Winnie, Alice, and Cindy Au/ The Book, Canine Chronicles

Winnie Au and her sisters Alice and Cindy, are the talented authors behind the book Canine Chronicles: 1900-2000, A Century of History's Most Notable Dogs. Each of the Au sisters have merged their skills and creativity together in bringing us this clever and imaginative book. This book will be featuring the most notable events in History played by these adorable well-behaved pooches while sporting vintage style attire of the past.


Tell us about you and your sisters. Where are you from?

Alice, Cindy, and I were all born in America to Chinese parents who immigrated from the Hong Kong area. We grew up in the countryside in a house with a river nearby, forests, cornfields, and insects!

We're from a city in northern Illinois called Rockford that most people have never heard of. We're the same Rockford as the Rockford Peaches in A League of Their Own; we were mentioned once in the movie Maverick; and Cheap Trick is from Rockford. That's about all we're known for.


How would you describe yourself and each of your sisters.

Well, there are three of us in total - Alice, Cindy, and Winnie. The first thing people often learn about us is that we were named after Disney characters. My parents are Chinese, so they gave us Chinese names, but they also gave us English names that sound like our Chinese names.

I think they were really into Disney when they had us, (they honeymooned at Disney World), so each of our names comes from a Disney movie. I'm just glad that I didn't end up as Dumbo or something like that.


Tell us what each of you girls do for a living.

We're very lucky, because each of us has a different expertise, and they make the perfect collaboration for a book.

Alice is a trend spotter and designer for a major retailer in San Francisco. Cindy is a community manager and freelance writer at an internet start up in New York City. And Winnie is a freelance photographer in New York City.


Winnie what made you decide to become a photographer?

I think I decided to become a photographer when I started my first internship in photography in Boston, in 2003.

I was working for free with a great advertising and editorial photographer named Joshua Dalsimer, and in exchange for my work, he would teach me how to load film, use lights, and he always bought me lunch. First off, I'm a sucker for free food. This is still one of the best parts of the photo industry as almost all shoots are catered.

And secondly, it was the first job I ever had that didn't feel like a job. I couldn't believe my luck, that people actually got paid to do something so fun. So it's sort of like when you're in love, you just sort of know when something is right.


What do you love about your job as a photographer?

There are so many things to love - meeting new people, meeting new dogs, entering new places and environments, seeing the world, making people happy, the constant challenges, and the fact that every assignment is always different - there's no such thing as monotony.


What kind of photographs are you best known for?

A lot of people know me for my dog portraiture. I have been shooting dog portraits since 2005, and I photograph them in a way that's different from your typical pet photography. I want to give dogs the same care and attention that we often give models, presidents, and celebrities, so the portraits are meant to look more like traditional paintings.


Where has your work been featured in?

My work has been featured in a variety of publications, including Time Out New York, The Bark Magazine, Grub Street New York, and in Photo District News.


Tell us about your new book Canine Chronicles: 1900-2000, A Century of History's Most Notable Dogs. 

The Canine Chronicles is going to be a photo book and fictional history of the 20th century's most notable dogs.

It will feature beautiful photographs accompanied by fictional tales of each dog's individual historical contribution. The dogs will be dressed in fashion appropriate to their historical moment, whether it's a scientist from the 1920's, an aviator from 1930's, a social revolutionary from the 1960's, or a tech innovator from the 1990's.


What inspired you and your sisters in making this book?

We love dogs, we love fashion, and we all enjoy science fiction and fantasy - maybe Cindy a little more than Alice and Winnie on that last one ;)

I love the idea of historical fiction. I just read the Percy Jackson series, and I think it's a great way for people to refresh something they've learned before, but in a new and entertaining way.

Anyhow, since we all know that dogs are responsible for most of the important
things that have happened in our last century, we're just helping to get the truth out there!


What are some notable historical personalities that you will be featuring in the book?

We will feature pooches from the eras of Albert Einstein and Amelia Earhart, a revolutionary dog from the 70's, and a Silicon Valley tech mogul from the 90's.


Tell us about some of the dogs that are being featured in your book? What are some of their breed? Where did you find such talented pooches? And what eras do they represent?

