We hope you're out and about catching some early pre-Spring rays. For all those stuck behind a laptop, take five and have a gander at our latest 'Shop of Shoppers' feature - Paulina the Fahionista. Coming all the way from Chile via South Carolina, we caught up with the graphic design guru to talk raiding her moms closet, decade-hopping and the evils of the linen pant-suit...
Q: Miss Olivares, you look amazing! [seeing is believing so check out the pictures above and below] Put that style in a nutshell for us onlookers.
A: 'Hmm, it's difficult to say - I definitely veer toward the loud [aztec prints, strawberry-and-cream swirls, paint flicks - we're like two vintage peas in a pod!] That said, I like mixing things up, looking different every day. Sometimes I jump eras, sometimes I mix the feminine with the non-feminine - it keeps things fresh and suits your mood. I have to say i'm a 'liney' kind of gal - I love black and white, classicism [perhaps a by-product of the graphic design trade?]
Q: You mentioned eras - do you do a Delorean when approaching your wardrobe or do you stick to a certain era?
Q: You're a font of fashion knowledge Paulina - who do you draw your inspiration from?
A: 'That would have to be my Mom. Honestly, she's unlike the stereotypical image of a mother - her wardrobe is out of this world! When I was younger and we would go round the stores in Chile, she made me hate shopping. She's the sort of Mom that goes around and spends hours in one store, pulling at the seams of everything. Then again, she's got a wardrobe that's stood the test of time. Her kryptonite is defintiely shoes - she has hundreds of them!'
Q: Let's talk a little about your kryptonite - what's one item that you just couldn't be without?
A: 'Hmm - there are lots of things. I do have a thing for jackets. At the moment, it's my combat boots [pictured] - they're a god-send!'
Q: As someone that's seen vintage on both sides of the globe, you must have picked up some insane bargains. Any spring to mind?'
A: 'Back home, there was a store where you could buy clothing by the pound for $1.09 - that's pretty insane! In Leeds however my best find has to be an aztec-print cape which I secured for a whopping £11.50 - I would have paid a good $80 for that in the US.'
Q: As everyone can see, you dress pretty groovily [apologies for the term 'groovily' - I think I've gone all 70s! Must be sun stroke] today - are there any couture skeletons hanging in your closet?A: 'Believe it or not, I was a bit of an emo back in the day! We're talking flared hipster jeans, coffin earrings, an unhealthy obsession with The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've always been a little left of centre in terms of dress; on my first day at an American school, my Mom dressed me in a full linen pant-suit. There I was, aged 9, the new kid, dressed in linen. Most folks don't see linen before they're 45 - I was 9! Whether stylish or not so, I've always had a passion for what I'm wearing. Kids today have so much more awareness of trends and styling through magazines, e-commerce and the television. I was, and always will be, a bit of a wildfire.'
Q: Finally, what's on your speakerbox on this sunny, Yorkshire day?
A: 'A bit of everything really - I love Joanna Newsom. I'm listening to Lykke Li a lot [try saying that fast] - she's playing Leeds on my birthday so that should be sweet.'
One of our fave sisters from across the sea, Paulina's style is exemplary. Paulina, bring those pins of yours into The Vintage Wardrobe anytime!
Tune in next week for more styling and madness from inside The Vintage Wardrobe.
Big up yourselves,
Team VW x
AWESOME! And dear Paulina is the bomb from right here in my hometown!!!
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