Living Dolls - Miss September 2010

Introducing the beautiful Lauren Maringola, our wonderful Miss September Living Doll !!

What does 'vintage' mean to you?

Although vintage technically spans from the 20s to the 80s, when I think of vintage clothing I tend to think for the 1910s to the early 1960s. I also love previous centuries, but think of them more as antique and not as wearable fashion.

What was it that first prompted your interest in vintage culture?

My love for historical clothing came out of books and movies I loved as a girl- especially the romantic fashions of the early 1900s. I fell into vintage culture by accident, actually, and for about ten years loved and cherished vintage clothing and researched fashion history without the smallest inkling that there was a whole subculture devoted to vintage. The internet really broadened my understanding of how widespread the love of different eras were. I am somewhat shy in real life, so originally I was a little scared getting into the whole thing, but now really enjoy dressing up and going to events that recreate the past.

What is your favourite era, and do you 'live it' every day? In what ways?

I have two favorites- the Edwardian era and the 1930s. I love to collect the clothing, periodicals, and vintage patterns and recreate the clothing through sewing. I don't live it every day, but I do wear a lot of clothing I make myself from vintage patterns- most of my day to day wardrobe is recreated 1940s and 1950s clothing with some modern clothing with a vintage feel mixed in. Although most of our furniture is antique and my husband drives a vintage car I couldn't do without my modern conveniences like the computer, tv and dvd player, and my modern sewing equipment. I don't have enough discipline to do my hair and makeup every day.

Tell us about your favourite item of vintage clothing, kitchenalia, music, furniture or whatever !

One of my favorite things I own is a set of red leather bound antique books called the "Little Leather Library". They are so cute and small! I got them at a library sale ages ago and there's a good hundred of them at least in their original little cardboard box.

Can you share with us why vintage culture continues to hold such appeal for you?

I really love sharing information about the past and learning more and more. Finding others with a similar passion is really fun and interesting. With the internet making communication and sharing resources much more available it's fascinating watching more and more people who come to identify in some way with the past, or take the aesthetic of a bygone era and put their own personal twist on it. I think the 1930s through 1950s was an era that was extremely flattering to women of all different sizes and shapes, and the glamour is somewhat empowering in a way- it certainly helped me find my self esteem in the way of physical expression of style.

Do you have any tips for anyone starting out in the vintage scene?

Experiment with what works for you. The more I learn about the past the more I understand that there were so many more different styles out there than what we come to expect as the stereotypical look of the period. Play with your hair and makeup, play with proportion in clothing, and don't be afraid to try something new. It's all about what works for the individual. And if you're really interested in the history start researching it yourself. The internet is great, but there's a lot that simply isn't available on the internet. Lots of libraries still have bound issues of past magazines- go and spend some time looking though them for more style inspiration. And invest in yourself- if you're really interested a personal expression of style consider learning to sew so you can make your own clothing.

Now is your chance to provide us with an overview of who you are and what you do. Tell my readers as much or as little as you like !!!!

I am really inspired by the day-to-day wear of times past, and the clothing of the average woman as well as high fashion and movie fashion. I'm constantly amazed at the forgotten information, especially since vintage fashion was just this last century. The past is a constant source of inspiration for me aesthetically and I really enjoy learning as much as I can about fashion history and the way it related to culture. I am a one-woman business right now, and part of what I do is make sewing patterns so that we can recreate really difficult to find styles of vintage day to day wear. Vintage patterns are like blueprints to the past- and long after the clothing is fit to be worn if we have them preserved for the future more and more people can incorporate vintage style into their lives. I went to school for fashion design, so it's fun to incorporate my passion into something that others can use to create something for themselves. Before working on my etsy store full time I worked for different theatres and independent films as a seamstress and designer. I love sharing little things I find on my blog, too- http://wearinghistory.blogspot.com/

 

Finally, what or who inspires you and why?

There are too many people to list since. Style wise I am really inspired by Casey of Elegant Musinge (http://elegantmusings.com/) and the way she takes vintage and incorporates it into livable style. I am also really inspired by classic film stars Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, and Priscilla Lane.