Interview with a Collector - A ggsdolls blog Series
A
monthly series on my blog where I feature some of the most amazing
collectors, sellers, and content creators that have become really good
friends of mine and what they collect and why? Read on to learn more...
For the month of December,
my blog interview is with an amazing collector of mid century decor, and kitsch, meet Rockabilly Beauty Elena or atomic_bouffant on Instagram!!
Elena was born in Ohio, but was raised in the Metro Detroit, MI area. Her grandpa was from Mexico and her Grandma from NY state. They met and settled in a small town in Michigan about 60 miles outside of Detroit, and this is where Elena's Mom was born and raised. When Elena was about 7 years old, her Mom moved them closer to the Detroit area for her career. Elena
then moved to New York City in the 90's and lived there for almost 15
years, and worked behind the scenes in fashion advertising. Eventually,
she worked as a production coordinator for a post audio mixing company.
She also played the bass guitar in a very Cramps-like goth/post punk band
while she was living there. After NYC, she returned to Michigan to go
back to school for a degree and change of pace. She has lived
in the city of Pittsburgh, PA with her husband for
the last 10 years, which she loves for its old architecture, green hilly beauty, close proximity to tons of antique malls and historical landmark road
trips! She currently works in administration as an office manager for an
architecture and interior design company. She also has her creative
hobbies on the side.
Gigi: When and under what circumstances did you encounter vintage kitsch, and do you collect anything else?
Elena: The circumstances which I first "consciously" encountered vintage kitsch was in my teen years during the 1980's. I say "consciously" because I grew up surrounded by a lot of it as a child of the 1970's and didn't know any better. But I truly developed a conscious love for it as a collector in the mid-1980's when I started shopping at thrift stores due to a blossoming love for vintage 1950's dresses and 1960's mod clothing. I was also fascinated with my mom's old pictures when I was young and loved seeing the 1960's groovy mod outfits she and her sisters wore with their big bouffants and flip hairdos. I always count her as a huge influence for following my passions and interests. Additionally during the mid-80's, my best friend at the time and I became obsessed and inspired by the 1960's mod fashion and pop culture after MTV rekindled our crushes on The Monkees after airing all of their episodes again in 1986. When digging through the vintage clothes at thrift stores, I would always make a point to go check out what they labeled the "bric-a-brac" section (which literally translates to "things of little value") and that's where you'd find most of the intriguing and tacky vintage kitsch home decor or curiosities and knick-knacks. I was hooked.
As far as collecting anything outside of the vintage kitsch category, I also collect vintage vinyl records that I find in thrift stores, antique malls, and the occasional record store. Music is another huge passion of mine and I've always loved fun vintage record cover art and incorporated them into my decor as well. I tend to collect a lot of vintage country music from the 1950's through early 70's, old rockabilly, old lounge music, raunchy instrumentals that sound like they're from a 1960's strip club, and anything that might look like a fun discovery based on the record cover art. My husband also collects, and still has most of his original punk/post-punk record collection from when he was young. Plus, I still have a few of my early 80's records from the old school hip-hop genre, so between the two of us, we probably have over a thousand records. We also have a small vintage radio and record player collection. We are both very nostalgic about them because we grew up listening to A.M. radio and record players. And for the ones that don't work, he can usually repair them.
Gigi: How do you describe your relationship with your collection; what is the magical thing that attracts you to these items and keeps you interested?
Elena: I'd say the best way to describe the relationship with my collections and the magical thing is that attracts me to these items and keeps me interested is probably the wonderful nostalgia it conjures up, mixed with a love for the visual design aesthetics, as well as the adventurous thrill of the hunt! Not to mention the mechanics of how well things were made. So much of what I love comes from eras when everything was so much more beautifully designed, colorful, and built to last! We live in a time where everything mass produced is so cheaply made and easily disposable in limited choices of neutral color palettes. It's a mystery to me why so many people are terrified of color the last couple decades, so it just makes me appreciate my collections even more. People seemed to appreciate bold, fun colors, patterns, and designs so much more in the older eras up through the 80's. What keeps me interested is the thrill of the hunt, my ongoing love for nostalgia, favorite eras, and curiosity for discovering something unique that I've never seen before.
Gigi: What is it about the vintage cute kitsch that distinguishes it from other novelties of the same era?
Elena: I think the vintage "cute" aesthetic is distinguished from other toys and novelties of the era it comes from because of what I personally like to call the "creepy cute" quality of it. For example, baby animal kitsch always had an adorable, but very peculiar look, with their features being so exaggerated and exceptionally happy looking to the point of looking a little crazy (for lack of a better description... Haha!). The same can be said for how children were sometimes depicted in kitschy illustrations/paintings back then... the eyes were always extra large and exaggerated with big ol' fluttering eyelashes. They really seemed to have a thing for big, thick black eyelashes and that's one of my favorite details of so much of the kitsch that I love from the 1950's through early 70's.
