Hello dear readers,
let me introduce to you, the one and only Leah Loverich! She is young and with so much style. She seems so unreal that on seeing her, one could think of an apparition. Jet black hair in a bob curl like the hollywoodian stars during the golden age of cinema; porcelain complexion, scarlet red lips and perfect half moon nails: she looks like she is coming from another era. However, Leah does not imitate but embodies the myth of the glamorous icons from the hollywoodian cinema such as Hedy Lamarr and Marlene Dietrich, for instance. It is because she personifies that kind of beauty, very different from today's canon of beauty that she is effortlessly chic.
She is such an inspiration. People like her really give you the courage to develop your own style and to be yourself!
I had a pleasant conversation with Leah and I am so delighted to be able to bring you this interview – she is such a sweet, clever and inspiring style icon… enjoy!
Idda: Thank you so much for this interview darling Leah. It's such a pleasure to have you here!
Leah: Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to take part in this, I have absolutely loved answering your questions, it was such a joy, even more so with it being you the one asking. I feel you are a huge inspiration, you are so kind and adorable with such an appreciation for historical fashion, and it is so refreshing to find someone so beautiful yet so down to earth at the same time. So thank you again, and I really cant wait to see how you use my answers and so on. This is a wonderful way for me to introduce you to my followers too!
THE INTERVIEW
Idda: Tell me about yourself. What made you interested of this style to begin with? How long have you been going for this look? Is this a look you do every day or for special occasions?
Leah: Having grown up around family members who have lived in my favourite eras (30s/40s/50s), I was then left vintage items when they were to pass on, and with having family members which are vintage and antique collectors and dealers themselves, it has encouraged my fascination and obsession with the past and with history and has made me naturally become a collector and dealer of vintage myself. I began collecting and wearing authentic 50s fashion, before my teen years, and yet I always wished I could have been dressing in my much preferred eras, the 30’s and 40’s, but felt it would be too much to keep up, and would draw too much attention to me, especially with being a child. But indeed within a few years came the 40’s, the collecting and wearing of original items, and slowing in my mid teens I introduced authentic 30’s pieces to that. Now at 19 I am introducing original 20’s items too. Everything I wear but my lingerie and beauty products these days is authentic 30’s, 40’s and 50’s and is something I do daily.
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Idda: How did you learn to do your amazing hair and makeup? Is your skin naturally that lovely pale or does your makeup lighten it a slight bit? What products do you use to get that look?
Leah: Within my fascination of the past is my love of vintage beauty and elegance, and so I have spent a great deal of time (and still do now) taking in the beauty of vintage movie stars and models, be it looking at photographs or watching movies. From that I have then took in their hair and make-up styling and gone away trying and attempting to recreate what I have seen. I am naturally very fair toned, with plenty of freckles, and well my foundation does certainly lighten my freckles and even any redness I have, though I do try my upmost to use foundation that is my exact skin tone. I have yet to find a foundation that is as pale as I and so I like to mix a pure white foundation base with the palest foundation I can find, to make my exact tone.
Idda: I read you had really bad experiences on the streets. People nowdays don’t seem to realise we do these things for ourselves not for attention. I don't understand how anyone could react badly to the way you dress. If all girls dressed as elegantly as you do the world would be a better place. What is it like being vintage in a modern world? Do you find it difficult?
Leah: I believe everyone has their own right to dislike something, but I don’t believe the way I dress has the ability to offend or to disgust anyone, and so I feel that those who are very negative towards the way I look simply don’t ‘understand it’, and instead of openly saying “please explain” they find it much easier to point and laugh at me. Though I like to use their negatively as a fuel to be even more extravagant and to be proud of myself for being the way I want to be. I do not find it difficult to live a vintage life style, though it does have its awkward moments, especially when
there are people who don’t understand or who will not support you.
Idda: What you do on a daily basis? Are you studying or working?
What are your aspirations for the future?