As of now we haven't finished our casting yet. We learned from our first shoot that it's easier to fit clothes onto larger dogs, so we're probably going to lean towards some of the larger breeds.

I love all dogs, but for this project, we're looking for strong facial expressions, like Boxers and Great Danes. I'm a huge pug fan, so I'm going to try my hardest to get a pug in our book! Because we're fitting clothes onto the dogs, the dog models have to be pretty well behaved.

Usually we find our dogs by simply sending out a casting call to friends and family and coworkers. If any of your readers have a pooch in the New York area who's up for the challenge of being a model, feel free to send dog photos to my email - dogportraitsbywinnie@gmail.com.


What did you and your sisters contribute in making this book possible?

So far on kickstarter we've had the support of a lot of friends, family, coworkers, and dog lovers, and we're really thankful for them. We still need more backers on kickstarter in order to make the book a reality, but with the support of more people and great sites like yours, we can reach our goal!


Where can folks purchase your book?

Right now, they can pre-order the book by backing our Kickstarter project at the link below.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1757328257/canine-chronicles

If the Kickstarter project succeeds, we will sell the book at our Etsy store (siblingrivalrie.etsy.com).

Our vision is to make this book available to every dog lover, adult, and child worldwide. The distribution of our book will depend widely on the success of our kickstarter project. So the more people who back our project, the more likely we will find a wider distribution network.


Tell us about your project at KickStarter.

For those who aren't familiar, Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. It allows us to offer exciting rewards in exchange for people's support. Funding is all-or-nothing, so if we can raise $6500 or more within the next 13 days, Canine Chronicles is a go!

If we don't make our goal, nobody gets charged anything, but we won't be able to make our book.

We're offering rewards featuring my dog photography - notecards with envelopes, archival prints, and copies of the final book - in exchange for people's support.


What are your goals for this project?

We need to raise $6500 in 30 days. We're 70% funded and we have 13 days left, so we just have a little bit more to go to make Canine Chronicles a reality. The funds we raise will help us produce the remaining photo shoots and cover the cost of printing the books.

If we reach our goal of $6500, we'll have enough money to create and start printing the books. And if we exceed our funding goal, we'll be able to make the book even nicer and print more copies. So in an ideal world, we'll exceed our goal so that we can get as many books into the world as possible and be able to share our lovely dogs with more and more people.


Where can folks go to support your project?

Right here!  Canine Chronicles





Copyright © 2010 Time Warp Wives.



Winnie, Alice, and Cindy Au

Websites & Contact Information

Canine Chronicles Project at Kickstarter: Canine Chronicles

Sibling Rivalrie/ Esty Store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/siblingrivalrie

Email Address: dogportraitsbywinnie@gmail.com. 

Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

"As a little girl I used to stare at old photos and got sad because things used to look so pretty and things were so ugly when I grew up, it was the 1970s, a very ugly time!"

Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse is a very passionate Historian Consultant from Amsterdam that has worked as a researcher and consultant for several historical film projects, included a series for the Discovery Channel. Jo not only knows about how folks from the 1930's lived, but she has taken her fascination for history to another level by embracing a vintage lifestyle called Neo Traditionalism.


Where are you from?

Born and raised in The Hague, seat of government of the Netherlands, living in Amsterdam the capital for many years now.

How many languages do you speak?

I speak Dutch and English fluently, my German is reasonable.

When did you started your passion for history?

I don’t remember, it has always been there. It probably has something to do with growing up in big old houses filled with old furniture and books about the past and having a very overactive imagination.

How did you become a historian?

I am not really a historian, but went to Film School and was a film/tv director and writer for a while.
Everything I worked on had a historical theme, if it didn’t I didn’t enjoy the project. I soon realized my passion for history was greater then for film/tv and when I was asked to work on a Discovery Channel series as a researcher and consultant. I loved this and decided to concentrate my career on this kind of work. I started my own Historical Consultancy and that’s what I’m doing now.

How long have you been an Historical Consultant ?

I became a Historical Consultant around 2004.

Tell us about your work. What does it entail?