Gigi: Tell me a bit about your collection, how it started, what your first items were, and how it has evolved?
Elena: As far as some of the first vintage kitsch items I collected, I would say it started with a few random items I'd spot in the "bric-a-brac" sections at thrift stores, like old 8-track tapes, wall art, and vintage 1960's and 70's teen magazines. I also worked at a huge thrift store briefly in Michigan when I was 18 called Value Village and would set aside things I loved while pricing in the back. The manager would give us incredible discounts for a huge bag of stuff. Back then it was so much easier to find vintage in general to the point where I'd literally have to put things back because my cart was overflowing. It was nuts! And as I got older and continued to thrift, it just evolved from there. When I first moved to New York City in 1990, I didn't really have anything except my 80's fashion magazines and my cats! So when I finally found a bigger apartment there, I was so excited to start decorating. One of the first items I bought was a really cool vintage gothic looking chair from an antique store in the East Village near where I was living. It was definitely kitschy and probably from the 60's or 70's, back when the gothic Spanish revival trend was popular decor. And I still have that chair! I love vintage kitschy furniture. I was really into a Victorian-Mod-Goth kitschy decor aesthetic at the time. Currently, I would say the majority of the collection I have now is more on the mod and glam side from the 1950's through early 70's with a handful of vintage monsters thrown in for good measure.
As far as vintage items that I'm always looking for, it's just whatever catches my eye and jives with our home. I gravitate towards the whimsical, unique, and weird items, as well as glamorous ones. Like many collectors, I also have an ongoing "Holy Grail" list and I've been fortunate that a handful of the items I've hoped to find, have unexpectedly fallen into my path.
Gigi: What has been the reaction of your family/friends/colleagues to your passion for vintage kitsch?
Elena: The reaction I've gotten from family, friends, and colleagues is mostly all positive and supportive. My closest, long-time friends are very like-minded and have their own collections, so it's always a real gas to share each other's vintage kitsch finds or thrifting adventures. When I was young, my mom would get a big kick out of some of the things I would drag home and tease me in a good-natured way because she grew up with or remembered so much of it!
Friends who are not "collectors" usually find it interesting to learn about the items and their history. It may not be their "thing", but they're always very respectful. On the flip side, during the mid-80's, my childhood best friend and I would sometimes encounter strangers in public who'd either think we were total weirdos in our thrifted vintage clothes, or that it was cool we were doing our own thing and didn't give a crap what anyone else thought. We were just having fun being ourselves! During the early 90's, a friend's cousin actually teased me once in a comical way and said "E, why do you always wanna wear clothes that someone's else's butt has been up in?!" I was like, "Why not?!" Haha! I'd love to know what he thinks now since vintage has become so popular in the last 15 years. I've also met some wonderful new friends and acquaintances through the Instagram vintage kitsch community. Everyone is so supportive and inspired by each other and I love that! I also love seeing other people's collections and things they create inspired by kitsch and vintage!
Gigi: Tell me about your favorite vintage item and why it is so special.
Elena: As far as my favorite vintage kitsch item and why it's so special, I wish I could narrow it down to one, so I'll mention three. The first is a set of three mid-1960's children's plastic bouffant toy play wigs made by a company called Norstar. They came in three colors: brunette, blonde, and redhead. And the package design is so incredibly kitschy and colorful! I'm a big sucker for vintage package design too. Anyway, I forget how I first became aware of these bouffant play wigs, but I just remember becoming instantly obsessed with the whimsical weirdness of them being made as toys so little girls could look 30. Haha! Though I promptly put them on my "Holy Grail" list, I never thought I'd find them because they're as rare as hen's teeth. Any time I did a Google search, nothing would come up for sale. But jump ahead to when I started to use my Instagram account regularly a few years ago, I clicked on the hashtag "vintage kitsch" and lo and behold, somebody was selling the whole set in great condition. I messaged the seller right away and bought them for a great price. I currently display them in my dining room next to the vintage beauty shop chair, which gives the whole corner a vintage bouffant/beauty shop theme. I wish they fit on my head to play with, but unfortunately they don't. Haha!
