An Interview with Marianne from Esme and the Laneway (& Her Top Vintage Tips!)

Sources: Esme and the Laneway

Marianne Rutherford is the creator of Esme and the Laneway, a blog featuring 

her impressive collection of vintage, as well as her day-to-day life in the city of Melbourne.

With the beauty, poise and elegant style of Hitchcock's leading ladies, Marianne has taken not only the

 fashion world by storm, but the blogging world too, and has been featured in publications such as the Melbourne 

Leader, Pony Anarchy, Toffee Magazine and Catalogue magazine.

Whim Online Magazine recently interviewed Marianne, and were lucky enough to receive some of her top tips to not only buying vintage, but wearing it too:

Q: When did your love of vintage first blossom?

A: I've loved it for as long as I can remember, even in hazy ways – I must have seen some of those amazing black and white films with all that sparkle and choreography when I was little! It then grew throughout my teens and I eventually committed to actually buying and wearing it.

Q: What is it about vintage that you most admire?

A: So much! It started with a romantic notion about history, and I've always liked to look different, and then I found these vintage dresses and loved their colour, prints and style. Now I love their quality too. I love how they look, how they are unique and how they are good for the environment, too.

Q: Do you have one favourite or special vintage item / garment in particular?

A: I have a 1950's pink and red party dress that was altered into more of a day dress before it came to me, and I often think of this as not only my favourite, but a huge turning point for me. It was the first full skirted dress that I felt at home in, and it introduced me to the world of mid century full skirted cotton dresses.

Q: Who are your style icons?

A: It's always changing, but at the moment there is something of an old Disney cartoon character that got a bit lost in a library and realised she liked it there. I do love the original Snow White. There was also Fenella the Fairy, in this little old children's book I had when I was small. For winter, I am also liking the slim-fitting, womanly styles of Mad Men's Joan Holloway and Nigella Lawson.

Q: What are your three top tips for when it comes to buying vintage?

A: So many things! I'll squash them into a top three:

1. Be open minded to what you might find; the perfect summer dress in the middle of winter, say – if you love it, buy it when you see it!

2. Don't be afraid to experiment and find what really works for you, what you love wearing and what makes you feel comfortable – and don't feel you have to stick to a particular style or era if you don't want to. Wear what you want!

3. Be aware of the condition of vintage garments and what it can mean; ie. stained underarms might not look great, but it can also mean the fabric there is actually damaged and will soon fall apart, so if you are buying online be aware of this. Some fabrics can be more practical than others, in terms of laundry and resilience – that's why I love vintage cotton so much, it can be popped in the washing machine (once you've checked its colour fastness, of course!) with everything else and it's fine. 

Q: When it comes to wearing vintage, do you have any special advice?

A: I think wearing vintage, or starting to wear more and more vintage, can be a bit intimidating. I say wear what makes you happy. Don't worry about fitting a certain look, or feel that you have to get it just right straight away. It's fun – wear things you fall in love with, enjoy mixing styles and give yourself plenty of time to develop your style – and then be ready to evolve it, too, if you want to! 

For more information about Marianne and her blog, Esme and the Laneway, please check it out - it's full of beautiful photography, outfit inspiration, and exciting adventures! Marianne also regularly uploads photographs to her Instagram and her Pinterest, so be sure to explore them too.