This year I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite vintage fashion bloggers here on Va-Voom Vintage. There's so many wonderful reads out there so lets explore some new areas of the internet together in these style files! This month, I have Christine (The Glambassador) from
Musings of a Chronically Overdressed Dame.
I often get questions from readers on topics that I don't have an answer to so I hope some of my vintage blogger friends can help you all out! For example, Christine has naturally curly hair and has all of the great tips for
how to style your hair vintage with natural curls and how she
maintains her pin curl set for an entire week.
Read on for her advice on plus size vintage style, curating a wardrobe and her recommendations for flawless beautiful skin.
Follow Christine:
Instagram |
Facebook |
Pinterest |
Twitter
Where
are you from?
I
live in Germany in a small charming village called Kusel. It’s in
the Rhineland-Pfalz region close to France and Luxembourg, though I
am originally from San Diego, California.
What
inspired you to start your blog?
My
blog started as an outlet to start writing again and a way for me to
catalog my wardrobe and my journey with vintage style and glamour.
When
I started my blog in 2013, I was the owner of and practitioner in a
busy holistic spa in Baltimore, MD. I’m a massage therapist,
esthetician and holistic health coach and writing the blog was a way
for me to express myself in a creative way that was a little
different than my “day job”.
I’ve
been styling myself in vintage since I was 16, so it’s become a way
of life for me. My blog is a way for me to share this passion with
others and hopefully provide some inspiration to those who also enjoy
the esthetic of vintage clothing and glamour.
Does
your daily lifestyle and career allow you to wear vintage everyday?
What advice do you have for people who are getting started with
working vintage into their daily wardrobe?
Currently
as a massage therapist, I do not wear vintage clothing while I work,
however it’s a great opportunity for me to showcase my vintage hair
and makeup styles. In my previous careers as a public relations and
marketing coordinator and an administrative assistant at the USO here
in Germany, I was able to wear my vintage style and was largely
applauded for my efforts.
When
I’m not working on clients and need to leave the house, I always
dress in vintage style. It’s a lifestyle for me and just my normal
look. I admittedly still struggle with casual looks, or at least what
muggles would consider casual. I live in a small German village and
I’m pretty sure the local residents think I’m a weirdo, but I’m
totally ok with that. Typically my “casual” is still seen as a
few notches above the average person at the grocery store.
My
advice for anyone starting to add items into their wardrobe would be
to create a Pinterest board with photos of styles that you love or
that call to you. If you are drawn to a specific era, it’s
important to learn what details and silhouettes are typical for that
era. That way you can emulate the silhouette by adding a few items
here and there to your current wardrobe. There are a lot of things
you can do with modern items to make it look a bit more vintage.
Also
if you can learn a few simple vintage hairstyles and do a simple
vintage makeup look, that can really help your whole ensemble come
together. I find it looks odd if someone has a vintage hairstyle with
very modern clothing or vise versa.
Shirt-dresses
are a perfect style for both the office and everyday life. I wear
shirt-dresses quite often. They can be paired with a cardigan and a
nice brooch for a casual day-to-day look or with a fitted blazer for
a more professional office look. And I personally think that it’s a
style that looks great on every body.
Vintage
accessories are also a great way to add some vintage flare to your
style. A simple button-down blouse and circle skirt can be elevated
by a beautiful brooch and earrings.
You
have the most flawless skin. What are your go-to skin care products?
As
an esthetician, skin care is literally my life. I’ve been in the
skin care industry for 20+ years and have been a devotee of Dr.
Hauschka Skin Care products since I was about 18. My skin care ritual
is actually quite simple, I don’t believe that you need a dozen
creams and potions to care for your skin. Part of the Dr. Hauschka
philosophy is to use products that support the skin natural
functions, your skin knows what it’s job is and how to be the best
it can be. So using products that supports its natural functions is
the best way to have happy and healthy skin.
I’m
also very fair, my heritage is Scottish/Irish/Norwegian so I wear
sunscreen all the time. I also use a mineral makeup which gives me
another layer of sun protection.
I
have a blog post on my skin care ritual so you can see the products
that I use. Skin
Care Ritual
Many
people struggle to find authentic looking pieces in a plus size range
and that's something you've always done so well. What are your
favorite brands for an authentic vintage look?
