Liza Berlin Naumann draws from her collection of vintage '60s and '70s couture when those with a good cause seek her help.
By JENNIFER STEWART
Published October 4, 2004
TARPON SPRINGS - The young models who donned Liza Berlin Naumann's vintage clothes for a recent charity fundraiser couldn't believe some of the stuff from her collection.
What are hot pants? they asked.
Nothing for them to worry about, said Naumann. Those were too risque for the models to wear, so they went on mannequins instead.
And when they saw the pants paired with go-go boots, they asked, "You could go out in public like that?"
"They were shocked," Naumann said. "They were mortified."
But the 30 or so teens and young women didn't look distressed as they modeled the chic, retro accessories for "The Art of Collecting: '60s and '70s Vintage Couture" at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs.
The collection belongs to Naumann, 44, who has a fashion sensibility in her genes. Her mother, Barbara Berlin Garum, 71, of Ellenton was a magazine and advertising model in the 1950s. She was, her daughter says, Miss Harley-Davidson of 1954.
Naumann's grandmother, 92-year-old Amy Babich of Bradenton, loved Hawaiian fashions and would have dresses made for her.
"I love my grandmother's clothing," said Naumann who lives in Palm Harbor and is co-owner of Southern Image Homes. "I loved her big gaudy jewelry and her dangling charm bracelets. ... I've been wearing this stuff since I was 14. If I wanted something great, I would go to Nana's closet."
Over the years, she has become a student of the dresses, hats and jewelry that defined the style of the half-century that ended in the early 1970s.
"I can remember the vintage hats for a dollar and them being all over my bathroom," she said. "That's how I decorated."
These days, she brings out the clothing for charity events such as the one at the Leepa-Rattner Museum. In the past year, she said, her dresses have appeared at fundraisers at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, the Dunedin Historical Society and the Tampa Bay Research Institute.
Naumann hesitates to say how much vintage clothing she has. A lot, she said, and it's stored in an air-conditioned storage unit.
"It's well taken care of," she said. For some shows, she won't use live models. "Some things I will not let be worn because they should not ever be worn. They're too fragile."
The Leepa-Rattner fundraiser, held by the HarborSprings Women's Club of North Pinellas and museum's Pallette Society, which drew more than 200 people from Clearwater to west Pasco. The event raised more than $7,000 for the PACE Center for Girls in Pinellas County.
"What a wonderful venue combining the arts and fashion," said Sally Zeh, executive director of PACE Pinellas.
PACE Pinellas receives about 20 percent of its funding from such benefits. Established in 1997, the center is located in Pinellas Park and works to give at-risk girls and young women a chance for a better future through education, counseling, training and advocacy.
The money raised will go toward "the extra stuff," such as clothes and birthday parties, Zeh said. "A lot of things that make PACE really special."
For Naumann, the Leepa-Rattner fundraiser was just another opportunity to play dressup.
"I'm just a fairy godmother," she said, "and I love that."
The show featured around 70 dresses from Naumann's private collection.
Naumann is drawn to fabrics from the 1960s and '70s such as crushed velvet and brocade, more than the dresses themselves.
"It's just a quality you find in couture," she said. "There really is an art to it."
Shooting Stars co-owner Pam Walts said the event marked the first time she can remember when her own girls, models Heather and Kalynn, didn't complain about their hair.
"They're just so eager to be perfect, they practiced and practiced and practiced," she said. "I think the young girls get a big kick out of wearing these vintage clothes."
Palm Harbor resident Pam Cohn got a kick out of it too, but for a different reason.
"I remember wearing some of these outfits when they were new, wearing these colors and thinking they were wonderful," she said.
Naumann's involvement in such fundraisers isn't as glamorous as it may seem. After the Leepa-Rattner event, for instance, she was left to unpack 37 boxes just of accessories, such as jewelry and hats, in addition to the dresses.
"It's not a party for me at all," she said.
But later she said it was worth it.
"That's really probably the best reason for collecting this vintage clothing, is raising this money," she said.
-- Staff writer Richard Danielson contributed to this report.