People contact me about all sorts of historical projects and I help them out. Film, tv, museums, historical events ask me to provide research, services, objects, etc.

What is your best and favorite thing about your job? And what is the least thing that you dislike or find it difficult.

The best thing is that you get to share your passion for history and also make sure productions avoid the mistakes that always annoy me so much. Being able to help someone find something they have been looking for for a long time is great but even better is talking to kids and noticing you’re making an impact, seeing in kids eyes that they suddenly find history a little more interesting. The less glamorous side is of course the paperwork, making sure people pay their bills, etc.

Tell us about Netherlands 1940-1945 your study history group. And about your website.

After visiting several Living History events I realized the civilian side of WW2 was not being represented.
I was very interested in Living History, it is a great way to make history more interesting to kids and to fight common misconceptions. I decided to start our own group, specialized in portraying daily life for Dutch civilians during the Second World war.

How many members do you have in your history group? Are they also historians?

We have about 25 members but are also linked to a group in Germany who we often work together with.
Most of us are not historians, just people with a passion for history.

Tell us about your history reenactment events. Describe the different events that you have done.

We see a difference between reenactment and Living History, we don’t see ourselves as a reenactment group as to us that is more about reenacting battles and historical events.

Living History is more about portraying daily life in the past in every detail. We do several events per year, from national liberation parade, to memorial events, to historical shows. Generally we act out scenes like refugees between the front lines, people trying to cross checkpoints, etc. Sometimes we work in museums where we get to build a display showing a living room where we can let people see how life was back then.

How can anyone around the world start a history group like yours? What does it entail?

Just do it. We are not a official organization or club, I just started doing this and people joined me, we build a website and a forum, but that is all.

When and how did your passion for vintage started?

I can’t really say. I have always had a passion for history. As a little girl I used to stare at old photos and got sad because things used to look so pretty and things were so ugly when I grew up, it was the 1970s, a very ugly time! For most of my life I had some old things in my room or house, pictures, objects, just things that somehow fascinated me. I never really felt at home in the present, music, fashion, society, it never really appealed to me.

In the 1980s suddenly the 1950s were very popular in my country, Levi’s commercials brought old music back on tv and suddenly I heard and saw things I liked. As a teenager I decorated my room in fifties style and dressed like a “bobbysoxer” when I went to Rock ‘n Roll parties.

When the 1950s went out of fashion again I decided to stick with it, even better, I discovered older music and that there were people with a passion for the 1930s and 1940s. Suddenly all the puzzle pieces came together, the music I loved, the fashion, design, architecture, movies, everything I really loved came from that era.
I contacted other people who loved the era and realized they had a 1930s lifestyle.

I was totally amazed and when they invited me to a party I went. It was one of the best times of my life and I was sold. At this time I also worked on historical tv shows and had become involved in Living History so my life was full of vintage and I decided to go all the way.

After a while I gathered people around me with the same ideas and I started Club Interbellum.
Soon it became more then just a way of dressing, it became a lifestyle that we call Neo Traditionalism.
Just like the kind of architecture that takes the best from the past and uses it in the present by building 1930s houses with modern comforts.

Tell us about your passion for retro style and fashion.

I was never interested in fashion or even appearances at all. I wore jeans and a t-shirt, never wore makeup, never cared for my hair. I never read fashion or style magazines, watched shows about such programmes, etc.
But when the 1950s became ‘hot’ in Holland, I started looking at old magazines and for the first time saw women with a certain style that made me think; “I’d like to look like that!”.

So then I started experimenting with my image.When I started participating in Living History events and working for film/tv, I started collecting vintage items and clothing and wearing it outside events. One day I just  got rid of everything modern.

Describe your vintage style. Which are your favorite fashion year styles?

I am still not very glamorous, most of the time I wear common day dresses from the past. I concentrate on the late 1930s and war years. So a simple dress, stockings and hair in a roll. When I go out I wear a long dark coat and of course a hat and handbag. Of course for the odd party I wear something a bit more pretty.

Where did you get your vintage clothing?

From flea markets, people give them to me or I get them online.

How do you achieve your retro look, your hair and makeup? Which are your basics beauty products.

