Category Archives: Interviews

Entries where I interview like-minded people.

A Word on Fur

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I know we’ve had the great fur debate before, but something happened that has made me want to talk about it again.  Recently, my friend, Courtney was dining at a restaurant in Paris and had her purse stolen. Her purse was this beautiful ocelot…

I beg you, please, if you see this purse, please make note on the Ooh La La Vintage Swap and Sell post regarding the theft, or contact Courtney.

Now, this is where our fur story begins.  This purse is vintage.  It isn’t new, nor did Courtney go out and hunt down an ocelot and make the purse herself! She found it at an antique shop in her home town.   When she saw the purse, she just fell in love, “I’d never seen anything like it before, it was in sad shape, and I knew no one else around there would give it the same respect I would. I knew it was special and rare, and for being a wonderful endangered animal I feel like someone owning it who understands both sides of the tragedy and wonderment of the piece, that could only be the best thing to do. And because it was just amazing in general,” She shared.  Courtney was also a vegetarian for ten years and adores animals.  When she began working in the vintage clothing industry, her attitudes toward fur changed, “As a vintage buyer I can’t let my personal taste and feelings affect how I buy, and so I had to gradually become friendly with fur and the like for the sake of my job. Then I realized I loved it, it looked good, it was cozy, and the closest I’ve gotten to having a pet of my own since I moved out of my folk’s house when I was 18.”

For those of you who are about to raise up your PETA signs, and lash out by typing with your keyboard on caps lock, will you just listen for a moment?  What can you actually do about this piece? What can you actually do about vintage fur in general? This is something that bothers me the most about people who get upset about fur, even vintage fur.  They will sit there, on their computer, angrily typing and moaning about animal rights, but offer no solution.  What good is that? The anti-fur group just appears to be angry that the fur exists.  As of this moment, the only “ethical” thing I know to do with vintage fur (aside from wearing it) is to donate it to Coats for Cubs, where you can donate fur, that will then be used as bedding for rehabilitating animals. If every piece of vintage fur were to be donated to this cause, they would literally be drowning in fur.  Most of the time, you cannot walk into a vintage clothing shop, thrift shop or antique mall without seeing fur in some manner or another.  It’s everywhere.  So what else is there to do?  Throw it away?  Throwing away perfectly good vintage fur pieces is one of the worst solutions.  I wouldn’t even call it a solution.  First, you’re creating waste. That’s just not good for the earth, and if you care about animals, then let’s assume you also care about the earth too.  Also, don’t you think throwing it away is disrespectful to the animal?  This leaves the only other solution – wearing it.  Courtney concurred, “How I look at the topic of fur is more of a respect for the animal that wasn’t given a choice for it’s sacrifice for fashion. I know it’s a terrible thing to think about, and I certainly don’t want to encourage further production of fur products.  But what can one do about something that’s 75 years old? I think it’s more shameful to just throw it out or cry on it, what good does that do?”  Like Courtney, I don’t care for the current fur industry.  I see no need for it.  There is plenty of fur already out there, and it’s not difficult to find.

Some people have problems with fur with faces (Such as this purse, or my Algernon and Earnest who tagged along the the last Fur & Feathers), but I adore them because they have personality. “I take the time to think about the animal I’m wearing, and that’s also why I don’t shy from wearing furs with faces, I think it’s more honest to be able to look that animal in the face, rather than shrink away from that reality of what went down,” Courtney shared on the topic.

When you buy vintage fur (or vintage in general), you are recycling, which is good for our planet.  You aren’t giving your money to the current fur trade, you’re putting it into your local economy too, which is good for your city and/or country.  You’re also not supporting big-box stores who, in all likelihood, use child/slave labor.  So really anti-fur people, you’re going to criticize a gal for choosing to wear fur over a sweatshop coat, purse, etc.?

Please note, comments do allow for open discussion and it is encouraged.  However, please be respectful.  Courtney didn’t just have this purse stolen from her, but also the contents of the purse were taken as well.  Furthermore, rude, disrespectful, and anti-fur comments which provide no alternatives to wearing or donating fur will be deleted.

