A little more.

A few weeks back I was asked by a friend to answer a few interview questions. I've never been interviewed before, so I wanted to wait until I had a spare hour to snuggle down with Inka and put my mind to it. Anyway it turns out that my friend is also the owner of the BooBoo Kitty Couture Blog. Alongside her usual posts of hand made & hand designed dresses in fabrics to die for, she has started running a 'Meet my friends' feature. It is pretty darn interesting read actually as Aislinn has a bucketful of beautiful, talented and creative friends. Every week she showcases someone new, who speak of things FAR more interesting than who Harry Styles has recently snogged or what Kerry Katona has eaten for dinner that night....

So, if you a feeling a little nosey, here is what I had to say for myself; 

On Sunday I interviewed Eliza Delite.  Now i would like you to meet Lucille from Call Me Lucille blog.  I started reading her blog a few years ago.  Then it dawned on me that she was also from Nottingham!  Then i spotted her in a pub and introduced myself like some crazed fan girl.  Now we have been involved in countless fashion shows, vintage events, photoshoots and i class her as one of my friends! Funny how things work out!

Whenever i think of Lucille i want to start singing Little Richards, Lucille, so please play it in the back ground when you read this! One of these days i will serenade her with my singing...  maybe after a gin or two!

What is your favourite vintage dress or outfit?

   

I have a black and white skirt which splits up the front to reveal their own black and white polkadot shorts sewn in. Its my ultimate favourite and I love wearing it with cropped 50s sun tops and my pink original sun shades. When its colder my favourite thing to wear are my highwaisted 1940s pinafore swing pants. I do my hair similar to how the ladies wore theirs in the military, I feel extremely feminine. Basically, if it has a high waist, is really old and will make me look like I'm from the war....it's mine.

 

What inspired you to dress vintage?

I remember when I first saw a Pin Up girl on a 1950s advert and I thinking "I want to look like that". At the time I had a boyfriend who was a bigtime mod who thought he was Paul Weller. I googled old 50s magazines such as Wink, Beauty Parade and Titter and the clothes in my wardrobe slowly got replaced by high waisted capri pants, little 1940s blouses and bullet bras. My hair routines and styles regressed 60 years and my make make up also. Following Dita's footsteps I got a beauty mark tattooed on my cheekbone, and never left the house without rouge lips. As my style developed and my preference for circle skirts over mini skirts grew I was getting left at home drooling over Dior's "New Look" collections whilst he was at Northern Soul nights. Needless to say that that relationship didn't last. Rockers rule over the Mods!!

 

What was your first vintage purchase?

I first discovered second hand shopping when I was 16. Back then there was so much more of everything and I bought anything I could get my mitts on - I was like a fat kind in a sweet shop. Nottingham had lots of dingy backstreet Vintage shops that I spent my Saturdays in, sadly nearly all of them don't exist anymore. When I wasn't frequenting my favourite alleyways I was on Ebay. That's where my obsession really took off. I purchased some pretty grotesque garments and my first purchase were some mustard 1960s shoes from Camden market. The only reason I remember them so well was because of how hideous they were. Every single one of my friends told me they were vile, but I loved 'em. A month later I ebayed them!! 

Silver screen goddesses are a big inspiration for me, do you have any icon of the past? 

I can draw inspiration from pretty much every lady from the 1920s-1950s. There's something about anything pre 1960 that I find aesthetically pleasing. I find the Wartime fashion very interesting and I have great respect and envy of the Land Girls. However they managed to carry on working so hard and looking so damn good is what inspires me to make a daily effort. My fashion idols include woman of the past and present; Diana Dors, Beyonce, Betty Grable, Immodesty Blaize, Wanda Jackson, Carmen Miranda, Paloma Faith, Gypsy Rose Lee, Lulu Guiness, Scarlett Johansson and of course Dita Von Teese. All hail Dita!! I must also add that I am in awe of Drag Queens like RuPaul. That whole look, demeanour and attitude is bloody marvellous.

Do you dress vintage every day?

  

I prefer to describe it as 'dressing up' rather than dressing vintage. I've been doing it so long, that it has become a lifestyle, and to me I class it as 'normal daywear'. I still get confused when people point at me in the street or approach me for a photograph. ( which happens surprisingly a lot- to my boyfriends annoyance. I however think it's lovely )Its not until I remember that I'm wearing clothes that are over 60 years old and my hair is in pin curls and a headscarf that I realise, "oh yeah, maybe I do stand out from people around me." Some people probably think that I am dressing this way for an act, or to draw attention to myself. I simply do not feel comfortable in modern dress. As strange as it sounds, I would feel very self conscious without my usual old fashioned clobber on. My friends always laugh over the fact of me turning up to a social event in leggings and a hoody with my hair in a messy ponytail. You wait girls, one day I will surprise you!

Favourite music at the moment? 

Although my dress sense is stuck in a time warp, my music tastes are slightly more modernised. I found a spotify playlist off an old friend named 'Girls'. It's full of songs by Destinys Child, Missy Elliot, Mary J Blige, Kelis and TLC. I love it, and play it when I am getting changed in the morning. Being self employed I need stimulation in the mornings and Girl power is enough to get me bumpin' and grindin' around my bedroom!!

I'm also sucker for country music, anything folky will make its way onto my spotify. Willy Mason's new album 'Carry On' is on repeat and so is Haim's ep at the moment. Since Christmas my boyfriend and I have had the 'Blue 'Hawaii' album by Elvis playing constantly whenever we are together- the movie and it's soundtrack has become a Christmas tradition for us. I have all the old classics such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson and The Drifters on vinyl like to listen to them on Sunday evenings.

Your photography is pretty good on your blog,  do you have any tips?  Who takes your photos?

  

All photography on my blog is taken on my digital SLR. Inka who appears on my blog regularly has been trained to pose from a very young age and has pretty much perfected the art!! What you may not know is all my photos are taken by 'self timer', which is as tricky as you can imagine!! I've had a few incidents where my Dad has walked in on me pulling my best pin up pose. Slightly embarrassing  and it distracts the fur ball!!

If you want your blog to appear friendly on the eye, I suggest using good quality photographs as opposed to mobile uploads. Always preview your posts before posting. Step back and think 'Is this something I would want to read myself?'

Lucille is also a mobile vintage hair dresser in the Nottingham and derby area. So if you fancy getting your locks trimmed by a professional that knows what a darn pin curl is get in touch.  She also does up dos for special occasions such as weddings.  

To read about Burlesquers, Make Up Artists and to keep upto date with the latest interview become a follower of BooBoo Kitty Couture's blog.

Love as always, Lucille xx