The antique door of art deco Mitchell House automatically opens inwards, ushering you into the vintage fashion world of Nicole Jenkins.
On the first floor of the heritage-listed building in Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, is Circa Vintage, her clothing boutique that's a shrine to glamour and Australian labels, such as Hartnell of Melbourne, that were created in the former garment district of Flinders Lane. It could have been your grandmother with the needle and thread.
Stylish: Fashionista Nicole Jenkins in her new city shop Circa Vintage. Credit: Joe Armao
Second-hand clothing is also known as "granny couture" but don't mock it because sensible grandma was on-trend when dressing for the impoverished 1930s or the optimistic 1950s.
"She invested in good-quality garments and tailored them to her figure," Ms Jenkins said. That is the cornerstone of fashion and the motivation for her book Style is Eternal.
With a background in costume design, the pink-haired maven loves dressing personalities. Her clientele spans 15-year-old girls to 80-year-old women and if you're wondering about the teenagers, it's "hipster types" seeking buttoned-up blouses, not cleavage traffic-stoppers.
Even when Ms Jenkins was five and learned to sew, she was fascinated with the past, not the present. She dressed her rag dolls in Elizabethan costumes.
Since opening her business in 2004 in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, word-of-mouth from richly lipsticked lips made her store a must-see destination.
One day, burlesque siren Dita Von Teese turned up with her manager and bodyguard, spending hours fossicking during her mission to buy 1930s petticoats. Ms Jenkins recalled her "impeccable taste" and eye for detail. "She didn't just buy top-quality stuff but quirky things, too."
Another time, rock star Nick Cave came and left with a cool suit and red shirt.
Circa Vintage resembles a museum, with 2500 pieces for women and men, plus a staggering 12,000 items in storage and 1500 in the online shop. Her treasure chest is sometimes sourced from the most unusual places. A builder working on a house discovered a cache in the roof with 3000 dresses, ties, belts and other booty.
Surrounded by racks, mannequins and cabinets, Ms Jenkins operates a one-stop shop because she restores and alters garments, lovingly hand-washes delicates before they are sold and gives you a history lesson.
"Vintage has cornered the market in glamour," she declared. Whether it's silk, taffeta, lace or a beaded luxury fabric. "Vintage is kept for a reason. It contains memories of a beautiful night or special event."
The most popular dress is a 1950s purple floral silk party dress, albeit a size four that reflects the teeny-weeny waistlines of the era, and it has a can't-go-wrong silhouette: a fitted bodice and full skirt. Whether buying new or vintage clothes, you are in wrong-town if they don't fit properly. A lot hinges on the waistline. "The key to looking good is about the fit."
Forget the obsession with size: it's about measurements. Ms Jenkins finds women want to be smaller and men think they are bigger. It's the type of body politic where women are conscious of how much space they take up in the world and cross their legs to be dainty, whereas men sprawl their legs.
The antithesis of glamour is casual, so it must be asked if Ms Jenkins has a tracksuit. She has yoga pants. "I have always been very challenged by casual."