Collecting for one Waikaka Valley woman crazed on vintage clothing is a therapeutic experience where she seeks out rare jewels of fashion past.
Jan Wards runs the Hawthorn Den alongside her husband in Waikaka Valley, which is both an event space, with its vast and beautiful garden area, and a special shop.
An old chapel holds a massive collection of vintage clothing Mrs Wards has found in op shops and sales around the country.
Venturing inside the wooden doors and peeking around the aisles of clothing, Mrs Ward said you would not find any fast fashion or Temu knock-offs.
These are real-deal items from a real-deal collector and enthusiast of the cut, woven and stitched.
"I collect early New Zealand fashion.
"I love the fun of the find.
"I’m just so passionate about how these were made and cut, the fits back in the day.
"The early fabrics [are] beautifully made - the cut and the cloth,"
The Hawthorn Den also has a substantial amount of vintage furniture, decor, tea cups and cosies adorning the rooms as both a way to "repurpose and reuse, but I also just love the look".
The shop served as a way for Mrs Wards to give back, as she said the thrill of the store was one she found soothing, wishing for others to experience the same thing.
"I love op-shopping. A couple of girls came down from Dunedin recently, they were saying ‘Oh my god, we’ve been here three hours and we still haven’t seen all the dresses in this church’.
"Ladies from rest-homes ... love to come, chat about memories.
"It’s just wonderful to save this little bit of history in this moment."
Most of the collection was gathered from around the Southland area where there were some real treasures hidden.
"Southland is very rich still in finds - I find quite a lot.
"You talk to any collector, it’s not getting too overpriced, there’s always something special down here."
This is not to say it is all up for sale, as there were quite a few extra special collector’s items Mrs Wards kept just for herself.
"I’ve found some quite early New Zealand designers from back in the day, but I keep them in a not-for-sale room, keep them in an archive."
Mrs Wards found a real joy in op-shopping and collecting, and even said the experience could help out before a doctor’s visit - she swears her blood pressure changes after a good shopping trip.
"It’s just the fun of the find.
"It can become a little addictive, the fun of finding, the feeling of repurposing something, of knowing it might go to another home.
"Some might love it as much as you have. I just find it so therapeutic.
"I’ll go to my GP [and] he’ll say ‘wow, your blood pressure’s really good’.
"I’ll say back, ‘I’ve just done a half an hour trawling at an op shop’," she said, laughing.