Bettie Page Comes to PDX!

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Ah, Bettie Page. The queen of pin-ups. Nearly anyone in the vintage scene has heard of the dark haired beauty who raised eyebrows in the 1950s with her scantily clad and fetish photos.  She’s become a pop icon, with songs mentioning her and even a few written about her.  She’s been immortalized in photographs, graphic work and illustrations (most notably by Olivia) and most recently in a clothing line.

For sometime Bettie Page Clothing was only available at the first Bettie Page store which opened in, where else? Vegas, baby! As well as various “alternative” shops.  I bought my first Bettie Page piece at a roller derby store!  However, many of the specialty shops only carried a handful of items, instead of the whole collection.  Which left you to purchase on-line.  But in recent years, the company has increased its brick-and-mortar presence across the country.  The latest shop? My current city, Portland!

I recently went in and immediately fell in love.  Pink walls. Leopard print. Pictures of Bettie herself. Not to mention racks upon racks of vintage inspired garments! What’s not to love?

I was able to chat with the store manager, Gwen, a fellow feisty redhead.  “It’s an awesome company.  I love shopping here and I love working here even more,” says Gwen.  When asked what she loves about the clothing itself, Gwen responded with “It’s the most flattering!  It’s feminine, sexy, but not vulgar.”   She also notes that the line is not just for the rockabilly crowd, “Retro [fashion] has a great modesty to it, it translates to the workplace to dinner with your mother-in-law.”  Gwen emphasized that the clothing is about embracing your body and your femininity. “The dresses are designed by a woman, Tatyana, and it shows.”  The dress are all about curves and Gwen says “we’re very body positive here.  It’s okay to be sexy.”

While most of my wardrobe is real vintage and I rarely buy new, I understand that vintage inspired has its place in the vintage fashion world.  First of all, new stuff is available in a range of sizes, offering up the answer to the gals who complain that they can never find vintage in their size.  The Bettie Page line offers sizes XXS to 4X, so you’re bound to find your size.  “I love the range,” says Gwen of the sizing, “We offer a lot of the hard-to-fit sizes, from real petite to the plus size women.”  Of the plus-sizes, Gwen mentioned how in many stores, the plus size garments are pushed into almost of corner of shame that offer very little options in both style and in being body positive, “People come in asking for our ‘Plus Size Corner’ and I have to say ‘It’s all over.’”

Additionally, some items are just too difficult to find vintage, such as blouses and most often of all, pants!  So this is where lines such as Bettie Page come in quite handy.  Furthermore, I find that vintage repro is perfect for traveling and events that run risk of major party fouls.  Because, let’s face it, if you are forced to lose or ruin a dress, you’d much rather it be a new dress that can be easily replaced than a unique, one-of-a-kind vintage garment!

What makes shopping at a Bettie Page store different than shopping on-line?  Gwen explains that it’s just “trying it on!”  Everyone is shaped differently, and some of us may have a little more in some areas and maybe a little less in others, and these things “are not accounted for in a size chart.”  An important thing to note is that the sizing of the garments can vary from garment to garment.  Some garments are made of fabric that include a lot of stretch, while others include no stretch at all, but the garments feel well made, and are comfortable.  Also, there is just the experience! What gal doesn’t want to stand in front of a three-way mirror in a shop of pink walls, pin-ups and leopard print?  “There’s a couch of the men to sit on and look at their ladies, and they love it!”  And how true is that? You can’t exactly get your man’s opinion on something on you from the internet!  Also you don’t have a wonderful staff doting on you! That size not working out for you? Let one of the lovely sales staff help you out and pick up the next size up or down for you!  “We’re here for them so they can look fabulous.”

As for myself, I bought this adorable jumper! A swimsuit for my trip to Palm Springs in a few weeks, and two of their bow belts! And Portland store bonus: They have cute Bettie Page Clothing reusable totes!

The Portland Bettie Page Clothing store is located at 818 SW Broadway in the heart of downtown Portland, less than a block from Pioneer Courthouse Square.

