Interview with Emily Dupen of Dupenny

Aloha my cherrypies, I've been madly in love with the company Dupenny for a while now and if you check her illustrations out you'll completely understand why as they are out of this world. You can purchase her designs in so many different ways from mugs to tea towels but I have to say what I truly love about Dupenny is that you can get her cute retro pinup girls in wallpaper form! I seriously need her wallpaper in my life and with moving into a new flat soon you totally know it's on my wish list! So I was lucky enough to interview the amazingly talented Emily Dupen behind Dupenny for my lovely readers to find all about this fabulous company and the lady herself!

1. Your illustrations are amazing, what first got you interested in illustration?

At school I always loved creative subjects like Art, but Music was my passion and I wanted to be a singer. When I was 18 years old I lost all of my hearing and was diagnosed as profoundly deaf. I had to give up Music and chose to study Art instead. I was interested in interior design but my teacher said I’d get bored too easily and urged me to study illustration instead. It was still a relatively new subject at the time but I trusted his opinion, so I went to Brighton University to study for a degree in Illustration – a subject I knew nothing about!

2. You have turned a lot of your designs into wallpaper and fabrics, which I adore, how did you first come up with this idea?

For my final degree show at uni I was given a project about telephone boxes, and created my first ever wallpaper – Call Girls! At the time of my university project (2004) the wallpaper boom had only just began and I found it was all still too traditional for my liking. I wanted to create something new and fresh, but it took me a good 5 years to get my act together and find my niche.

 
3. Your designs obviously have vintage influences, have you always drawn with a vintage edge?

After uni I became fascinated with the Burlesque and Cabaret scene, which was getting really popular in London. I started performing as a burlesque artist in my spare time and did a lot of retro pin-up modeling. After 4 years of being stuck for ideas with my wallpapers, I finally decided to draw something I liked myself, in the hope that someone out there would like it too! So I created my Burlesque Wallpaper, 50s Housewives Wallpaper and Time For Tea Wallpaper in 2008/2009. These are still my bestsellers today! I chose a monochrome pallet because I wanted to create something bold and eye-catching to stand out from the crowd. I always loved the style and simplicity of Coco Chanel and I adore all the old black and white movies. There’s something very classic about monochrome. It’s timeless and it works with any color scheme. I only started adding color over the years because customers would request it. When I do add color to try to keep the shades retro to fit in with my themes.

4. Are you a lover of all things vintage yourself? And if so what do you love most about it?

Yes! I’m literally obsessed! One day back in 2006 my mum’s friend gave me bags of her old clothes that had been in her loft. Those bags of dresses changed my life and gave me so much confidence. I just can’t say no to a good 50s dress. People treat you differently when you dress like a lady. I started collecting vintage dresses, home-wares, music, and everything in between. I very rarely buy anything new, unless it looks like real vintage. Now I pretty much live and breathe vintage!

5. What are your plans for the future of your amazing company?

I’ve made some big changes to my business over the past year, so that I have more time to spend on illustration and creating new content. In May I’ll be launching my new collection in New York, including my Coney Island, Mermaids, Vogue, Mid-Century and Atomic Wallpapers. I then have some designs lined up for the men later in the year but I won’t reveal these themes yet! I’m also working on a Rockabilly Colouring Book set to launch this year. And I have a range of giftwares launching next month in collaboration with The Really Good Company. I also plan to buy a decent camera so I can start vlogging. No rest for the wicked!

6. You hail from the sea side town of Brighton, is there a big vintage scene there?

I feel really luck to live in Brighton because the vintage and retro scene is huge and there’s always cool stuff to do. I love the fact that I can dress up all retro and people just love it. And there’s usually a nice classic car parked somewhere to get a quick snap with! The only downside is that I still don’t own a classic car since I don’t have a garage and I live on Hove seafront so the salt would be no good for it. I do have a beach hut though, which I spent last summer ‘Dupenny-fying’!

7. You have won a lot of awards for your art, what you say is your biggest achievement so far?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to win awards, but they don’t necessarily pay the bills! At the end of the day I’m just another normal person with the usual problems, stuck paying far too much rent for my tiny flat and struggling to make ends meet! So far, my biggest achievement is the fact that I’ve worked my seamed stockings off for years through thick and thin and have somehow managed to carve a career for myself, which I am still trying to make sustainable for the future. When you’re self-employed doing this sort of thing, you never know what disasters or delights are coming next. It keeps me on my toes. I never get a chance to be bored. Nothing beats the fact that I’m working for myself and doing something I love.

8. If your not drawing pin ups, what else do you love to draw?

I’ll draw absolutely anything, but my favourite has always been ladies for some reason. I just love the female form. I’m obsessed with people and characters, and character is all about what makes people different. I’m currently finishing off my Coney Island Wallpaper ready to launch in May. I’m having too much fun drawing all the sideshows!