I simply roll up my hair and pin it. I don’t use any makeup, sometimes a bit of powder and lipstick for special occasions. I guess Sunlight soap is the only product I use a lot!

How did you decorate your retro living space? Describe some of your retro style furnishings.

I have decorated my entire house (although not yet completely finished) in a typical late 1930s lower middle class style. So not full of super modern expensive Art Deco but more a mixed combination of early 20th century furniture. I try to get it as authentic as possible, so it is not like a museum or a house filled with a collection. It is just where I live and where I try to make it look like a real 1930s home.

A style very popular in the 1920s and 1930s here in the Netherlands was “the Amsterdam School”.
Perhaps best described as working class Art Deco. Straight lines but build with wood. I have a great sitting corner and dining set in that style.

There is also a radio in my house, I used to have several but in the 1930s most people (especially of my class) would have more then one so the others were moved to the attic. My radio is a 1920s Dutch model.


What inspires you in life?

The people who lived trough the war, their stories, their attitudes, their sacrifices. They are my heroes and I feel honoured every time I talk to them. But also the look in a child's eye when I teach them something they actually find interesting, something that may ignite the spark of passion for history, that is priceless.

Do you consider yourself as a Timewarpian?

For starters I am not a wife, I am a independent woman who runs her own company and who works too hard. I consider myself a Neo Traditionalist, I think we can learn from the past and make the world better by combining the best of then with the best of now.

I am not a Domestic Goddess or a lady who loves to look pretty in fancy dresses. I am more like those countless women from the 1930s who had to work, didn’t spend all their time looking after family or home. My lifestyle is very authentic, I have almost nothing modern in my home. No washing machine, no TV, no mobile phone, no microwave, no bath. All I have is a fridge and a computer that I need for my work. The fridge will be replaced asap.

Do you have a favorite vintage place or thing that inspires you? 

One of the things that inspired me most, especially in the beginning, is the website my German friends made;
www.swingstyle.de. It introduced me to the vintage way of life.

Besides that there is just so much that inspires me, history is all around us if you are willing to see it. But a letter signed by Otto Frank (Anne’s father), letters by a unknown 1930s couple madly in love, movies like ‘Brief Encounter’ and oh so many songs from that era, they all inspire me.

Got to mention Al Bowlly and The Ramblers in particular, the best Dutch Big Band there was and still is because it is officially the oldest still playing Big Band in the world.

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.

Yes I have attended many vintage events. One of the first and still best was the Trocadero Ball organized by my German friends from the swingstyle group. In a fantastic 1930s hotel with dance floor we all gathered in vintage clothing and danced to lovely old tunes.

Another highlight is the annual liberation parade in Wageningen where we get to show our gratitude to our Canadian liberators. But being allowed to sit in a early 1930s DC2 plane in our vintage clothing was also amazing.

Not to mention seeing a 1930s movie in the amazing cinema theater Tuschinski was superb. But perhaps simply sitting by the radio or playing records and board games in my old living room with friends in vintage clothing is even better.

There are too many to mention!

If you had a chance to go back in time, what year would that be and why?

I would probably go back to 1938, before madness pulled the world into war but after the worst effects of the depression were over. Fashion, music, movies, all very interesting from this past. Although I would be tempted to go a bit earlier so I can fly on the Hindenburg, not its last flight though.

What would you like to bring back from the past?

A zeppelin and Lots and lots of stockings and general clothing and shoes! To be honest, I’d probably not come back or I would fill a entire container ship with all the things I want to bring back.

Do you have a favorite old film, music, singer, movie actress or actor from the past? And tell us why is it your all time favorite.

It is hard to choose, I can’t say what my favourites are but here are a few that come to mind.

A movie high on my list is “Brief Encounter”, perhaps the last romantic story made that I actually understand!
Most movies made after this has people behaving in a manner I just don’t understand.

One of my favourite actors is James Stewart, do I have to explain why?

Marlene Dietrich is probably my favourite actress/singer, again, no need to explain really, I mean… Marlene Dietrich! The Dietrich!

