Vintage Enthusiast & Budding Stylist

Vintage enthusiast, budding stylist, queer aspiring museums professional, and material culture historian is how Gabby is describing herself nowadays, although not necessarily in that order. Broadly speaking, she is one of those people dedicated to making people think more deeply about the who, what, where, when, and why of clothing and its histories. Like many creatives, particularly folks who have developed skills in styling, photography, and HMUA, a lot of her physical experience came through self-exploration as a teen, or for her specifically what she’d broadly call ‘dress-up.’ Very early on, she explored most of the things she is now passionate and confident about, but didn’t necessarily have words to articulate how the combination of those elements were an inspiration. It’s now super interesting to see a whole generation of artists/stylists/performers reclaiming historical style through reinvention because that’s exactly what she wished existed in an accessible format when she was finding herself. She’s not necessarily interested in recreation or replication because there’s only so much you can yield from totally rehashing the past, but she does believe repurposing/rediscovering clothing can be a radical act not just politically but personally, and is super relevant to many current issues our generation is facing.

What initially sparked your interest in vintage clothing?

I would say my initial interest in vintage came from sort of an aesthetic admiration for the colors, fabrics, silhouettes, and general ambience of old Hollywood films (particularly musicals) that I grew up with purely because they were familiar and lush, but over time it’s evolved into sort of a physical way of exploring my relationship to the world in a broader sense. I gravitated towards older aesthetics because I felt they suited by physical features more than what was available to me in fast fashion, but when collecting vintage started becoming a genuine hobby of mine, it became clearer that the element of historical discovery involved was the underlying element that was most intriguing to me. It also has over time become a way for me to practice a more sustainable lifestyle, and to engage more critically on a personal level with history by wearing but also sometimes by not—specifically, learning how in my personal style journey to work on decolonizing fashion and its history.

Do you have a favorite era of clothing? Why is this era your favorite?

 I sometimes hesitate to say this because people get the wrong impression of me when I do (they think I’m glorifying war and all), but even though I often era-hop, I will always love 1940s Western fashion not just because h e l l o hats and accessories, but really for the widespread adoption of and playing with gender roles in ‘women’s’ fashion. Specifically, pantsuits had been worn by women in the West as early as the turn of the twentieth century, but it was still a somewhat controversial thing and considered more high fashion than generally consumable before this moment. As a queer woman, I love seeing moments of what is traditionally considered masculine style pop up in ‘women’s’ fashion because of the endless variety of ways that destabilization of gender roles show up aesthetically, so I will always have love for style moments of the 20s, 30s, and 40s for that reason.

How has your personal style changed as you have experienced life?

My personal style has ebbed and flowed a good deal over the last few years honestly due to constraints—I’ve always been reaching higher than the level I’m actually at, so my wardrobe has always reflected a compromise of what I want versus what I can actually do. For the longest time my sense of style was sort of straddling a bunch of different aesthetics not particularly well, partially because there were big parts of me I had yet to discover, so when I actually folded into the vintage community at large, it sucked me in really quickly. There can be enormous pressure within the vintage scene to dress more expensively, extravagantly, and ‘authentically’ in older decades of fashion, which is something many people who’re trying to find themselves within that space face, and so my style in a way became working with what I could find but also pushing back against trying to be ‘authentic’ or look expensive. Realizing it’s ok to poke at and pick apart the dominant linear chronology of fashion history was really helpful to me breaking with the mold when I got stuck there. A lot of my style moments nowadays (and really on some level always have) tend to be informed by the research or introspection I’m doing at the time, usually something having to do with heritage or memory, and I try to articulate what my clothing choices mean to me in my posts. I’m a really big fan of the little details, particularly embroidery, because you get to see more intimate moments of humanity.

What are some of your favorite looks you have styled?