“Made In…” Disclosure
Bettie Page garments are made in China.

A Chat with the People of Vintage Roadside

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Yesterday afternoon, I sat down with Jeff and Kelly, the couple who operates Portland’s own Vintage Roadside, a company that offers up fabulous t-shirts baring graphics from good ol’ American roadside locations ranging from the bizarre to the motor court.

Tucked away in the corner of Hollywood’s Moon and Sixpence, I discovered where the couple got their idea to start Vintage Roadside, “I think it was road tripping,” responded Kelly, “We saw that these mom and pop places were disappearing.”  Their business is not just to offer up fun shirts to wear, it is also a historical preservation effort as well,  “We do historical preservation events and give talks,” adding that this is an effort to educate, support and preserve a time period in America that is rapidly disappearing.

Each has their favorite part of the job experience as well.  Jeff enjoys meeting people who were at the locations they select for their shirts, such as family members, past employees, combined with the photography that he does during the road trips that the couple does.  For Kelly it’s the research and discovering the stories behind these designs, “it’s like a treasure hunt,” Kelly said.  Additionally the couple shared that they enjoy the fact that their business brings a wide range of people, “It’s so broad. We’ll do a tiki event then a historical preservation event, and then a hot rod/burlesque event…we sell to professors one moment, then we’re selling to burlesque dancers.”

Kelly is deeply involved in the research portion of their company.  Since all of the designs for VR are real locations, they try to learn as much as possible about the location.  Not only do they discover and talk to people who were there, but they use on-line databases, historical societies, newspaper archives and even digitized menu records of food venues.  Sometimes printing a shirt jump starts the research, “When we produce a shirt, it’s really the beginning – people find us and we get stories.”  People see the shirts, or get a link to VR’s site from someone, and “We discover people who say their uncle operated that place, or that was the place to hang out after the football game.”

Jeff and Kelly express that they are motivated by “being able to tell the stories of these forgotten places…each of these places was someone’s dream.”  Jeff and Kelly also use their shirts to promote awareness about mid-century roadside and architecture.  “Take the Pagoda for example that was here [in the Hollywood district],” Jeff said for a local example, “which is now gone.”  Jeff and Kelly emphasize supporting the mom and pops that are still around.  “We want to focus on the importance of historic preservation and it can be as simple as going to eat at a mom and pop.”  VR customers are part of the fun as well, “We’ll have regular customers who come in and say ‘I need a new story’…we become guerrilla historians”.

When asked if VR had a goal or mission, they said that it was to raise awareness. “[It's] for people to appreciate what’s out there…encourage people to see things differently – look at their community differently,” Kelly shared, “We feel that [roadside] is real – it’s happening now.  It’s not kitch…it’s a story and someone’s life.”

One day, Jeff and Kelly hope to have a roadside museum full of large fiberglass advertisement pieces, signs and ephemera, but for the time being, Jeff and Kelly are enjoying their time learning about America’s mom and pops, documenting the locations and sharing the stories of the fun and offbeat places that is Vintage Roadside.

To learn more about VR, read their stories, and purchase t-shirts, please visit their site here.

Vintage Meets Bridal: What a Pair!

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Friends Ava Hansen and AlexSandra have filled a much needed void in both the vintage realm and the bridal realm: a ‘marriage’ of the two. Their project, the Portland Vintage Bridal show, is a wonderful event that caters directly to the vintage woman tying the knot. ”We thought about splitting a booth at the Portland Bridal Show, but we realized that wasn’t our audience,” says AlexSandra, “we didn’t want to be part of the Wedding Industry Complex” a phrase they have coined, “We want to offer an opportunity to help brides be more sustainable.” So they put their skills to work and put together a fabulous, close-knit event that focuses on going vintage for weddings. ”The first one was excellent,” says Ava speaking of the first show last year, “Our event gives brides an opportunity to go out of the box and be unique.”