As for music, gosh so hard to say. One that comes to mind is ‘Midnight, the stars and you’ by Al Bowlly, because I’ve loved it long before I became old fashioned after hearing it in ‘The Shining’.

Describe yourself in one sentence.

Moving forward by looking back.





Copyright © 2010 Time Warp Wives



Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse

Websites & Contact Information

www.joeri.net
This is the portal to all my websites.

www.hab3045.nl
This is my Historical Consultancy website.

www.nederland4045.nl
This is my WW2 living History group website

www.clubinterbellum.net
This is the website for our club of Neo Traditionalists, people with a vintage lifestyle.

Video Interview

Watch a video interview with Jo done with English subtitles:
 
Interview with lady from Amsterdam with 1930's lifestyle. 

Tome Wilson of Dieselpunks

Delaware Valley, New Jersey

“To us, this “diesel era” is a time colored by pulp heroes, the Roaring Twenties, flappers, swing kids, and noir detectives. We strive to bring that wonder into today by merging it with our modern world. ”


Meet Tome Wilson the mastermind behind the popular Dieselpunks website. This web developer and photographer from New Jersey had always had a passion for fusing old technology with new. Tome describes that his perfect world takes the best parts of all eras and merges them into one Utopian whole.

Tome what do you do for a living?

I keep a roof over my head by working as a web developer and photographer for a mid-sized advertising firm. It keeps me crazy busy during the day, but It could be worse. I could be stuck in a coal mine or could be shot at like some of my previous jobs.


Describe your perfect job.
 
That’s a rough question. Everyone wants a job doing something they love, but I’d rather have a job where I’m forced to learn and experiment with new skills on a regular basis. It keeps things interesting and keeps my job safe from the impending robot takeover. Plus, whenever you’re earning a paycheck - and I mean really earning it with your own two hands - you’re usually doing it for a client. Take it from me kids, there’s nothing more soul crushing than pouring your heart into a project only to see it ripped apart following someone else’s vision of what it should look like. I like to say, “do what you like for a living and do what you love at home.” This way, you’ll always have something warm waiting for you after a rough day.


Tell us about your talents, hobbies, or other interests.

Besides being a 20th Century history geek, I’m what you’d call a Jack; good enough at a lot of things to be dangerous, but surprisingly I still have all my fingers. The only thing I’ve really excelled at is martial arts. I’ve earned a black belt in Okinawan Shotokan, a degree in Ninpo, and I’ve taken a few years of Aikido, American Boxing, and Capoeira to stay well rounded. Growing up in a Marine family, it was nice to be able to hold my own when a family member came home on leave. As I got out into the world, my interests spread out quite a bit. These days, I pass the time organizing the Dieselpunks website, painting in Photoshop, studying supernatural folklore, and learning music theory on the violin.


What is Dieselpunk?

Dieselpunk is a subculture and a subgenre of postmodern art that blends the aesthetics of the 1920s - 1940s with today.

To us, this “diesel era” is a time colored by pulp heroes, the Roaring Twenties, flappers, swing kids, and noir detectives. We strive to bring that wonder into today by merging it with our modern world. Going back to its roots, the term dieselpunk is a play on the 1980's sci-fi genre cyberpunk; except, where cyberpunk was set in the near future, dieselpunk draws inspiration from the near past. Since its inception as a marketing buzzword in the ‘90s, it has grown in scope to describe a worldwide movement of artists.

Subjectively, the dieselpunk culture is all about using the past as an inspiration for improving our present lives. Artwork - including visual arts, music, literature, and architecture - created in the dieselpunk style is heavily influenced by elements of the aesthetic movements that were most prevalent in Western culture during the diesel era such as:

Arts - Abstract Expressionism, Art Deco, Bauhaus, Constructivism, Cubism, Dada, De Stijl (Neo-Plasticism), Futurism, International Style, Surrealism.

Music - Blues, Jazz, Ragtime, Cabaret, Swing, and Bluegrass music.

Literature - Symbolism, Stream of consciousness, Modernism, Pulp, and Noir.

As a culture, we hold education in the highest regard and value DIY labor over mass-market consumerism whenever possible. A surprising number of our members are engineers, designers, mechanics, and objectivists, making the culture very “hands on” as a whole. To view a short manifesto explaining the other tenets of the dieselpunk movement, please visit http://www.dieselpunks.org.