It
makes me really happy to hear that I’m viewed as “authentic
looking”, it is the esthetic that I strive for. I think a lot of
curvy ladies tend to jump on the “modern pinup” bandwagon because
it does seem to celebrate a curvier body. I myself cringe a bit when
someone refers to my style or calls me “pinup”, because I just do
not subscribe to the style. It feels flashy and more like a costume
to me, it doesn’t feel natural or authentic. I prefer to gain
inspiration from photos of “everyday” women of the eras that I
love.
The
easiest way for me, is to collect images on Pinterest so I can get
inspiration from all kinds of photos. Of course I love the Hollywood
actresses of those times, but I also want to the see what the
“average” woman wore day-to-day and how they did their hair. I do
not have a team of hairdressers to assist me in elaborate hairstyles,
which is something I think we forget when we see amazing hair on the
old Hollywood actresses.
For
me, it’s all about creating the right silhouette (this goes for
hair too). It’s also super important to know your body! You need to
be honest with yourself and your shape and learn what clothing items
will help accentuate the parts that you like and how to work with
those parts that we aren’t so happy with. I’ve been a big gal all
my life and I honestly have no issue with my size. I’m healthy and
I can do everything that I need or want to, my size doesn’t define
me or hinder me.
I
carry a lot of my weight in my tummy and hips, so wiggle
dresses/skirts bring attention to those areas and that doesn’t make
me feel my best. But A-line skirts and of course circle skirts look
amazing on me. Especially if I can add a belt as it cinches in my
waist.
I’ve never been a big fan of trousers, mostly because
I was choosing the wrong type of trouser. But in the past few years
I’ve really been trying to find what works for me on the trouser
front. I’ve come to the realization that swing trousers are NOT for
me at all. The flat front is horrible for anyone with a belly. So
I’ve realized that I need a mid to high waist, zip front, pleats
and either a wider leg or straight leg. I’ve found a few trousers
that fit this description and it’s amazing how different I look and
feel in them.
My
absolute favorite brand is eShakti. While they are not a vintage
reproduction line, they are really good at creating vintage-inspired
silhouettes. This is where it’s really important to know and
understand what vintage details are. If you understand what details
and silhouettes offer the vintage esthetic, you can find items in
modern brands. All of eShakti’s skirts and dresses come with
wonderful deep pockets (I could talk about the importance of pockets
all day!), some also come with bra keeps (those little snapped straps
to keep your bra from showing), and everything is customizable. Not
just the actual size of the garment but also sleeve type/length,
neckline, and hem length. I would say that 80% of my vast wardrobe is
from eShakti.
Vintage
reproduction brands that have great options for plus sizes are Vivien
of Halloway, Emmy Designs (although they could be better with their
larger sizes), Miss Candyfloss, Collectif and Hearts and Found.
I
also find great simple separates on ModCloth, I find that a lot of
their dresses are too short for me, but I have found wonderful skirts
and blouses that are staples in my wardrobe.
As
a plus size woman I’m used to brands not carrying a large selection
of extended sizes and I’ve heard all the excuses as to why they
don’t. But I think it’s important to continue to have dialogues
with these companies so they can understand that we are also a part
of this community and want nothing more than to look and feel
beautiful in their clothes. So I encourage you to contact a company
if you see that their plus size range is limited and let them know.
If they hear our voices and see that we are out there (to spend our
money), then they are more apt to extend their sizes for us.
If
you were just starting to build your vintage wardrobe from scratch
all over again what pieces would you add first?
Oh
that’s a hard one as I’ve been cultivating my wardrobe for over
25 years. I would start with my favorite item, a shirt-dress. And
then the all important separates. A good white button down shirt
(these are great under cardigans and perfect when you want to wear a
tie), a few A-line skirts (with pockets, of course), a few cardigans
and you could mix and match to have several different outfits.
I
started my journey with brooches and accessories. It’s what was
attainable to me at the time and there was no size involved, so I
didn’t have to deal with them not fitting. My collection of
brooches is immense, but they bring me such joy and allow me to
express myself in different ways.
Thank you to Christine for all of your wonderful advice and inspiration! Please be sure to check out her blog,
Musings of a Chronically Overdressed Dame and visit again for next month's Vintage Blogger Style File
and it matches my chicken, Chickadee perfectly! I love a crazy purse in wild colors because when I'm running out the door, its always easy to find. Well, a chicken definitely stands out enough I'll always know where it is!