Leah: I graduated college about a year and a half ago, and had aims of going straight onto University but decided I would take a year break and to travel and explore and to learn new skills for both my personal self and for a future career. The year mark has past but I am loving what I have came to be doing; Running a little vintage store on Etsy, privately dealing in vintage (offline), private seamstress work, blogging, a spot of photography work, all along with a part time restaurant job. And so the aim of University has passed me (for the time being anyway!). I am now in the progress of opening a second, more serious online store, and this one is to be dedicated to authentic vintage lingerie. A single job is not for me, I like to be kept extra busy, and to be doing lots of different things within the creative world.
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Idda: I'm of the opinion that wearing vintage fur is completely acceptable even to those interested in the rights of animals. The furs you are wearing do, in no way, support the cruel ways of the modern fur industry. What do you think: is there a difference between wearing vintage fur and modern fur?
Leah: Though animal fur no matter what year that animal was killed is still ‘animal fur’, and though I am a huge animal lover I am still a collector and (on occasion) wearer of vintage fur (strictly from the 40s and before). This is because I hate the idea of this fur just lying about, waiting to fall apart and to be chucked away, especially as there is so much vintage fur about!! I say use this vintage fur; make the most of its warmth and beauty and to encourage those who want to wear modern time fur to use vintage (I feel this is a thing that modern fashion designers need to start doing themselves). I by no means support the modern fur industry and as said before there is so much vintage (from a time when there was no such thing as faux fur) fur about.
Idda: If you could live on the set of any movie, what movie would that be? Who is your style icon from the past?
Leah: This truly is a hard question for me! I have a number of film sets I’d love to have been able to spend time on, but I feel any set that was to include the darling Lucille Ball would have been an extraordinary, and very much humorous one. To have someone with so much talent and so much beauty both inside and out... She has always left me stunned! My ultimate style Icons from the past would have to include Wallis Simpson, Hedy Lamarr and Marlene Dietrich, all three were extravagant in their own ways, always slightly quirky but so elegant and I feel they are women who ‘stood out in the celeb crowd’ during the late 30s. Wallis inspired me to always remain ‘prim and proper’ and very much polished, Hedy inspires me to be sophisticated (or to at least try!) her beauty and intelligence is what also has me adoring her, and Marlene inspires me to be bold, to be feminine but to not be afraid to mix a little androgynous style into my styling.
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Idda: Your hourglass figure is stunning. You say your waist is 24 or 25“: I've heard this can be done by wearing a corset. Have you done this or ? What's the secret to get a tiny waist?
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Leah: Thank you greatly! As it is coming up to Christmas I may be an inch larger currently (I live on candy canes and chocolate log cake this time of year! hehe) but most of the year I am at 24inches. Corsetry is yet another fascination of mine; the history and science behind them has always intrigued me so throughout my time at College I studied them deeply and made a few too for local fashion shows, though personally I have never ‘tight laced’ to gain a smaller waist measurement. But indeed, one can gain a smaller ‘corset waist size’ over a matter of months/years with extreme dedication (something I do intend to do once I have had children), though it is something were once the corset is off, your waist measurements will ‘expand’ within minutes back to what it original is/was. I don’t do anything particular to remain at the measurements I am, though I think keeping active is what helps me, I do a lot of speedy walking, trampolining, and I’m an obsessive house cleaner!
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Idda: People comment you look like Dita von Teese. What do you think of her?
Leah: I think she is a wonderful modern role model, one that is able to inspire all ages of women; from her beauty to her intelligence and strong willpower and work ethic, she has proved that one’s dream can come true, and that one’s hobby or love for something can become a paying job, you just need to believe in yourself and be willing to work hard for it.
Idda: You are an antique collector and vintage dealer. First came 1940sThrowback.tumblr.com and now comes 1940sThrowback.etsy.com, a little online boutique dedicated to what you adore most: Authentic vintage! Selling things that you love is always difficult. What is the most amazing thing you ever had to part with? What is your best piece of advice for others who want to get into selling vintage?
