An Interview with Trevlin

Unedited

"My father has been a wonderful role model - Strong but gentle, ethical, honorable, a model husband and father, and someone to whom others instinctively look up and listen. He and Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird” are my blueprints for what a man should be, both to himself and to his family."

Meet Mr. Trevlin. This passionate and adventurous man appreciates the old-fashioned upbringing that his parents instilled in him. He believes that his whole life is a vintage event. And that an ideal wife should be ladylike without being boring, and adventurous without being a multiple felon.

This is a first at Time Warp Wives. This interview was so fantastic, that we decided to bring it to you unedited!

Describe yourself in one sentence.

Future Strange-Old-Man-from-the-Big-Old-House-on-the-Hill-Who-Comes-Into-Town-Just-Once-a-Month-For-Groceries-in-His-1931-Hispano-Suiza-Limousine-Chauffered-by-an-Inscrutable-Asian-Driver-and-Who-Waits-Behind-Drawn-Curtains-in-the-Back-of-the-Car-for-His-Supplies-to-Be-Loaded-While-Handing-Out-Gold-Coins-to-the-Town-Children-with-One-Buff-Gloved-Hand.

Events, News, Youtube videos or Press Releases links of yourself or website.

There are a lot of them, but they’re all from before 1918. ;)

Where are you from?

Richmond, Virginia, circa 1861, London, England, circa 1914, Frankfurt, Germany, circa 1931, and Chicago, Illinois, circa 1925.

What do you do for a living?
As little as possible.
Actually, I’m a writer for an advertising agency, and I was previously a comic book author and illustrator.

When and how did your passion for vintage get started?
Because I’m small and slender (5’6” and 125lb), nearly all pre-1950s vintage fits me. If I shop in a modern store, I have to resort to the boy’s department.

I bought my first vintage suit in Richmond six years ago. I went into Bygone’s with a lady-friend, and the shopgirl leapt from behind the counter and said, “Don’t move! I have something that will fit you perfectly!”

It was a peak-lapelled, double-breasted black suit from 1943, and it fit like a glove. Given a choice between beautiful vintage and the boy’s department at the Gap, what would you do?

Describe your vintage style. Which are your favorite fashion year styles?
I wear vintage 24/7. The whole shebang - Detachable collars, button boots, braces and waistcoats and pocket watches and so on. My years range from the late 1800s to perhaps 1950, with a sweet spot in the ‘20s and ‘30s.

What appeals you about Time Warp Wives?
Nearly everything, except for the fact that they’re married and it isn’t to me.

Are you attracted to modern or a more traditional woman or both? And why?
Although my nose instinctively wrinkles at the word “modern”, I prefer a subversive combination of both – A lady with an inherent sense of proper form who also knows how to subvert it for mischief.

What will your ideal wife be like?
She should have lovely manners, high morals, a discerning eye, a clever tongue, a busy imagination, and a self-sufficient nature. She should be romantic without being needy, ladylike without being boring, and adventurous without being a multiple felon. ;)

What will you offer as a husband?
The world.

We'd be that charming, colourful couple that makes people say, "Ohh, remember when men and women used to dress/dance/behave that way?" And the most important part is that it would be real.

What are your best attributes?
Talent. Passion. Imagination. Honesty. Adventurousness. Courage. Self-sufficiency. Integrity. A really nice wardrobe. Oh, and modesty. :D

What are your family values?
My parents are a good deal older than those of most people from my generation, so I got one of the last old-fashioned upbringings in the country before the free love generation threw out the baby with the bathwater.

My father has been a wonderful role model - Strong but gentle, ethical, honorable, a model husband and father, and someone to whom others instinctively look up and listen. He and Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird” are my blueprints for what a man should be, both to himself and to his family.

How did you decorate your vintage living space? Describe some of your old-fashioned furnishings.
Goodness, where to begin? My house was built in 1901 and looks as though time stopped around 1929. It even has the original skeleton keys for the doors. Antique furniture. Antique china. Gramophone. Vintage car, vintage boat, vintage lawn mower… You know, the usual stuff.

Tell us about your different websites. Describe briefly what each one entails.
I didn’t even know I had different websites! Why am I always the last to find out?!?

Are you a Timewarpean (definition found at Timewarpwives.com) or do you just like to wear vintage, listen to old music, watch old films or dance to the oldies?
Most certainly. I’m using a 1925 calendar, for heaven’s sake! (Check it – The days match.)

Do you have a favorite vintage place or thing that inspires you? For instance a Coffee shop, vintage store, shoes, clothes, collectibles, movie, etc.
My home. I can almost see my Great-Grandparents out of the corner of my eye when I’m there.

Really, nearly anything vintage makes me happy, but that magical feeling that one has stepped back in time is the best thing, wherever it happens.

Have you attended a vintage event? And if you have, what kind of event was it? And what did you like the most about the event.
My whole life is a vintage event! ;)

I attend any vintage show I can find, and I‘ve gone everywhere from the local thrift shop to Paris shopping for vintage.

I go out dancing quite a bit (my favourite band is the Prohibition Orchestra of Chicago) and will Charleston at the drop of a hat.

I go to vintage events like the Hudson River train trip to the Blue Lantern dancehall or the Ragtime Ball at the Flying Cloud Academy. I’d like to get over to England for their vintage event season - the Goodwood Revival and so forth.

Anything that’s happening the old-fashioned way, I’m there for it. Except maybe having my appendix out.

If you had a chance to go back in time, what year would that be and why?
It would the first morning of spring, somewhere around 1912. Birds are shaking the dew off of their wings on the high, green hedge around my house. Someone is baking bread. My hands give off the scent of the talcum my wife uses to powder her arms. In the distance, at the bandstand on the green, the town band is practicing for tonight's dance, playing "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" without any irony whatsoever…

What would you like to bring back from the past?

I’d bring back manners. Earnestness. A code of conduct. A recording of Buddy “King” Bolden. My wife, and a whole lot of clothing.

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