Elena: My other favorite vintage kitsch item would have to be my 1950's Moss lamp, named after Gerry and Thelma Moss of the Moss Manufacturing Company. I NEVER thought I would find a Moss lamp in the "wild" in a million years and it literally fell into my path. The history behind them is pretty fascinating for those who would like to Google it. Anyway, a couple years ago my husband and I spontaneously decided to go to an estate sale one late Sunday afternoon at a little modest house about 45 minutes away. My husband tends to walk faster then I do at estate sales and about five minuted into browsing, he yelled that I needed to "Come take a look at this!". I could tell by his voice that he had found something special since he knows what I like. Sure enough, when I turned the corner, my jaw dropped at the sight of a stunning, kitschy Moss lamp in all of its majestic glory (covered in years of dust). And it was the very style I dreamt of finding! Aside from the dust, it was in mint condition. They gave me a great deal on the price, so I was as happy as a clam. I was quite surprised it was still there. You just never know what you're going to find at an estate sale and that's part of the adventure. I was told by the organizer that they found the lamp in the attic and it had probably been up there a long time. I love learning the stories behind the items I collect as it gives them more meaning and history. Obviously someone once loved that item just as much as I do now and they'd probably appreciate that it was still being cherished. Anyway, I cleaned it carefully and my husband greased up the little motor for the revolving ceramic figurine (which is a characteristic of vintage Moss lamps). It still works like new and sparkles like a holiday! It's got three fiberglass shades that stem up and out above a lighted plexiglass platform, adorned with kitschy plastic flowers on the sides, and a glamorous gold-speckled female Asian figurine that spins in the middle when you turn it on. It's literally art and pure kitschy MAGIC!
Last but not least, my 1960's kitten doll with changing outfits called 'Pussy Meow' by TV Jones that comes in her own pink atomic TV carrying case has a special place in my heart too.
Gigi: If you run a shop, how or when did that start and what have your experiences been like? Is it sometimes hard to let go of a vintage item at a really great price?
Elena: Though I am not currently a vintage "vendor", I have sold on eBay and Etsy in the past, but currently only sell occasionally on Facebook Marketplace whenever I want to part with something.
As far as sometimes finding it hard to let go of an item, therein lies my biggest challenge. Haha! There's been many occasions when I'll buy something with intentions to sell it, but then change my mind because I've become too attached to it. But I eventually part with it after a little while. I don't want to become a hoarder and have things sitting in my basement. Believe it or not, I actually hate clutter! But I don't mind 'organized clutter"... especially if it's displayed well! One of my first jobs when I was 18 was as a window dresser and visual merchandiser for a department store called Hudson's, so I love the art of display. I've sold items ranging from a 1940's mint condition floor console radio to a mid-century Johnson and Carper dresser. I've had people give me great deals, so I like to pay it forward by giving people I sell to great deals as well.
Gigi: If any item could fall on your lap (free of charge!), what would it be and why?
Elena: The ultimate vintage kitsch item that could land in my lap and be free of charge would be the 1960's German-made Kuba Komet TV console. It's the stunning epitome of atomic and looks like it's straight out of a 1960's sci-fi movie or Jetsons episode! It's a true testament to the great design imaginations of that era.
Gigi: Have you noticed an increase in popularity/demand for vintage kitsch in the last few years? If so, why do you think this aesthetic is appealing to more people right now?
Elena: I have definitely noticed an increase in popularity for vintage cute kitsch. My guess is that it's a lot to do with social media's reach to many people and the influence of mainstream pop culture. I think there's a few music videos that have featured vintage Edward Mobley squeak toys, which are incredibly kitschy, adorable, and slightly creepy cute. I have a few of those myself and love them!
Gigi: Is there anything else about your experiences that you would like to add?
Elena: It's kinda funny, when I was young, some people said I'd probably "grow out of" my passion for collecting/thrifting/wearing vintage, and called it a "phase I was going through". I always protested and said that's just not true or going to happen and I was right! Haha! For me, it's not just collecting "stuff"... these things have personal, heartfelt meaning in deeper ways through nostalgia, expression, history, design, and a desire to preserve the past through them. I will be a proud and happy vintage (kitsch) collector and enthusiast until the day I die.
Truly awesome dear Elena and to learn more about you and your amazing vintage collections. Elena was the collector I spoke of who introduced me to the Norstar's toy wigs in my blog post, here. I still have my set. Now, to find the box!! Thank you so much Elena for your participation! Well that's it for my 2nd year of interviewing truly awesome collectors and or sellers of vintage kitsch!
Well... I've decided to take some time off on doing interviews for next year, 2024. So I want to truly thank all of you for tuning in and reading them! And to all my dear sweet collector friends who participated with me. I've loved every monthly issue!! I will update you all when I decide or if I decide to continue this series... ?
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas Holiday and Happy New Year! Peace, Love and Hope be yours! Happy Hunting!
Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls
