Vintage Expert | Kay with Vintage Reveries
Nov 12, 2014 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
We love this contemplative Rosie the Riveter, model Linzy Anna
There are so many reasons to love vintage, but one great thing about enjoying vintage is the feeling of play and imagination that is inherent with wearing something from a bygone era. There’s a delightful sense of reinvention that comes with donning a “new-to-you” frock.
Whether the piece comes from your family or from a thrift store, the emotions carry over. I think we all have that special dress that makes us feel like Audrey or a set of pearls that channel Jackie O. The best part is that you get to bring your own awesomeness to bear in this morphed identity. Our latest vintage expert, Kay with Vintage Reveries, is another kindred spirit.
Our Creative Director had the chance to chat with Kay about all things retro. We’re excited to share her thoughts with you and let us know what you think in the comments. Tell us – who do you like to channel most when you wear your vintage ensembles out on the town?
Kay Murray
St. Louis, Missouri
Vintage Reveries
Kay with Vintage Reveries
“Vintage clothing provides me with a connection to an imaginary, happier, fictional, past. I always imagine people who wore the clothes making their ways through life but ultimately having happy endings. It’s the transformational power of fashion and it’s great seeing it come alive, especially when I dress models in the clothing.
I collect vintage furs (which are useful in photo shoots, especially boudoir). There is something about wearing a fur coat around the house, that even if you have very little and the coat has rips in the elbows, makes you feel like a million bucks. With all the synthetic fabrics and modern heaters, fur coats are useless and frivolous – they speak to better times and an excess of money. It’s the sensuality of decadence which grounds me in the moment and takes me away, more than everyday fabrics and clothing.”
Follow Kay’s latest projects via Facebook and Twitter. You can also find your curated shop on Etsy. When she’s not creating amazing photo op’s or preserving retro documents, you’ll find her making more magic on K Murray Creative.
Exclusive to Cause A Frockus readers, Kay is offering a discount on her Etsy shop. The coupon code is Frockus2014 and expires December 25, 2015. It’s 15% off, with no minimal. Kay offers free domestic shipping on all her items.
What drew you to archiving and what are your favorite things to find and publish on your site?
I got into archiving via my boyfriend’s dad, who also got me into historical/retro photography by suggesting that I photograph the entire clothing collection of the Carondelet Historical Society. It started with “you should check these old photos out to help you photograph the vintage clothing better.” So I just started scanning because I didn’t really have a job and I wanted to preserve these pieces of ephemera, which are more fragile than clothing.
1940s street suit, part of the Carondelet collection
The Carondelet Historical Society doesn’t have a digital archive, beyond the DVDs I make for them, and I thought that the old photos and catalogs should be public. This inspired me to create Vintage Reveries. Since then, friends have given me pieces to scan (the 1930s catalog and the Fashion Dictionary, to name a few). I do it when I have time, as it requires the perfect amount of attention needed in order to slip into reverie or process thoughts.
I am emotionally drawn to archiving (digitally and online), whether the items be actual ephemera or pictures of clothing. These works are more meaningful to me than the physical clothing pieces themselves. When I lost my own pictures, sentimental mementos, hard drives and backup drives, that was ultimately more devastating than losing any clothing or other “things.” There are great tools I have used for this effort; archive.org’s Wayback machine has been amazing! So I’ll scan my own paperwork, photograph everything, and archiving for the Carondelet Historical Society is just an extension of that (and it’s very therapeutic).
Do you have a favorite vintage era(s) – some time from yesteryear that speaks most to you?
I think the turn of the century, especially the 1910s is my favorite. I love the feminism that came out of that era, the progressive philosophies, and the literature. So much was being discovered in science and technology, especially because of World War I at the end of that decade. It was the era of women fighting for the right to vote, people fighting for better working conditions, fighting for safer food and healthcare, and so much new technology (phones, automobiles, the beginnings of the Interstate highway system)! Those early feminists and thinkers were basically using the pedestal that the Victorians put women on as an argument for voting rights and social improvements.
Edwardian lace dress, from the Carondelet collection
I also LOVE that so much of the literature is public domain and accessible via Google books and archive.org. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a “first wave” feminist who self published a magazine called The Forerunner, is one of my favorite authors and published most of her work and thoughts in that decade. So much from 100 years ago is still relevant today!
My second favorite era is the 1960s, for similar reasons: the literature and the social movements (and the very beginnings of computers)! I would probably be a better fit in the 1960s since I dislike cooking 🙂
Your retro photography packages look like a lot of fun. Please explain more about those packages – how do you approach the styling and photography processes?
First, I confirm if the client is wanting cheesecake pinup, boudoir with a retro theme, or a more authentic historical look. For cheesecake, I almost always use a white backdrop and bring in various props. For historical looks, I try to go outdoors or use a grey backdrop or something more interesting.
Pinup model Shooby Duwop lookin’ fab
You can post a model in modern clothing, but if she has period hair and makeup (especially hair), then it can look retro. As one old lady at the Carondelet Historical Society told me: “in the 1940s we were wearing styles from the 1930s because clothing was scarce and we were poor. But I can tell roughly what year family photos are from by the makeup and hair, because even poor people can do that like the movie stars.”
Luckily, there are great online tutorials for retro hair and makeup, so I often do makeup myself or will direct my clients to a stylist. The struggle with hair styling is that many women don’t have the shoulder length hair for the 40s and 50s, or the super short hair styles of the 20s and 30s.
Are there certain poses that are more vintage in look? What have been some of your most memorable shoots and why?
Poses were much more feminine and modest, especially before the 1960s. Ladies did not square their shoulders or give “power” looks. Good posture, but not strutting. I try to copy the light from actual old photographs. Pre-1940s lighting was really basic, because lighting technology was still relatively primitive, and early photos were often shot with just a window facing north.
The going away dress
In addition to posing, camera angles are another thing to consider. Until the 1950s or so, they were often at waist or chest height (depending on how tall you are). You had to often look DOWN through a camera, especially a medium format film camera.
My most memorable shoot ever was when I got to photograph an 1880s “going away” dress from the Carondelet Historical Society. The model and I went to the park and I got pretty amazing photos of her. I photoshopped one into a cabinet card and taught myself more advanced composite techniques. It was a fun learning experience all around! I haven’t posted the rest of the photos from this shoot yet, so be on the lookout for the latest. Here’s the video clip I made about my process.
You have a lot of great articles about pinups and their role in advertising. Could you educate our readers a bit more about this?
From my observation, it seems that female models in advertising tend to wear the sexier fashions and strike the more provocative poses of whatever era they’re in. I think it’s garter straps versus bra straps and not much has changed if you account for changes in technology, fashions, and whatever kind of artistic technique is in vogue. In 20 years it will probably be computer generated art, or maybe moving gifs or new fabrics, with pretty and provocatively posed young women. It was really informative to get to scan the 1950s magazine about cheesecake pinup! This is an excellent resource for readers wanting to know more about this movement.
Cause A Frockus would like to thank the amazing Kay with Vintage Reveries.
For our readers: why do you love pouring through old publications? What do you think about women’s role in advertising through the ages?