One of the Grand Dames of Vintage, on Instagram, is Amanda and her wonderful pieces. I can't count the number of times I have seen a gown I adored on her page and swooned or gasped with amazement. I got to chat with her about a few things and learned a little about the Woman behind the brand ;+)
Vintage Star News: When did your love of Vintage begin?
Amanda: I can remember, first loving vintage things at a very young age, probably when I was about five. I used to love to dress up in my Nana's vintage nightgowns and costume jewelry. Looking back, I was drawn to pretty much anything old of hers. I remember she had this fantastic metallic silver Eye Shadow from the 1960s and this ruby red lipstick from the 1950s. To this day, I still cannot find a red that perfect. So yes, I think I can safely say my love affair with vintage, started extremely young. It wasn’t until I started shopping at thrift stores when I was about 13 that I realized what vintage actually was.
VSN: Butch Wax Vintage is the name of your Business, where does it come from?
Amanda: Butch Wax, is a hair pomade from the 1950s. Back when I started my business, I had a boyfriend who had a Band yes before, called Butch Wax Duo (A really crazy garage rock band). He would light the drum set on fire, jump into it, just pull off these really crazy stage antics. When I was picking my business name, I really didn’t think about it that much. The phrase “Butch Wax” sounded appropriate to me, because at the time, I was so over-the-top feminine with my physical presentation. I only wore high-heels, I had this huge teased red hair (basically was like a Red Haired Dolly Parton). So I thought the term "Butch" would throw people off in the best way possible. And that’s really all there is to it.
VSN: What's your favorite Vintage piece?
Amanda: That’s very hard to say. I think for me, my favorite vintage piece always changes. Right now, in my personal collection, a 1950s, custom made, Lilli Ann swing coat, with huge stitched spider's web and spiders all over it. It’s not in the best condition, and I had to restore it myself, but it is so completely rare. It was definitely custom-made for the original owner. I bought it from a woman who literally pulled it out of a box in a barn. When I received it, the Coat was incredibly dirty, had holes, etc. I had to soak it for days, get it re-stitched in certain areas, but I think it was definitely worth it. I know, I will never see another one like it.
VSN: Is there an Instagram page you can’t get enough of?
Amanda: Hmmmm.... this is also hard question. Because I primarily use Instagram for my business, I‘m not browsing other pages on it often. I can get caught up in those cute animal accounts, specifically ones involving baby French bulldogs. I love a NYC street style account called newyorknico.
VSN: Nothing Haunts us like the Vintage we didn’t buy. I know you have something that Haunts you and you can’t believe you let it get away?
Amanda: Of course! It was a 1940s evening gown, black rayon crepe, and it had hand embellished sequined birds up the entire front. I saw it years ago at the rockabilly weekender, Viva Las Vegas. It was only $165, I walked away for one minute to think about it, and a woman from Japan bought it. These days, I would buy that thing, in less than a second. It’s funny how your perspective changes as you get older.
VSN: If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
Amanda: Don’t be so hard on yourself. Trust the process. Work hard and focus, be patient, remember to not take anything for granted ever.
VSN: Who is your Style HERO?
Amanda: I could give you a huge list of characters who have inspired me by their style. That would be a very, very long list. But I think my biggest style inspirations right now are the cartoon characters that were drawn by both Gene Bilbrew and Dan deCarlo in the 1950s. Gene Bilbrew really hits the nail on the head.
VSN: The Amandas....Tell Blogger world about your Band.
Amanda: My Band is a six piece, 1960s Soul /R&B /Garage deal. It’s me and five other guys, I’m on lead vocals. We have been a band for probably 10 years now (which is pretty amazing). Most of the members in my band are professional musicians. I started singing in Bands in my early 20s (I love to sing Soul music, as well as vintage Jazz). These days my band is definitely more of a fun little side gig, but if I don’t sing, I get terribly depressed. We have a monthly gig at a bar here in San Diego, called The Whistle Stop, that has been going on for years.
Speed round…answer each question quickly, don't think about it too much..ready set GO!
VSN: How many pets do you have?
Amanda: Two cats and a Texas desert tortoise
VSN: Beyonce or Janet
Amanda: Janet
VSN: Niki or Cardi
Amanda: Erykah Badu
VSN: Elvis or James Dean
Amanda: Young Elvis
VSN: Favorite Era of Vintage Clothing
Amanda: 1940s
VSN: Work or Sleep all day?
Amanda: Work
VSN: Summer or Winter?
Amanda: Winter
VSN: March for equal pay for Women or Protest mistreatment of Animals?
Amanda: Both
Thank you, so very much for taking the time to chat with VSN.
Check out Butch Wax Vintage
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/butchwaxvintage
Website http://butchwaxvintage.com/
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