic clothing to other curiosities from the east, not seen before in the West in such a vast array, as they came back from the hippie trail through Asia to London.Lee Lin chin the SBS news reader visited before she was well known and to this day expresses through her fashion the originality of creativity that abounded. She could be seen selecting pieces that reflected that elemental originality in diverse stalls in this market
There were also people like myself who were discovering astonishing things in the thrift shops, never to be seen again in such quantities, beautiful lace Victorian underwear that was worn as tops and dresses, smooth quality silk nighties from the 1930s and 40s with beautiful embroidery, and of course the glass beaded chiffon dresses that are now sell in four figures, and beautiful silk georgette floaty beautifully coloured prints.
Experiencing astonishing clothing for  my first job, working in a cutting-edge shop selling Carnaby Street clothing in the 1960s and then going on to be a leading male model wearing the latest 60s and 70s clothing, and then going on to be influenced by Aldous Huxley’s suggestion and experiencing the chemicals used for the “doors of perception” and more or less dropping out of mainstream society and enjoying a different unhurried timeless world where shopping in op shops was the way to access clothing which was almost free, such was the beginning of “fibrearcheology”
I noticed authentic vintage men’s clothing that may not have been visible to vintage clothing dealers at the time, (many of them in Sydney at that time were ladies)and  because clothing fashion changes were not as obvious in men’s fashions,Being a male, it appearsI noticed the more subtle changes, in smaller details and the fibre used (also I’ve been fascinated by fibre and I was able to discern fabrics from earlier periods.)  Or was it because clothing was within my DNA (one ancestor in great Yarmouth Suffolk England was a supplier of clothing to Admiral Nelson) or was it the father who took us to all the MGM musicals and Broadway type live shows at the iconic Royal theatre and other theatres. Costumes showing all the different fashions of the different eras. Did that allow me, with unfurling accuracy to choose a particular clothing that might have been suitable for a film or TV series like “come in Spinner” on the ABC , wardrobe only ever rejected about 2% of the clothing I supplied.
Up till then changes in men’s fashions through the 30s 40s 50s weren’t dramatic therefore not so noticeable. To most people, or the lady collectors looking for vintage clothing, as they were discarded to the thrift shops from deceased estates. This worked to my advantage in making accurate choices because of instinct in understanding the age of pieces I was looking at.
I was noticed at my stall in Paddington market by the wardrobe people from Kennedy Miller the producer of “Mad Max” they were making a production called “Bodyline”This was a television miniseries about Harold Larwood, the Yorkshire cricketer and the English team in the 1930s who intimidated Donald Bradman’s cricket team. At my stall at Paddington I had on display some genuine old cricket flannels and the interesting white suede leather boots(An image of these boots is on the first page of the blog) as worn by these cricketers as I talked to the wardrobe people who were surprised to see they could purchase vintage cricket clothing from my stall I realised then that there was value in hitherto unnoticed even plain clothing when looking in the op shop  because it was old,And authentic  it had a social context, being either someone living in poverty  as they would be dressing like this rather than just beautiful ladies dresses,or smart men’s clothing et cetera.
I realised I could also broaden my search to include things like rural clothing from op shops in the country if it was worn out it was still suitable because especially when people like a farmer or labourer was strolling around town
So started the adventure of a lifetime…  Having a strong gypsy inclination to discover new horizons, I combined my love of travel and curiosity in all types of clothing to commence a journey that has never stopped and is taken me through different continents on my endless search for unique pieces