Ria’s Patchwork Dress
Pictures courtesy of Ria’s family album. Clockwise from Left Bottom, Ria’s Grandmother Eileen in the 1940s on left-hand side, Left Top, Ria’s Mother Frieda (Owner of the Patchwork Dress), Centre, Ria in her Mother’s dress, Top right, Ria’s grandfather and family with Frieda as a little girl, Right Bottom, detail from the Patchwork dress.
If a dress could be a symbol of a family history then Ria Czerniak‘s patchwork dress speaks volumes. This dress tells Ria’s unique family history, as colourful and diverse as its patchwork folds. With a Polish Grandfather who escaped WW11 to Dublin, a stylish Grandmother Eileen (pictured bottom left) and a free-spirited Mother Frieda (pictured top left) who brought the ‘bob’ haircut to 1960s Dublin to Ria herself (see centre image) who is a vintage aficionado, fine artist and musician.
I met Ria recently at a talk on fashion history I gave on The Lost Fashion History of South William Street in Om Diva on Drury Street. I was speaking about the Jewish community in Dublin and how their expertise enhanced the Irish fashion industry at that time. Ria came up to me at the end and told me her Grandfather was a tailor who had escaped from Poland during WW11 and had set up a fashion factory in Dublin. It was then that I felt I had stumbled upon a fascinating and stylish family history. Here is the story behind Ria’s History Dress…
Ruaruth: How did you acquire your History Dress and what period is it from?
Ria: This dress was my Mum’s dress. It’s one of the few items of clothing she hung on to from the 1970s. She was one of those people who was constantly clearing out, so it’s a miracle it survived. She wore it when she was pregnant with my older brother. My Mum passed away nearly 8 years ago and this dress was something which I knew I wanted to keep.
Ruaruth: Tell me about your Mum it sounds like she had great style?
Ria: My Mum was a hairdresser and trained in Brown Thomas in the late 1960s, back when they had a salon there. I remember her telling me about being sent to Paris to learn how to do a ‘bob’ as well as lots of other iconic hairstyles of the era. Then she’d come back and train all the staff where she worked.
Ruaruth: And your Grandfather was also involved in the fashion industry in Dublin?
Ria: My Mum’s Dad, Harry Czerniak was a tailor from Poland. He escaped during WWII and when he returned with the Red Cross afterwards, virtually his whole family had been wiped out. He had a factory on Capel St. He died when my Mum was 6, and we really don’t know much about him. My Mum double-barrelled her name when she got married. My full name is Czerniak-Lebov, and I still feel very proud to have kept my grandfathers name. My Dad is Israeli and first came here in the late 1970s.
Ruaruth: Was there anyone else who was a style influence on you?
Ria: My Mum was really close to her brother Maurice and his wife Theresa. When I was 9, Maurice and Theresa moved in with us, having moved home from London. They only lived with us for less than a year but looking back I think it had a tremendous effect on me. My uncle is a musician and my aunt is a costume designer. She taught me to sew and helped me make clothes for my dolls. I still get her to help me do alterations on the vintage clothes I buy now. I also gig with Maurice (who played guitar and produced my recently released album). Their two sons also played on it.
Ruaruth: Why do you like it and how do you wear it?
Ria: To me, this is the ultimate hippie dress; patchwork, embroidery, bell sleeves; it’s got it all going on. When I was a kid, I had a pair of blue circular John Lennon style glasses and used to always play dress up in it, with my sister and my cousins.
Ruaruth: Where will you wear it next?
Ria: It still gets taken out for costume parties occasionally. I’ve always thought it would be nice to wear it if I was pregnant myself someday.
Ruaruth: Why is it special?
Ria: For sentimental reasons, this dress means a lot to me. It’s definitely ‘of an era’ and reminds me of my Mum’s sense of style. She never really wore make-up or high heels and the most important thing to her was comfort. She was always on the search for the perfect ‘drainpipe’ jeans and leather jackets. I’m the total opposite! I love girly prints and enjoy dressing up, though the older I get the more I appreciate simplicity.
Ruaruth: How do people react to this dress?
Ria: People, quite rightly, think it’s a bit mental!
Ruaruth: Tell me about the fabric and style of the dress?
Ria: This dress is the softest, most ‘lived in’ cotton I’ve ever felt. The empire line and extensive pleating make it perfect for maternity wear (you could hide a small family in that kinda skirt) though in my current non-maternal mode, it kind of swamps me.
Ruaruth: How do you think your Mum has influenced your style?
Ria: I guess the thing I got from my Mum (Frieda) is an immense sense of freedom and playfulness, when it comes to clothes or my appearance in general. There are photos of her with the same hairstyle as David Bowie (during his Aladdin Sane phase) and sunbathing topless in Mykonos in the 70s. She stuck glitter on her platforms and wore chunky leather jewellery. The only time my Mum ever criticized what I was wearing was when at 14, I wore a halter neck top with a regular bra. Obviously she was spot on!
Ria is a fine artist and musician. She has a regular slot called The Velocaustic in The Black Sheep on Capel Street, not far from where her Grandfather had his factory in the 1950s. She also helps sources and sells a wonderful edit of vintage dresses in The 3rd Policeman in Rathmines. Go see her in action at The Black Sheep or have a chat with her at the back of the 3rd Policeman shop she has a knack for picking out the best dresses.
Listen to Ria here
Pictures courtesy of Ria’s family album. Clockwise from Left Bottom, Ria’s Grandmother Eileen in the 1940s on left-hand side, Left Top, Ria’s Mother Frieda (Owner of the Patchwork Dress), Centre, Ria in her Mother’s dress, Top right, Ria’s grandfather and family with Frieda as a little girl, Right Bottom, detail from the Patchwork dress.
Detail from the Patchwork dress.