Vintage Style File: The Glambassador

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.


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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