AlexSandra shows off one of her beatiful vintage gowns.When asked what are the advantages to going vintage, Ava said there are many advantages, “being unique, getting an more authentic look. It’s more glamorous, and brides can kick their wedding up a notch.”AlexSandra agreed and pressed that shopping for a vintage wedding gown is a much more pleasant experience and results in a better product,”when you buy a vintage dress, you’re getting a dress that is made with better material than what dresses are made of today, plus you’re supporting the local economy…when you shop vintage, you are buying something that has generally been union made, made in the USA, and not with slave labor,” says AlexSandra.

Vintage Dresses: The Dos and Don’ts

Lovely ladies show off vintage gowns. The middle dress is an exception, it was handmade by AlexSandraSo, you’ve decided to become a vintage bride…where to start? ”The dress,” says Ava, “The dress sets the theme and era of the wedding.” Which is where I started. I didn’t know if I wanted to go 40s glam or 50s kitch, and the dress decided it for me.”AlexSandra’s Vintage Emporium, of course!” cries AlexSandra, and suggests shopping in person, not the internet, “If you don’t have any idea what you want, the internet is a place to get ideas, but not a dress, unless you’re really, and I mean really good at taking your measurements…Look for places that offer good customer service, places that allow you to take photos,” AlexSandra continued, “Also your mom’s or grandma’s closet is also a good place to start. Even if the dress doesn’t fit or isn’t exactly what you want, we can refashion it and make it something special.”As for concerns, have no fear, “A lot of brides fear sizing, they think vintage means a 24-inch waist,” says AlexSandra, “Body image is a big issue, but you just need to manage your expectations and find the look you feel good in. Don’t be afraid of your measurements!” Even if you find that perfect dress and it’s too small or too big, AlexSandra is the woman to go to to get that fixed. Self-taught, AlexSandra is a wiz at the sewing machine, “Leave your preconceived notions at home. You don’t know until you try it on!”

Rose will do you up right for your big day!More dresses awaited upstairs, where The Vintage Bride, Rose Crossen offers true blue vintage gowns that are beautiful. The Vintage Bride just launched in January and it began out of a career shift for Rose, “My husband said I needed to collect something…I kept finding myself drawn to the vintage gowns at shops, and it seemed like the natural thing to do. My husband made a loft for me to work in” complete with pink walls. Rose’s dresses are gorgeous and in wonderful condition, plus, she’s a real doll to talk to, “I love the history a wedding dress has. I buy veils that still have rice stuck in them, or see dresses where she spilled something, and think ‘Oh, she must have had a fun reception!’ Each dress has it’s own little romantic tale to tell.” If you plan on buying from Rose, make sure you get your measurements correct, “Especially your ribcage. Your waist is squishy, but your ribcage is solid.”

Vintage Hair Styling

Kristen, making you look like you just stepped out of 1947.In addition to Ava’s lovely vintage and custom made hats and veils, and AlexSandra’s and Rose’s beautiful dresses and accessories, the show boasted Kristen Behlings and her hands that make hair miracles a reality. Kristen has been doing hair since she was asked to do the hair of the models at one of AlexSandra’s vintage fashion shows about three years ago.If you want anything from the 20s through the 60s, Kristen is your go-to girl. ”I mostly get asked to do what I call the ‘Kristen Classic’ which is a simple set of victory rolls,” she says while showing me some sketches she has come up with and images of actresses boasting the WWII-era do. When asked where she gets her inspiration and ideas, she laughed and pointed to a stack of books on a table across from where she was performing sample hair styles, “Yearbooks actually.I’m addicted to them. And vintage magazines, and of course movies.” At the show, Kristen offered free sample hair-dos so brides-to-be could get a sense of what they may look like on their big day if they decide to go all out vintage. She did me up, what do ya think?

Oh, how I wish I could do this everyday!

The show also offered a few photographers, make-up and DJ vendors. The event continues tomorrow, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Queen Anne Victorian Mansion, located at 1441 N. McClellan in Portland. The event is free, but a donation of canned food for the Oregon Food Bank is suggested. If you’re within a hundred miles of Portland and getting married soon, you need to go! You won’t be sorry!