If you'd like to have a gander at the website and duh who wouldnt the link is: http://www.dupenny.com/

Coco Von Vintage x

Interview with Katy of Luxulite!!! <3

Aloha my cherrypies, so I'm pretty sure that if you're into the vintage scene you will have come across the absolutely amazing company that is Luxulite. I for one have been a massive fan since I first discovered Katys creations on Instagram, it's been wonderful to have seen her company go from strength to strength over the last few years and it's no wonder when you see her fabulous designs for jewellery. If you have a love for novelty brooches, earring or necklaces then this company is the way forward for you, as my regular readers will know I'm a huge fan of novelty so I adore all the Luxulite brooches and have quite the collection growing myself. So I thought I'd do a little interview with Katy and find out all about the amazing world of Luxulite.

1. Your jewellery is simply amazing! What first inspired you to make jewellery?

Thank you! I think it's a combination of a huge love for the fashion and accessories of the mid 20th Century, and the problem of being able to firstly find it, and secondly afford it! When I started out I was making the jewellery for myself to wear as you just couldn't get good repro jewellery anywhere at that time - the vintage and rockabilly scenes were saturated with tattoo-inspired plastic jewellery (which is fine but it just wasn't my bag!) I wanted to wear jewellery that looked like the originals from the 1940's and 50's. The more I made, the more friends and family wanted things and it just grew from there!

2. I love the vintage inspired design of your pieces, how did you first come up with these designs?
I first set up my etsy shop as I had sourced a large lot of original 1950's confetti lucite stones, which I made into earrings. As I was gluing earring backs onto the lucite pieces I decided to try and replicate the appearance myself, and started to research ways in which to cast the pieces. I have always been a huge fan of brooches, especially novelty designs, so this was a natural progression once I had mastered the processes. It's lovely to look back at some of my first cherry brooches and see how they have evolved – my early ones have super-long stems and they look so funny to me now! They have come a long way and have been carefully refined and improved over time.

3. I have so many favourites from the flamingos to the elephants, do you have any particular favourite theme/design?

I think my favourite piece to date has got to be the little yellow corn cob brooch with chickens! I love how my carving came out on this one. I also wear my brown horsey brooch quite a bit. I think both of these brooches look great with casual day wear – dungarees, plaid shirts or western shirts. Being in my workshop all week means I rarely get to wear nice dresses, so these two brooches are my go-to pieces to perk up my daily outfits.

4. You've had some pretty big achievements like your jewellery being sold on Pin Up Girl clothing, what would you say is your biggest achievement so far?

Seeing my creations for sale on Pinupgirlclothing.com is definitely up there on my achievements list! When I'm browsing their gorgeous dresses and one of my brooches pops up I always get a little fright and think... I made that! I think my proudest achievement has got to be the moment I decided to ditch my day job. It was the most terrifying, exciting and emotional moment of my life. Getting to that point took a lot of hard work, late late nights and early early mornings (and there have been lots of late nights and early mornings since then too), but not a day goes by where I don't feel very lucky to be able to do this as my job.

5. Your jewellery is pretty massive in the vintage scene! What do you love most about the scene?

The music will always be my first love, (followed closely by alllll the dresses!) We are really lucky in the North East as there is a fantastic rockin/rockabilly scene, with tons of gigs, DJ nights and events happening every week. I love the sense of family that this scene provides too – you're never too far from a friendly face and its always so great to meet up with friends that you haven't seen for ages at the weekenders – I wish I could go to them all!

6. Does anyone in particular inspire you?

Looking at style icons such as Carmen Miranda, Lucille Ball or Jane Russell has been great for my work, I find their style and beauty mesmerising!

The work of jewellery designer Martha Sleeper is a constant source of inspiration and ideas, but I also love to look at novelty prints and designs from the period – there are so many amazing (and some utterly insane) themes in fabric prints, it really is a treasure trove of inspiration.

7. Luxulite is going from strength to strength, what are your next plans for your amazing company?

I have some exciting projects and collaborations in the pipeline for this year – I am so excited about them I'm finding it really hard not to blab about it! I am constantly testing out and experimenting with new techniques and processes in my workshop too, so who knows what might happen next... You will have to wait and see.

You can find Katy's etsy site by clicking this link https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Luxulite

Coco Von Vintage x

Interview with Wake up Little Susie

Aloha my cherrypies! I recently did an amazing photoshoot using some wonderful night gowns supplied by Susie of Wake up Little Susie. I absolutely adore this ladies company as all her nightwear is so beautiful! So I thought I'd do a little interview with Susie to find out about the woman behind the magic!!

I love your business Wake up Little Susie, what inspired you to start it?

