Anna Blunk
Etsy Shop: Dollybirdsvintage
Etsy seller of vintage clothing for bohemian dollybird, glam babies, gypsies
When did you start buying and selling?
2005 but I had been thrifting since I was 15. I worked in Vintage shops in Baltimore 'Oh Suzanna’s' was one, Susan the owner had hung out with the John Waters people. Susan dressed Chleo, her daughter in really cute outfits. She also had bags and bags of 20’s beaded flapper dresses and chiffon and lace.
What has been your best find?
The 50’s big E Levi’s something Marlon Brando wore in the Wild One, I sold them for $500, I could have sold them for more, a Japanese picker bought them from me and sold them for probably $1,500. Old stuff in general, 20’s beaded bags, Victorian cotton day dresses, 20’s silk flapper dresses.
What has and continues to influence your aesthetic sense?
The Cockettes, (video) psychedelic drag queen troupe founded by Hibiscus in the late 1960s in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood
Daisies, 1966 two girls, food, dada, color, absurdist, sexy and sweet
David Bowie and Glam Rock
Biker Culture, biker bitch couture
Navaho jewelry American
The Rolling Stones
Do you have dreams of opening your own shop?
No, more I just want to have an inspiration studio where people can come and be inspired by old textiles, patterns and jewelry. I want to style. Predict trends in vintage and contemporary fashion. I want to travel the world and search for old stuff. I’d love to be a consultant or costume designer for movies, use my knowledge of vintage to help create something. I just watched Mildred Pierce, the remake, and they used 300 extras that all had to be dressed in period specific clothes, I’d love to be involved in something like that.
What is your favorite decade?
The 70’s because they were inspired by all my other favorite decades, they had clothes that were inspired by the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. The 70’s was a magical decade, just think of all that happened, glam, punk, disco, funk….
Who have you sold to?
Red Light, Atlas, Lucky, Sugar Town, online I’ve sold to people all over the world.
Why do you like Los Angeles so much?
There is a lot of History there, on a lot of levels, dark Hollywood history, Mexican latino culture, I like how colorful it is, candy colored houses, palm trees, blue skies, the freaks. Freaky people.
Do you think being from Baltimore has influenced you?
Baltimore is it’s own awesome little island, John Water’s representation is accurate there really are fat old ladies wearing mumus and beehives sitting on their porch smoking cigarettes. It’s rough but old school working class rough, they are famous for their marble steps, you can see old men polishing their marble steps with a sense of pride.
Tell us some stories about the bins
The place where I find most of my stuff? It’s secret, the first rule about the bins, is you don’t talk about picking…funny stories…finding a dead mouse, the adorable hippy dad with his kid strapped to his back, finding a kit of syringes and abunch of drugs, he turned it in to the cops, fist fights, watching two old ladies fight over a blanket, finding money, getting stabbed by anything sharp, junkies from the methadone clinic nodding out on the couch, tweakers that specifically come to search for money in pockets, purses and wallets. People meeting there, falling in love and getting married.
What is your favorite outfit right now
Flaired bellbottoms, sterling turquoise, gausy Indian cotton tops, biker boots, a coat of green suede with shearling collar. A mixture of masculine and feminine, Nico is one my favorite style icons, she wore men’s suits but she was beautiful and I like the contrast. What I am going for now is a hybrid of bohemian gypsy Stevie Nicks and Ann and Nancy Wilson on the cover of the Litttle Queen record.
Thanks Anna!
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