NIGHTWOOD

Nana La Belle Jolie a.k.a. Sarah Beall

• Dressed in Black: We’ve named this blog column in honour of the tune by The Shangri-Las cuz it’s a little moody sounding…like us! Check out other entries in this series by clicking on the Style & Fashion category. Now without any further ado, our eleventh interviewee, Sarah Beall!

In 5 words or less, describe your style:

Lady-like, retro, bombshell, classy, girly.

Describe two items in your closet that you love:

This is a hard one because I have so many treasures. And, yes, I actually refer to my clothes as “treasures” on a regular basis. I’m vintage-dress-obsessed and I’m constantly rediscovering things in my closet I forgot I had and falling in love all over again. Nothing in there is an accident, I assure you. Although, I do use the word “accident” to absolve myself of any feigned guilt over yet another vintage purchase, as in  “Uh, oh. I had another accident at Dressed in Time today.” This way, it’s only the fashion gods who are to blame. I mean, if it wasn’t so cute and it didn’t fit me so well, maybe I would have been able to resist.

I recently popped my etsy-cherry when I bought a black, quintessentially-1950s dress with a fitted bodice and a full circle skirt. The material has a light pink pattern, a pink satin collar,  3/4 length dolman sleeves with peter-pan cuffs and rhinestone buttons all the way down the front. You have to wear a crinoline underneath to get the full effect and I’m just waiting for the right occasion to show it off.

I also recently hit the 1940s jackpot at my all-time favourite vintage store in Halifax, with this gorgeous red satin, mid-calf length gown. In this case, the beauty is in the details. The entire dress is covered in black lace overlay and zips up the front-something that seems rare for the period. It has a v-neckline, the original belt,  shoulder pads, peter-pan cuffs and two peplum-style flaps at the hips that make it feel especially regal. It reminds me of something one would wear to a masquerade ball since the combination of deep red and black lace is so sultry. Also, it fits like a glove, which is very important for wearing clothes from this era.

Fashion trend you swore you would not partake in but have fallen victim to and now kind of love (example: skinny jeans):

I would say my style has become pretty hardcore vintage over the last two years or so and since then most trends haven’t really applied. I wear pants about twice a year and when I do, they’re skinny jeans-which definitely weirded me out at first.  I do get a little annoyed whenever elements of my dress become super popular-like leopard print is right now-but on the other hand it makes shopping for accessories a lot easier, since it’s the belts and hats and scarves that deteriorate the quickest. Also, it’s not like I have a monopoly on leopard print-it’s cyclical like everything else. Over-sized cardigans and oxford shoes took a little while to catch on with me, but now I love the shoes because I can wear them with a dress and still run to catch the bus. The over-sized cardigans are great because now I can borrow my boyfriend’s clothes when it’s chilly and still look like I know what I’m doing.

Photo by Andrea Hausmann

If you had to get a knuckle tattoo, what would it read?
Probably something really stupid like “bad girl” or “doll parts.” I don’t think I’ll ever get over the idea of exposing what’s behind a pretty, good girl exterior. Like, I’m sweet and put together but I’ve also done some crazy ass shit and it’s all part of who I am.

What do you listen to when getting ready to go out/stay in?

When I’m getting ready to go out I tend to listen to upbeat electro-pop type stuff like, Thunderheist, The Gossip, The Waitresses, Le Tigre, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

For staying in I’ve been on a shoegaze kick–Blonde Redhead’s 23, Yo La Tengo, TV on the Radio, My Bloody Valentine, Lush.

I also own a portable RCA victor record player from the 50s and on the weekends I’ll play Billy Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Shirley Bassey, Gershwin, Eartha Kitt, Francois Hardy and this amazing French twist record I got for 50 cents.

Biggest fashion pet peeve?

Uggs-I saw a patent leather pair in a shop window not long ago and my soul died a little. I mean, why would you do that to poor patent leather?

Your favourite style icon?

My grandmother. She grew up in upstate New York, got married at 20 and was a housewife with three small children in the 1950s. Then, in the late 1960s, she got a divorce and moved to San Fransisco. She was always very glamourous and put together-probably partly as a result of being sent to a finishing school in her late teens. No matter what she wore-whether it was a wiggle dress or bandannas and bell bottoms, she was graceful and sensual and full of strength. When I look at pictures of her, I imagine her as the pulse of those times. She was someone whose beauty really shone from the inside out.

Sarah's totally beautiful grandmother!

Favourite shoppes?

My all time favourite vintage shop is Dressed in Time, in Halifax.  It’s absolutely packed with clothes from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s that are in good condition and reasonably priced. I go to Halifax about four times a year and I never leave town without at least two items from this shop. I also frequent a few local friperies-General 54, Local 23, La Boheme, Friperie St-Laurent. Etsy is a dangerous addiction and my partner keeps threatening to block it on the router. When he’s not around, I go to cheesecakevintage, fireflyvintage and thechurchofvintage. There are a couple of beautiful vintage-inspired labels that sell online too-Stop Staring and Bettie Page clothing-which will inspire lust in the hearts of even the most devout vintage collectors.

Your best vintage find/DIY fasion project?

When I was 17, I made a 1950s style taffeta dress and silkscreened the entire thing with gold David Bowie heads, a la his Aladdin Sane album cover.  It was a pretty involved process: picking the image, picking the vintage vogue pattern-a fitted bodice, full skirt and crisscross back-doing photo emulsion for the first time, maneuvering yards and yards of “super taffeta” in my school basement, getting covered in gold paint, and of course, the sewing. I wore it in my school fashion show with a little veiled cap while Bowie’s “Fashion” single played in the background. It’s probably the coolest thing I’ll ever make, ever.

What do you see yourself wearing in 5 years?

Lots more vintage. Although, hopefully by then I’ll have mastered the hairstyles a bit more and I’ll be more deliberate with the accessories. Maybe I’ll be wearing more of my own creations. I really want to master the art of sewing from a pattern. The whole thing is really like a science to me-but it’s not about rules, it’s about being a big nerd who loves uncovering the meaning in the details.

About Sarah Beall:

• When Sarah Beall isn’t daydreaming about vintage fashion, she’s likely to be either rehearsing a new burlesque number or planning smutty world domination. A member of Montreal’s Dead Doll Dancers, she also performs Anna Karina-inspired numbers under the name Nana La Belle Jolie. She loves DIY publishing, and her kitty Guida, and all her dreams came true when she became the new curator for Lickety Split smut zine last winter. Check out “Smut on the Dance Floor” a new dance party/fundraiser she helps put on every month at WOOF bar in Montreal.

Sarah with her Jon!