What is the difference between Dieselpunk and Steampunk?

Dieselpunk takes its cue from the world immediately following WWI through the end of WWII. Steampunk is a similar movement, but it mainly focuses on the Victorian and Edwardian eras, a time when the steam-powered technology of the Industrial Revolution was king. Due to the “retrofuturistic” similarity between the two, we often end up sharing members.

To explain the difference based on my personal experience, Steampunk contains more fantastical elements than Dieselpunk, but I see this as a lack of preserved source material more so than a consistent design style.

Where a dieselpunk can experience full-length movies, clear photographs, and high-fidelity audio records from his favored era, steampunks content themselves with relics from the birth of these technologies (cinematographs, silver plates, and wax cylinders respectively). This lack of audio/visual source material is married with the “adventure!” spirit of the steam age, and the result is a lot more fantasy than historical crunch. That’s not to say that dieselpunk isn’t crunchy, it just has a lot more real world inspirational roots to draw from.


What movie or book best describe the Dieselpunk and Steampunk culture?

The definitive dieselpunk movies of our generation are Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, the anime series Big O, Disney’s The Rocketeer, and pulp hero Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Along with the modern classics, there are many others from the past we love such as HG Well’s Things to Come, Just Imagine, and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. The best part is, since a lot of our favorite classic movies are falling out of copyright, you can watch them online for free. We keep a video library on Dieselpunks.org with a ton of the best flicks from today and yesterday http://www.dieselpunks.org/video.

Steampunk is best represented in literature, especially the works of William Gibson (The Difference Engine), Jules Verne (all of his early fiction), Scott Westerfeld (Leviathan), and GD Falksen (The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday).


When and how did your passion for Dieselpunk and Steampunk culture started?

I’ve always had a passion for fusing old technology with new, whether that is merging electronics with classical instruments or using noir themes in my horror stories, it’s always been an underlying theme in my work. When steampunk hit the internet in a big way a few years ago, it really did a lot to motivate me as an artist and be more public with my work.


What do you like the best about the Dieselpunk and Steampunk?

I like dieselpunk and steampunk for the same reasons you like retro living. It acts as a motivator for self improvement by proving that everything in life doesn’t have to come in a pre-packaged beige box. It says, “I can still live in today’s world without being a slave to it,” and isn’t that what we all want; a little freedom?


What made you decide to start your Dieselpunk network?

This one’s simple. I looked around the ‘net for other people whom I’d love to meet and I started setting the gears in motion to do so. Thankfully, I’m a computer geek and we live in an age where social networking is ubiquitous, so the tools were pretty easy to come by.

In the beginning, when the site was brand new, I spent weeks pumping it nonstop with content. I figured I needed to give the world something really fun in order to gain some staying power, so to me this meant writing well researched articles, uploading interesting music, and building a visual library of thousands of pictures to help inspire others.

My goal is to meet and inspire others to do something similar for themselves. Our website gives those people an outlet and the tools to make their voice heard. Whether they sink, swim, or build a monkey powered ski-boat is up to them. Thanks to our hard work, we’ve become the central hub on the ‘net for all things dieselpunk.


Tell us about your Dieselpunk network. What do you feature in your website?

The website features a ton of eclectic history pieces from the jazz age up until the end of World War II. For example, in the Photo area, we have a storehouse of old propaganda posters, pin-ups, WPA artwork, and hundreds of images from Golden Age Hollywood. On the homepage jukebox, we stream a mix of classic Big Band and Jazz artists - any Duke Ellington fans here? – combined with modern day dieselpunk and steampunk bands like Dr. Steel, Abney Park, VNV Nation, and Vernian Process.

Thanks to our members, we’re directly in touch with a lot of these living icons, so we also have a lot of interviews that explain what kind of madness it takes to be a musician/artist in our modern age. Those big articles are reinforced by weekly series, like: Camera Monday (a look at photography and camera tech in the diesel age), Two Fisted Tuesdays (a weekly focus on noir), Wednesdays with Sherlock Holmes, and Lord K’s Garage (a look back at diesel era sports cars and weird vehicles). Once in a while, we’ll even run a serial spread out over the course of several days like the 20 part Harry Houdini: The Master Mystery.