I’m one of those annoying people who instantly believes they can do better after they’ve just completed a project, so I’d say generally if I’m honest that my favorite looks are the ones yet to come (usually the ones I don’t have money for, of course), and many of my favorite looks were never photographed. But if I had to choose a few examples that I can show, at the top of my list would definitely be the last shoot I did in my short role as Assistant Fashion Editor for the Vintage Woman Magazine. I got to do some era mixing on three different models three looks each with a good range on color palette and fabrics that suited their personalities well, something I always try to consider. If I’m honest, from all of those looks I like the sailor ensemble on Toi Ling the most. I’m a huge fan of a patterned summer dress with some wicker thrown in, so I’ll always love the green Swiss dot look that Meredith was sporting for the Styled by Example show. Lastly though, I really have a lot of love for this messier mashup I did at the beginning of lockdown when I first came back to the US—the red and blue jacket and short embroidered blouse are turn of the century pieces that I found in Brighton at a place called Snoopers Paradise, the scarf is 1950s from England, and the high-waisted trousers are from the US from the 1970s. All of the pieces are a bit worn and have holes and mismatching seams, which to me gives the look immense character. I like a bit of grit because I feel like to seek perfection is to erase traces of people.

Having lived in both England and the United States can you touch on any differences or similarities you have found in the way we express ourselves through clothing?

From the US to England, the differences I see are mostly a perception of differences than anything else. Americans assume the Brits are buttoned up and classy, and the English often think Americans maintain the global mainstream—but really, I’m not sure whether either is 100% true. I’ll say that I think there’s maybe more of an interest in formalwear and tailoring in the mainstream in England than there is back in the US, but there are parts of the US that are having moments like that right now. I think there might be a bit more variety in American fashion really because it’s such a large country with different climates, whereas in the UK everyone’s restricted within a specific climate—cold and damp most of the year. Neither are really a monolith, but I will say there are more active subcultures specific to the UK than there are in the US. There are just different environmental and cultural restraints, but overall, there’s a lot of cool experimentation going on both sides of the Atlantic.

You are currently pursuing your Master of Arts degree at the University of Brighton. What do you plan to do with your career after graduation?

It’s hard to say what I will do immediately after graduation given the current circumstances, but my end goal somewhere down the line would be to work as a curator using material culture, specifically clothing, to bring out lesser-known stories in spaces that are missing holistic narratives. Clothing is often underestimated as an important tool to engage audiences’ empathy, and sometimes museums and heritage sites can be overly focused on what narratives are readily available to them instead of thinking more outside of the box. Because clothing is one of the most varied methods of self-expression, it can often stand in and speak for people when they’re long gone in more ways than one, so ideally I’d love to help facilitate installations that get audiences to connect on a more intimate level with cultural spaces.

How has the social climate of 2020 affected your creativity?

The strange thing about making an international move shortly before a pandemic hits is that it means your pool of collaborators totally shrinks up, so the physical challenges of 2020 has meant my ability as a proper stylist is confined almost entirely to myself, firstly because I can see virtually no one but secondly because others I’d love to work with don’t have the money to dedicate to full-on projects. On one level, that’s meant I get to explore my own personal style more, but on the other I feel ever so slightly that being entirely focused on oneself creatively during this incredibly important sociopolitical awakening that’s finally happening is less than desirable. I can absolutely share the work of other creators I admire, but it’s made me realize how much I do miss and value the experience of being able to work with others hands on in a way that doesn't center only my body and only my vision. In the meantime, I’m mentally filing a list of things I’d love to create with others when the pandemic is finally over.

If you had the chance to turn your favorite book into a movie what would it be? What celebrity would you pick to style in the lead role?

Ooooooo, such a good question… honestly, it’s been so long since I read a book that wasn’t for research and most of my favorite books are already films, but because I’m ever the fairytale fan, I’ve always loved the Margaret Peterson Haddix feminist re-telling of the Cinderella story called “Just Ella.” I could see someone like Elle Fanning or Amandla Stenberg doing really well in a role like Ella because they’re both young upcoming actors but are capable of gravitas. I’d go for sixteenth century French Renaissance fashion à la “Ever After” with a twist of fairytale eleganza, something a bit grittier since it’s an anti-fairytale that is centered around war.

If you could give any advice to aspiring stylists what would it be?

This might be a controversial opinion, but the balance of your personal vision and ambition has to also be weighed against what suits the person/people you’re styling. At the end of the day, it’s good to trust your gut, but I’ve found sometimes listening and observing is important if your end goal is actually empowering those people. They’ve come to you because they trust your sense of aesthetics and want your expertise, so there’s no need to doubt that, but at the same time, people aren’t purely canvasses. Having a conversation with those you style can often empower you to do your job better, even if it’s a more complicated process. I’d never tell someone to undermine the essence of their vision, but expanding your horizons can sometimes be helpful in achieving an end product that everyone feels enriched by.