A big passion of mine is seeing the world, so to get to travel for work is a bit of a dream come true. My husband and I also try to take as many long weekend trips over to Europe as possible but the bucket list is never-ending!
How did you first become interested in the vintage lifestyle?
I was exposed to little influences as a child like watching Grease on repeat, and as I started to develop my individual sense of style as a young teen, I found myself gravitating towards more classic silhouettes which definitely suits my pear shape better. During my training as a hairdresser, I loved doing styling and up dos and took a lot of inspiration from the hairstyles of the 20s through to the 60s; I would spend hours searching online for reference pictures. It was during one of these searches that I found a well know vintage reproduction brand and realised that I could buy a 50s style dress that was new and that there were people who wore this style on a daily basis! New Zealand isn’t known for particularly good vintage shopping, so I’d never found much success with true vintage- reproduction made the style much more accessible and soon, I had completely switched over and have never looked back!
Why the 50s particularly?
When I first started dabbling in the style, 1950s was my silhouette of choice as I absolutely love the femininity of an ultra-full swing skirt. I find them easy to wear and feel completely comfortable in the style. As the years have gone by, I’ve dabbled in some more 1940s styles, but the majority of my wardrobe is 50s influenced.
You are originally from down under. Is there a strong vintage scene there? Are there any other New Zealand bloggers/pin up models we should be looking out for?
The vintage scene has grown exponentially in New Zealand over the last 5 years. I think this is down to a combination of things: there are some great vintage events like ‘The Very Vintage Day Out’, numerous local designers and stores and a supportive social group on Facebook which encourages meet-ups, plus the fact that we have had great success on the international scene – Miss Monique Sweet won the Miss Viva Las Vegas competition last year with Dariel Dearlove (another New Zealander) coming in as runner up. So, they are both ones to keep an eye on, as well as the newly crowned Miss Pinup New Zealand, Velvet DeCollete. Also, a very good friend of mine, Soda Fontaine – who’s a total sweetheart and has such a fun sense of style.
You travel all over the world on your hair workshops. Where is your favourite place to visit and why?
That’s so hard to say! I absolutely love France and Italy – the food and the history is just wonderful. Stockholm was somewhere that we visited where I wasn’t sure what to expect, as it was our first time in a Scandinavian country, but we adored the city and would go back in a heartbeat. Of course, we love heading over to the USA for events like ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and the EPIC vintage shopping to be had.
What has been your proudest achievement so far?
On a personal and professional level, I think making the leap to move to the other side of the world and deciding to work for myself and build a business out of nothing. It’s terrifying and not easy at times, but I’ve learnt a heck of a lot in the last 18 months
Any exciting plans coming up you would like to tell us about?
I have a few long term goals that you’ll just have to wait for, but as for 2018, I’m hoping to continue offering Hair and Makeup Workshops around the world and welcome any new opportunities that may come up!
@missvictoryviolet
www.facebook.com/Missvictoryviolet
Images: MyBoudoirUK
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