We started on my new tattoo piece last Friday. I tried to take photos of it but it’s in such a unique angle that a video did it the most justice. I’m so excited about it! You can see Nick’s work on his wonderful website.

One thing that I was going to say (that got cut off in the video) is that I got the “Lost Princess of Oz” primarily because I saw it in the Henry Darger documentary and I loved his little frog feet.

Behold some captures of in-between life:

Waving my hair… needing to apply more lipstick. Vintage grooming requires lots of serene morning time wherein I drink coffee, listen to Margaret Atwood audio books and dawdle about my homework.
Eye lashed out. This was for my Gadjo Disko costume last week, which I didn’t get to wear properly since the line to get into the disko was so very long and I never made it in. Sadly, I will have to debut my Josephine Baker banana outfit elsewhere.

Coral rose crown for Valentine’s day. I just got back from being a cigarette girl for “The Mouth is for to Fuck” at Rio Rita for a Valentine’s day Extravaganza. I sold two of my embroidered tidy cloths! Here I am at home with my “Buy me a whiskey” glitter valentine pinned to my chest. Shortly after this I fell asleep watching the HBO/Barrymore version of “Grey Gardens.”

“Excuse me, you speak English, right? You are my personal hero, hiking the rainforest like that.”
- Girl from Chicago

Here I am, pictured above, on the sea-facing coast of Ilha Grande, Brazil during my vacation there to see G. this past summer. Before this photo was taken, G. and I had hiked several miles up and down a mountain through rain and lots of puddles. I have just taken off my extremely muddy shoes so that I might dry my toes in the soft powdery sand.

I had only bought one pair of shoes to Brazil, some flat t-strap Mary Jane that were black, shiny and perfect for dressing up an outfit but still being able to ride my bike. I had such fun on this trip to the island! The sights were so wonderful that I didn’t mind offering my favorite shoes as a sacrifice to the Rainforest!

I have been traveling a lot lately in the past year – mostly to attend my own gallery openings or just to vacation to see old friends. Seattle, New Orleans, San Francisco, Providence, Belo Horizonte, Brazil: in each city I’ve managed to wear nearly 100% vintage with no hassle and little effort. I’ve made a list for you all below in hopes that you’ll remember it for your next trip!

I first discovered Tea Tree baby wipes during a layover in the Denver airport on my way to Arkansas for holidays in 2005. I bawked at using what is essentially a baby wipe at first, but I love tea tree oil and use it in my baths and as laundry solution so I wasn’t opposed to trying it. I’ve found that the wipes are indispensible cleaning tools for long days on airplanes, trains or walking city blocks. They freshen face, backs of necks, knees, and anywhere else you might need perking up.

Wear practical lingerie. At least two slips, one dark, one light, will suit most needs. In the first image of this post, you can see my trusty pink slip poking out from my print dress. It is a must! A comfortable, flattering base such as a lace full slip can also double as pajamas, as I am oft to forget to pack them in the first place. Also, you never have to get fully undressed if you wear a slip under everything, which is very helpful if one is staying in crowded hostels.

Part of the hassles of smart dressing means dealing with wrinkles in your fancy things. My solution? When packing, choose lace or patterned dresses; these garments won’t show that they’ve been squished in a backpack because the patterns are distracting. I roll each garment separately in a big ziploc bag so that nothing gets snagged while in transport. Those little lace bits are magnets for hook-and-eye closures to snag!
Still have wrinkles? I have been known to put a silk scarf over a screaming tea kettle to smooth the wrinkles out. Just don’t get the steam too close!

I am at the Musee Mechanique in San Francisco in front of the French Execution game in this photo. For this, I set my front kisscurl at night and put on a helmet cloche hat in the morning! It saves a lot of time and looks very chic at the same time.
This last trip to Seattle was a total treat for me – I got my hair fingerwaved by the loveliest young lady at the Aveda Institute. It cost about $20 and has lasted for four days so far! In my experience, those who are willing to do fingerwaves are either salons who cater to vintage styles or those fresh out of beauty school. Fingerwaves and pincurls are still taught in schools, I’m told, although most think they are outdated. I’m happy to find a stylist who is excited about fingerwaves, because usually when I phone a salon to ask if they provide them, I expect a groan!
Paired with a little dark lipstick and groomed eyebrows, the fingerwave will dress up any little black dress or spice up a vintage sweater set. Also, old ladies on the bus will smile and point to your head and whisper to their grand children, “That’s how grammy did her hair when she was a little girl!” It’s so cute!

Do you have any travel tips for Vintage Vivants?
Bon Voyage!

Born in Arkansas and raised in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, Amelia spent her youth poking around antique malls, befriending old ladies at hair parlors, and listening to her grandfather’s tales of Paragould Snake Bite Medicine.

Amelia graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas in 2005. She fled to the rain forests of Oregon to take pictures with 8×10 cameras and cut thousands of birds out of paper. She received an MFA from the University of Oregon in 2007. She lives and works in Austin, Texas

Amelia has self-published her zine, Doublespeak, since 2008.

Interests include midnight tea parties, The Black Bottom Stomp, whiskey, collecting vintage valentines and human teeth, sneaking into movies, analogue photography, hand-embroidery, 1930s silk, dancing, vegan cooking and Brazilian coffee.

When I was a kid I watched Betty Boop cartoons and I remember feeling this strange sensation while watching a rotoscoped Cab Calloway sing “St. James Infirmary Blues.” I knew I was traveling in some way, it was like an out of body experience. Since 2001, I have been a part of an online community of “time travelers” affectionately called Vintage Vivants. We are young people who wear vintage clothing, listen to old music, and watch classic movies. We gravitate towards the period from 1920, when film making came into its own as an art, to around 1948, when the long playing record was introduced. We do this not just in an attempt to appreciate the past, but to adopt it. Our goal is to internalize the gracious values of this earlier era in order to combat a world that is quickly moving in the opposing direction.

I would describe my style as 1930s Chorus Girls meets Sweet Lolita meets Flapper Fantastique.