Welcome back!

Today, I’ll be sharing with you an interview with the wonderful doll Astroraven on all the aspects of vintage style on Stardoll. If you’re a vintage style fan, or are simply interested in what the world of vintage style here is really like, this interview will tell you everything you’d like to know. Without any further ado, let’s get on to the questions!

Note: Answers have been edited for grammatical purposes as well as clarity.

Q: Who/what was your original inspiration to get into vintage Stardoll style, considering the fact that it is not hugely described as 'trendy' by many?

A: My attachment to it began with some great childhood memories I have, and the older I get, the more I find myself being pulled towards the past. Every time that I cross out another day on the calendar , I feel more nostalgic. And Stardoll is giving me the opportunity to keep my memories alive every single day! Even this game itself is one of my great memories -- I still remember the very first time I registered in 2009 and now I’m already an adult player and have found what I wanted on Stardoll. It’s already an ‘era’ for me - I’ve been keeping my old pieces for years as memorabilia for my future self. One of my biggest inspirations for this style takes us  back to my favorite childhood anime series called Anne of Green Gables. It's the story of an 11-year-old orphan girl, who is mistakenly sent to live with two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, Canada. 

The novel shows how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.  Besides having an interesting story, the vintage costume design and production were amazing.This story touched me very deeply, and I’m still re-watching  it, even now. Watching it truly gives me a sensation of bliss! I highly recommend people to watch this show.

Q: Do you have any favorite vintage pieces available in the Starplaza that you wouldn't mind sharing with us?

 A: Wow- I have many from the brands  ‘Decades’ or ‘Archive’ . However, my favorites pieces are the ones made with Marie Curie in mind: for example, the ‘Marie Curie Blouse’, the ‘20s Cross Strap Shoes’, ‘Black Bow’, and ‘20 Hats’. I adore all the puffed sleeves - they are probably my favorite feature of clothing of all time! I recently created a club called Vintage Digger, where I started building a community to exchange ideas about this topic, and also began to share and reshare pictures of my vintage collection so others can get back to looking at it whenever they want.

 Q: Do you design vintage clothes on Stardoll as well as appreciating them? If you do, tell us a bit about your designs!

 A:  I always dreamed of creating my own designs so I could design what I have in mind since it's very rarely that you  see vintage designers. I always struggled finding the right pieces or items for my style. I do believe that designing takes too much time and effort! I also don’t believe that I have the skills for it. In real life, I'm a vintage collector 7 astronomy space blogger, so I tried before creating some space-themed designs and outfits with some space-themed logos. Thank God they were one of my best selling items and so many people supported my work! I was so surprised.

Q:Do you ever face judgment or hostility on Stardoll for your interest in and liking for vintage fashion?

 A: No! I never got judged on Stardoll. I always get support and great feedback from other members; they even mention how much my work inspired them to create their own. Daily, I see many visitors trying to check my latest style as it interests or inspires them, which truly motivates me to do more. It is only very rarely that users try to demotivate me (I don’t want to mention the words jealousy or hatred) but I’ll always embrace the “constructive criticism” because not everyone will like what you do.

 Q: Thank you for the amazing answers. Lastly, is there any advice you’d give to other dolls who are thinking of starting out on their vintage fashion journey?

While giving out any advice, I want to spread some good vibes to all the dolls reading. Every single thing you touch is impacted by your story. This is the time for you to ‘do you,’ because you deserve to be celebrated. However, in order to do that, you must fall madly in love with yourself first, and must be able to give love to the things and people you love from the bottom of your heart. There’s a great quote to support this message, which is: ‘I choose to see the greatness in you, and I choose to allow you to see the greatness in me.’ My advice to you is to stop asking for permission, and to start living to inspire. You won’t always have support, but you can be your own, true self. Believe me when I say that mostly, the world sees you the way you see yourself because you’re the author of your own story. These are just some words to motivate you. Keep in mind that the vintage look is a style of dressing that's open to a lot of interpretation - you can wear anything you want to. It doesn't even have to be vintage -- you could mix-and-match your wardrobe. If you need more inspiration, then try to look for some old classic movies and enjoy matching with available pieces you have. You don’t have to buy everything. You are going to have fun!

Thank you very much to Astroraven for being interviewed!

Do you like vintage style? If so, do you have any favorite pieces? Be sure to share them with me in the comments section!

Take care,

~Jaya x