Living Dolls - Miss August 2010

Introducing the ever beautiful Christine Geyer - our lovely Miss August all the way from Germany !

What does 'vintage' mean to you?

Age-wise I'd say vintage, to me, just so includes the 60's at the latest.

I know I'm sounding terribly dramatic here but to me anything vintage, whether it be a piece of jewellery, a dress, tin, car, photo or whatever, is a treasure from some kind of sunken Atlantis, something touchable. I love the idea that I can wear a dress that someone wore 50 or 60 years ago, in a world that looked so different from ours. When I turn over the pages of an old Scrapbook I try to picture the original owner putting it together. And when I look at an old cupboard I cannot help but wonder where it once stood, who used it and so on. So each of these vintage things holds its own little mystery. While still no one has invented a time machine, such things keep fascinating me forever.

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

Connie Francis. Connie Francis is one of my favourite musicians from he 50's. When I started to "discover" her music I got interested in her biography and with it I also wanted to learn more about the 1950's. I became fascinated very quickly. Then came the day I held my first vintage dress in my hands and I had the bug completely.

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

The 1950's are my favourite era. Apart from my love for the music, the fashion, the design and all that, something I very much love about the 50's are the values that people had back then. Pretty much of that gets lost these days. And I definitely try to hold these values up and live them every day, as good as I can. After all, good manners and a few friendly words don't hurt ;-)

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

Just one? Impossible  I sometimes get told that my apartment looks like a little walk-in-museum. Some furniture I'm especially proud of is my pastel coloured 1950's kitchen. It just oozes the 50's. Something completely different but very dear to my heart are the scrap book and 10 years of diaries of a young teenage girl/woman from Connecticut. Reading through them made me very emotional and I developed a special relationship to that woman I never knew.

 

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

I just love the designs, the clothing, the music, the cars, the architecture of the 50's, everything all around. I love how pretty and sexy women could look without running around half-naked and I love the idea of a 10 years old child being happy without cigarettes, an own computer, the latest mobile phone, and top label designer clothing. I love the idea of a man who doesn't push a woman aside so he's first on the bus. And I love to hear music of people who can actually sing or play an instrument. I regularly get told that the 50's were a time of petty bourgeois. But faced with the choice I'd always prefer that.

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

Not really. But my dearest acquaintances with likely minded friends I made online (like with that one certain darling blogger girl from Australia). So I can very much recommend to stretch out your feelers in the forums and groups online.

 

Now is your chance to provide us with an overview of who you are and what you do.

I'm the one always shaking her head, grumbling and mumbling "They wouldn't have done that in the good 50's!!" Might be a result of my outsize collection of vintage etiquette-, manners- and advice-books ;-)

 Finally, what or who inspires you and why?

Two years ago I met *the*German idol from the 1950's, Peter Kraus. He's a very charming singer and actor, was a teen heartthrob then and now still sells out all the big venues. While we chatted, one of my friends took a wonderful photo of him holding me in his arm, smirking at me, and me with the broadest smile ever on my face. He later signed it for me with a funny and kind dedication. Now whenever I look at it on my wall it makes me smile and brings good spirits immediately.