Rhiannon: The Interview !&!&!*!@! (2/3)

Dec 1, 2008 Author: Tricia | Filed under: Fashion | Tags: clothes, dresses, Fashion, interview, liebemarlene, rhiannon, skirts, style, thrift, vintage

Earlier I introduced you to the illustrious Rhiannon, who runs a lovely store (Liebemarlene Vintage!), blog (Liebemarlene Look Book!), and a central hub for her little internet empire (Liebemarlene!). Just by glancing the images featured on the previous post (I had such a hard time choosing which ones to feature!) and (perhaps) perusing her flickr, you can tell that Rhiannon has a visceral ability to put together flawless ensembles! I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ask her a few questions…OKAY, I CAN’T FOOL YOU WITH MY MODESTY. THE SCROLL BAR TELLS ALL! I actually, as you will soon find out, pummeled her with questions regarding her style and feelings on Rhianna. OH, and I set up fictitious scenarios regarding Bill & Ted (& George Carlin) and a fiery building. Wee!

1. If you were to sell the movie rights of your autobiography, whom would you want to play you? Black and White, Sepia, or Technicolor?

I think I’d want it to be a silent movie in the late 1910s, which I suppose doesn’t make any sense chronologically, but oh well! I’d love to have Mabel Normand play me–someone silly for sure. And old silent film blurry black and white with frilly costumes would be good!

2. How would you describe your style? How has your style evolved with time?

Right now my style is very old-fashioned and pretty girly, though a little bit less so at the moment than usual. And I feel like my style is changing all the time. For instance I never, never cared about fashion at all until I was around 18, and when I got into it I dressed pretty weirdly, going through all sorts of faux punk/hipster/’80s hooker phases throughout my college years, and after that regressing and going a little bit cutesy.

3. What/who inspires you?

I’m inspired by old movies, other fashion blogs, street style blogs, magazines like Lula … As far as the people around me are concerned I’m probably the most inspired by my boyfriend since he owns his own business and makes a living out of designing and being creative and strange (in a good way).

4. Do you have a favorite outfit?

No, it probably changes every week. Right now I’m into lace tights and dark colors, but my favorite outfit might have to be one I’m dreaming up–it’s a ’60s Christmas party style outfit with black tights, black shoes, some sort of clutch purse, and a dress from Ebay that’s on its way as I write this.

5. Based on the selection of items in your store, it seems like you always sell your best finds! This theory, however, conflicts with how I imagine your personal closet to look like (ie, an assemblage of the most perfect items/the best place in the world to play dress-up). How do you decide what to sell, and what to keep? Is this decision easy?

Thank you! Oh, it’s really hard. When I buy for the store I try to go with only things I’d wear myself, so it’s really hard having to sell it all. I try to be strict with myself, though; I’ll keep something only if I really, really love it or if it’s something I’ve been looking for. A lot of times even if I do keep something I’ll end up selling it a few months later anyway.

6. What is on your Winter wish list?

I just bought the coat I’ve been wanting to buy, so what I’m really looking for now is a pair of long leather gloves to go with it (and to replace the pair I lost last winter–I’m always losing gloves!). I’d like a few sweaters, maybe a pair of thicker knit tights for the colder months.

Whenever my sister, Ashley, and I go to garage sales together we’ll drive around looking for the ones run by little white-haired ladies. They always have the best things.

7. As a superb scourer and thrifter, do you have any shareable secrets to finding wonderful things?

I don’t know if I’m superb, but thank you!!! I guess the best thing (but probably not the easiest) thing you could do is to go to the best thrift/vintage/antique stores around you as much as you can, just so that you don’t miss out on anything. Other than that I find the most things at thrift stores, but I’ve found lots of funny little accessories and treasures at estate sales and garage sales. It might not be nice to say I guess, but “old lady garage sales” are my favorite ones by far. Whenever my sister, Ashley, and I go to garage sales together we’ll drive around looking for the ones run by little white-haired ladies. They always have the best things.

8. Let’s pretend you have access to a magical phone booth. To be more exact, Bill & Ted’s phone booth (a disguised time machine). You are allowed to pick one year/location to travel to. Which year would you pick, what would you do, and who would you want to meet?

This is so hard! I love the 1930s the best–it’s the decade I think I’d feel the most at home in, but truthfully I wouldn’t want to deal with the Depression. So I’d set the phone booth to around 1933, and I’d go to Hollywood where people still had money and try my hand at screenwriting. I’d really want to meet the screenwriter/author Anita Loos and all of her Hollywood pals, and then I’d try to write comedies for Jean Arthur (assuming that the magical phone booth gave me magical writing powers too!) and I’d try to be her best friend and we could walk our pet dogs together.

9. A year ago, you left rural Illinois for Georgia. Do you miss anything about Illinois? How does your life in Georgia differ from your life in Illinois?

I miss the thrift stores and antique stores and the quietness of it, even though it did get boring. In Georgia I’m living right next to Atlanta so there’s a lot more to do and more thrift stores in a smaller radius. I’m still amazed at how warm the winters here are too. . .

10. What is on your walls at home?

Framed 1930s fashion drawings, a funny little cuckoo clock, and random old lady-ish pictures I find at the thrift stores.

11. I support…

Individuality and creativity.

12. I am against…

all of that hipster bandwagon stuff.

13. Quick! Flames! Please describe one item from the following categories that you would save:

Shoes: My t-strap heels because I’ve worn them the most and I can’t find them anywhere online.
Dress: A blue 1940s day dress. Actually a few months ago the building I lived in got struck by lightning and started on fire, and this dress was one of the few things I “saved”–though it turned out that most of the building was perfectly fine afterwards.
Skirt: a black high-waisted skirt I bought a few months ago, if only because it goes with the most.
Jacket: the Manoush ruffle coat I just bought.
Accessory: a 1930s heirloom locket from Kumar.

14. Name a favorite in the following categories:

Designer: I’ve loved Luella Bartley ever since her first collection, and she keeps getting better and better.
Store: around here: Anthropologie, online (and mainly just to look): La Garconne
Song: “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” by Bob Dylan!
Place you have visited: London.
Television show: Absolutely Fabulous!
Book: Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Movie: Sunset Boulevard.
Food: Chocolate Cake.
Thing to do in Atlanta(ish): An antique market called Kudzu!
Color: Blue.

15. What are your thoughts on Rhianna?

I’m still confused by her. Her music isn’t really my thing, and when I introduce myself to people and they say “Oh, like the singer!” it just gets on my nerves.

Heeheehee. I’M SORRY, QUESTION 15 HAS BEEN A PESKY LOITERER IN MY MIND! I HAD TO ASK! (Sorry, friends.)

TOMORROW: CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH RHIANNON!

Tricia’s Notes (!) & Picture Credits

The font is “Jane Austen” (swoon), which is downloadable at dafont.com. The images of the Monoush jacket, Rhiannon’s scrapbook, and Rhiannon+Scarlet were taken from her’s flickr or Liebemarlene Vintage. Images of Mabel Normand and Jean Arthur were taken from IMDB and ijpc.com, respectively. Image from Luella Bartley ’s Spring 2009 show was taken from New York Magazine.