♥ Custard Heart Girl ♥

time for another edition of "girls in custard heart vintage" where i find out a little bit more about who exactly is keeping me in business.  this time i'm chatting with striking redhead, rebecca crowther, a classic girl with a classic name, who resides in sacramento, california. she's a lady with some serious style who knows exactly what she likes and exactly what works for her. case in point: check her out in the navy silk number she bought from the shop. she's also got an amazing selection of vintage in her adorably entitled etsy shop, "have love will travel."

who are you with in the photos?  That’s Liv and Alex, two of my closest companions. Liv is brilliant and goofy and directs a successful arts center in Sacramento, CA. Alex is brilliant and goofy, too, and has helped a lot with my Etsy shop. He’s taught me a great deal about men’s attire and sewing. The photos, I should mention, were taken at a beautiful cruise boat wedding on the San Francisco bay.

what’s your favorite decade for vintage and why? I have a tough time selecting one decade only, so I’m going to bend the rules a bit here. My personal taste runs from about 1930 to 1964! For myself, I like a wardrobe that is classically tailored and colored, nothing fussy or terribly severe.

least favorite decade? I have friends that successfully work a late 60s/early 70s look and look gorgeous doing so. For me though, the bright colors and synthetic fibers of those eras just don’t work. With my mounds of red hair, I feel like I already come in a stand-out package. I try and cut that distinction some by wearing clothing that doesn’t scream at the onlooker.

if you could raid anyone’s closet, dead or alive who would it be and why?  All the Hitchcock girls from all the Hitchcock movies. Some of the frocks are dream frocks and in reality, are probably a little fancy for my taste. I adore the structured bodice of Grace Kelly’s red lace dress in ‘Dial M for Murder’ and everything worn by Ingrid Bergman in ‘Notorious’. I’d raid the closets of the Hitchcock boys, too. Cary Grant’s red neckerchief and striped shirt in ‘To Catch A Thief’ is just superb.

do you have a very favorite item of clothing in your closet?  I really do LOVE my blue silk Custard Heart dress that I'm wearing in these photos.   I also purchased a mid-century Lanz dress from Oma Vintage that adds a special bit of beauty to my closet. Last year, I came across an immaculate early 60s Lilli Ann coat that’s my exact fit. I also own a really charming creamy white coat by Roos Atkins that gets plenty of wear and compliments.

describe your daily uniform.  Here I am talking about all this dressy attire, when my daily uniform is not always so dressy. Professionally, I work in the archives/museum field and may be required to do things like move an antique automobile or forklift a large painting (seriously, I’m a trained forklift operator!) I have to dress for the job, which sometimes consists of a simple tee, jeans, and sneakers. On days that I work directly with the public, the prettier clothing comes out.

what vintage pieces will you be scouring etsy for this fall/winter?  I’d be thrilled if I could find a smaller-sized men’s wool sweater from the 1930s. Boys in those days were wearing nice cropped sweaters with oversized high waist trousers, a thick leather belt, and work boots. I like that utilitarian look and wouldn’t mind creating a more feminine version of it.

if you have a photo of yourself in something you've bought from the shop, send it over to custardheartvintage@gmail.com and you'll receive not only my undying affection, but a 15% off coupon for your next purchase as well. ♥