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Leah: I never quite realised how difficult it would be to sell tings I personally adore until it actually came to popping those things into the post box! But I have learnt from that and now only stock items which have came to me but are not to be my size, if they are to not fit me then I am far more likely to accept moving them on, why should I be greedy and keep an item when it can be adored and actually worn by someone who it will fit and make look beautiful! But it is also why I only really treat my first etsy shop as a hobby, with only a very select few items at a time, though I promise my next online store will have so much to offer, and although I will be selling Items that I personally adore still, in my heart I always like to put other first and to make them happy most, and if the items I will be selling will do that, then that will have me a very pleased being. A few months ago I had to sell on an amazing candy floss toned pink and blue 1950s evening gown, one with matching bolero and gloves, it was truly one of a kind and something I thought I’d keep for maybe a day when I am to have a little girl, but the cost of the dress was to extreme to have it stored away in a box for another 20 years so I moved it onto a beautiful darling in Sydney who it fits and looks like it was made just for her, it saddened me to see it go but I am confident that she will make the most of its beauty. My best advice to others wishing to sell vintage is to learn and study deeply about vintage and the items you wish to sell, I see so many selling vintage but dating and pricing their items wrong, and it leaves me upset for those that will purchase from them believing their item to be something it’s not.
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Idda: Vintage can be tricky to style and wear. What advice would you give women who want to explore vintage style?
Leah: It can be tricky but you must believe in yourself and love and appreciate the clothing you wear and the history they hold, dare to be bold, dare to stand out, but don’t copy but be inspired, and never take to heart any negativity you may receive, if anything use it to fuel your extravagance!
Idda: Do you consider yourself to identify more with traditional ideals for gender roles or feminist ones? Do you believe a wife should submit to her husband and a husband care for his wife? I am just wondering.
Leah: I am a complete mix of the both.
I think of myself to be a very ‘traditional’ maybe even ‘old fashion’ person when it comes to how I hold myself and what I believe in. For me I’d love to marry young, find a house with my husband have my first child a year later, have my husband go of to work daily and I to go off to do my mother/wife duties …I believe that order of things to be still slightly common but certainly very much an old fashioned way….
Although I dream of having a traditional style family and way of living, I am also very career minded and love to be working, I like to make my own money and pay for my own things just as much as I like to be treated by my man, I like to feel like a lady and be cared for too! So I believe myself to be very much a modern women when it comes to my independence and career but I certainly have the heart and morals of a 40s houswife!
So in the future I shall certainly be embracing both ways of life!
I don’t believe that every female should ’live in the Kitchen’ and follow her husbands every rule unless this is what she would love to do. I hate how nowadays it is sort of seen as a negative to simply be a ‘housewife’. Every female is different and every couple is different, what ever works best for them is how they should live their relationship!
Idda: I forgot to ask about this contest you won - tell me more about it. Has anyone in the fashion industry been interested in you and requested a shoot date?
Leah: I came 1st in the Miss Vintage Glamour of Twinwood 2012 pageant, and it is something I still can’t believe happened, getting up on a stage in front of people for the very first time was a huge accomplishment for me, as with all my boldness and extravagance I am still very much a shy being, but the pageant is something that has lifted me and helped me in a lot of personal ways, it has allowed me to grow and to believe in myself. There is no big enough way for me to show just how thankful and appreciative I am of all the people who voted for me and supported me into the finals and onto win, I adore them all and will never forget it! I have had quite a few independent photographers and shops get in contact wishing to work on something with me but due to a busy schedule and also having my slight lack of self confidence I have had to (sadly) decline this year, though I have promised myself that my new year’s resolution for 2013 is to build my self confidence and to not turn down a single modelling opportunity that may come my way as it truly is something I would love to explore!
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Hope you enjoyed.
Much love to you all,
Idda van Munster & Leah Loverich
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