Thank you! Well, I’m a lifelong lover of vintage stemming from getting into 1950s & 1960s music at an early age & everything that followed on so I have always collected vintage clothing for myself, and around five years ago when the idea of vintage fairs started to really take off in Norfolk & when I was going through a spell of being desperately bored in my day job, I was looking for a creative outlet & decided to give it a go myself. I couldn’t have done it 20 years ago as I would have wanted to keep everything, but after a long time of collecting together with my husband Simon (who is able to express his love for vintage through his artwork!) we have a house crammed with stuff so now I am able to still enjoy searching out goodies, but am happy to pass them on to other fans! My first vintage fair was brilliant & it took off well, so I ran it as a sideline alongside my full time work until I was made redundant in December 2014 – while this was a massive shock to the system, it has given me the chance to make a real go of my vintage business.

Where can people buy your gorgeous nightgowns from?

Well, I can be found at vintage fairs and events all around Norfolk, including wedding fairs where I have lovely stalls of nothing but vintage nightwear & lingerie, which looks so lovely when it’s all displayed together!

For anyone who’s not local, I also sell online from my Etsy shop ( www.etsy.com/shop/WakeUpLittleSusies ) where I list as much as time allows, and nightwear fans can also check out my Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/WakeUpSusie ) or follow me on Twitter ( www.twitter.com/wake_up_susie ) for news of what’s for sale and where I can be found next.

I also occasionally host my own Vintage Nightwear Parties in small intimate venues where you’ll find an evening of cocktails, music, fab decorations, nibbles and of course LOTS of nightwear to browse and for sale! These have proved really popular and I’m looking to hold more exclusive nightwear evenings and boutique pop-up sales in 2016.

What do you love about vintage nightwear?

When I started my vintage business in 2010, I added ‘Specialising in Vintage Nightwear’ on my business cards at the very last minute as a bit of a whim, not really knowing how it would work out – in the stock I had been collecting up for my first fair there were some nice bedtime pieces, and it is something I’ve always loved myself from twirling around in full length nighties as a little girl, to falling in love with 1950s cute PJs and glamorous gowns as a teenager!

After wondering if it would work, I quickly found that I was able to source out lovely nightwear really easily for some reason (I’m like a magnet to it!) and because there are a lot of very good vintage dealers in my area, I also quickly found that it served me very well to have my own unique selling point and it didn’t take long before collectors & dealers started to associate me with nighties and the idea caught on and blossomed really well.

Growing up with a love of all things ‘50s, I think the combination of cute & sexy found in so many of the night garments that I love, like the lovely Baby Dolls Nighties, really epitomises fashion in this decade.

I also love the challenge of finding new ways to market vintage nightwear and like to plan photo shoots around different ideas such as the 1950s slumber party, nightwear as daywear, nightdresses as festival dresses and so on.

Also, I like pretty things.....

What would you say draws you to vintage?

I was first drawn to vintage clothing as a young teenager when I fell in love with 1950s and 1960s Rock ‘n Roll music which I became obsessed with from listening to my parent’s records, and also from the popular culture around when I was growing up when we were lucky to be influenced by the likes of ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Grease’. A passion for the music of an era then led to wanting to wear the clothing from that time too, and getting more & more interested in everything about the time from cars and movies to art and culture. This has stayed with me all my life and developed over the years and I now appreciate fashion from all eras, although I am still a 1950s girl at heart in my own look! Nowadays it’s lovely to see so many new people getting interested in vintage clothing for all different reasons, but for me the root will always be my love for Rock ‘n’ Roll music and being part of that music scene as I grew up, and naturally that’s how I met my husband Simon, also a Rock ‘n’ Roll fan and now a lover of vintage clothing from various decades.

I think I have also always had a desire to be different and individual, and having a vintage look is a great way of expressing myself creatively too.

How did you come up with the name for your business?

I wanted something to stand out & that people would associate with me, and being blessed with a very Rock ‘n’ Roll name (thanks Mum & Dad!) it made sense to incorporate ‘Susie’ into it somewhere & my hubby Simon actually hit on ‘Wake Up Little Susie’, of course from the 1957 Everly Brothers song which ties it back to my Rock ‘n’ Roll roots, and as it turned out, also fits in very well with the idea of waking up wearing fabulous nightwear! So perfect all round.

What do you love most about the vintage scene?

Currently, I think it’s the diversity of it nowadays that I love, now that the idea of wearing vintage is not necessarily tied to music scenes people seem more comfortable with wearing any kind of vintage that they want, looks from any decade and in any combination – I love fashion in general so it’s nice to see people mixing things up and combining vintage with modern clothing too to get a unique look. I always love to see people being individual and it’s lovely to see that developing a vintage look can give some an identity and confidence that maybe they didn’t have before, and of course anything that brings people together is great! I have made LOTS of great friends by being involved with the vintage scene.

You sell a lot of different types of nightwear, such as gowns and bed jackets do you have a favourite?

That’s a tough one....I really love the cute, pretty bedjackets (which sell very well) but in terms of what I tend to wear myself, I do love a cute pair of PJs! (and yes I sometimes work in them...) I have to say I love it all though, from the cute & frothy to the elegant & glamorous pieces.

What are you plans for Wake Up Little Susie in 2016?

2015 was my first year of Wake Up Little Susie being my sole income and gave me the time to try lots of different things, now a new year has started I’m really thinking about where to go with it in terms of what works and of course what I enjoy and I think 2016 will see me at less vintage fairs, but organising more of my own events such as pop-up sales and evening Nightwear Parties – I organised a big fashion show last year with a friend who deals in vintage wedding dresses ( www.the-wedding-shed.co.uk ) which was really hard work but went really well, and I’m getting the bug for event organisation! I can also see myself gradually heading away from selling general vintage (I do sell daywear and homeware as well!) and concentrating more on the nightwear and lingerie aspect, sourcing out really special pieces and coming up with new ways of showcasing it. I like the idea of showing collections in fashion shows, and I also hope to concentrate more on my online activities ( www.wakeuplittlesusie.co.uk ) which will include working with different models & photographers to get some great images, which is something else I love to plan. So, definitely watch this space as Wake Up Little Susie is aiming for bigger and better! Secretly, I won’t be happy until I have everyone going out in their PJs the whole time.... 

Coco Von Vintage x 

Interview with Miss Osiria Rose

Aloha my cherry pies, so the other day I decided I wanted to add an interview segment to my blogs, I thought not only will I get to talk to some truly inspiring people but I get to share it with all you lovely people, win win in my opinion! So I was lucky enough to snag an interview with the beautiful Pin Up Miss Osiria Rose who hails from sunny Australia, I've been following this gorgeous lady on Instagram for some time now and I thought it was about time I caught up with her.

1. How did you originally become interested in the Pin Up and Vintage scene?

I actually discovered retro styling around the time Christina Aguilera went through her retro phase. From memory this was also around the time Dita Von Teese came into the limelight. Both of these women inspired a love of retro in me that I nurtured in secret for years by following real retro girls online. It took me 7 years to take the plunge and get into retro myself.

2.What do you love the most about being a Pin Up?

Everyday is different. While the style is blanketed now days as ‘Pin Up’, I can look completely different 7 days a week by styling my outfit and my hair different. I love the versatility, the colours, the class. We live in a time when the art of looking polished and finished has been lost and I really like that my outfits look finished every day. Its my way of expressing myself and taking price in my appearance.

3. Your Pin Up name is Miss Osiria Rose which is a gorgeous name, what made you decide on that name?

My Pinup Name actually comes from an actual rose. Initially when I started modelling I had bright red hair, red lips and red nails. But I am quite pale. An Osiria Rose is a white rose with red tips!



4.What is your most treasured Vintage or Vintage style item?

Probably the evening wear dress I bought for the Miss Picture Perfect Pagent! Its one of the few true vintage pieces I own and its amazing! Its one of the items I cannot WAIT to fit into again!



5. You have some absolutely stunning outfits, which do you think is your favourite and why?

Oh wow, I have way too many! I tend to wear a lot of skirts and tops, purely because I find I can get a better fit than a dress. I wear a lot of jenny skirts, I own around 11 of them so I guess you could call them a favorite!

6.What do you think has been your biggest achievement so far?

Entering my first pinup pageant and placing. Most definitely! I have some pretty big anxiety issues and I was honestly petrified of getting up on a stage and being a part of a pagent. But I wanted to really wanted to enter and I pushed myself really hard. I worked my butt off to look my best, I invested in some amazing true vintage outfits and I managed to place 1st Runner up! The feedback I got was also SUPER positive that the only reason I didn’t win was because I didn’t speak long enough, which was amazing! I was SO proud of myself!



7. Who would you say inspires you the most?

I can’t say I really have anyone in particular who inspires me. I follow SO many amazing women online that I draw my inspiration from daily and I truly am thankful for the internet and its ability to be able to connect me with others like that!

8.From your Instagram I can see you have been pretty busy with Daisy Jean Floral, do you have any plans for 2016 to expand your business?

I’m constantly working to expand Daisy Jean! I’m currently working on more fascinator pieces, bringing bags on board as well as some other exciting additions. Daisy Jean is forever growing and I love working on it!

9. You hail for the beautiful sunny Australia, what is the Vintage and Pin-up scene like over there?

I do indeed! I’m based in Sydney where we have a relatively big scene! From what I can tell most of the major cities have their own scene. For the most part everyone is supportive of one another and we get along.

If you'd like to stay tuned into what Miss Osiria Rose is up to you can find her on Instagram under @curvecreation


Coco Von Vintage x