You see, before TV was popular, people would flood into movie theatres to watch short “cliff hanger” serials that were the precursors to today’s TV series. Each one would usually end with the hero in some kind of life-or-death peril, which kept the audience coming back for each new reel. We keep the suspense going on Dieselpunks by hiding each episode on the site until it’s time to reveal it. This keeps the excitement fresh, and keeps people talking about what will happen next on our forums.

Other than that, we’re always on the move! We’re partnered with a bunch of other retrofuturist websites and podcasts that use Dieselpunks as a news hub. These websites help spread the word on what’s happening on their sites so people can stop into Dieselpunks and always find out what’s new with the movement regardless of where it was originally posted.


What kind of Dieselpunk & Steampunk event are out there that you recommend?

I recommend any place where you’re with friends and you’ll have a good time. If you’re looking for something new to try, then I highly recommend:

The Makers Faire in San Francisco (www.makerfaire.com).

A live Abney Park show in Seattle (abneypark.com).

The Steampunk World’s Fair in New Jersey (www.steampunkworldsfair.com).

New Year’s Eve at The Edison in Los Angeles (www.edisondowntown.com).

The Dances of Vice in New York City (www.dancesofvice.com).


Describe the kind of clothes that Dieselpunks and Steampunks wear at their special events?

There’s a fine line between high fashion and cosplay (costume play) at ‘punk outings.
As the culture is super artistic, people will attend our parties in some pretty wild clothes, ranging from modded military uniforms to elaborate fantasy creations of their own design. Personally, I prefer a mix of functional retro clothing that I can wear day-to-day, but steampunk and dieselpunk “club wear” can be insanely creative and intricate. The band Abney Park and the costume creations of Kit Stølen are prime examples of this.

If you’re looking for pictures, there are a few good ones on Flickr SteampunkFashion and a great steampunk fashion gallery over on the Clockwork Quartet’s website Clockworkquartet.com.


What are your favorites Dieselpunk and Steampunk designs?

My favorite pieces of ‘punk art are those that truly blend the past with today. For example, the band Diablo Swing Orchestra opens their latest album with a song titled A Tap Dancer's Dilemma. If you listen it (on our jukebox for example), you’ll hear that it’s a mix of modern rock with Big Band & Swing rhythms and horns accompanied by Andrews Sisters-esque backing vocals. It’s a wonderful track that blends everything I like about dieselpunk into one tight package.

As for the steampunk movement, I can’t get over the artistic genius of The Clockwork Quartet. They’re a collection of steampunk artists in England who are building a complete world around their artwork. Not only have they created theatre level character designs and professional costumes for each of their members to draw inspiration from, but they’ve even gone so far as to build their own custom steampunk instruments to create music with. Best of all, they’ve decided that their music - including MP3s, lyrics, and sheet music – is to be given away for free to help spread the word.


What do you like and don't like about the modern world?

I love our freedoms and technology. Before the modern age, the world was a much larger place. These days, keeping in touch with people around the world is as easy as pressing a button. Without that technology and the freedom to use it, I doubt steampunk and dieselpunk would have ever ignited they way they have. The retro lifestyle isn’t very popular, so it’s good to know that there are others in the world that share similar interests.

Sadly, that same technology makes people lazy; so lazy in fact that they forget their freedoms. I’m not happy being content, because I know two big things.

1. The biggest library in the world is at my fingertips.

2. There is nothing between me and that knowledge except the motivation to learn.

It’s not enough to be spoon fed. As a free human being, you have the ability to change your world into something you can be proud of, and there’s nothing stopping you but yourself.


Describe your take of a perfect world?

My perfect world takes the best parts of all eras and merges them into one utopian whole.


If you had a chance to go back in time, what year would that be and why?

I wouldn’t go back. I’m having too much fun here! Plus, knowing my luck, I’d probably sit on a butterfly and end up causing a pandemic plague in the 70’s. I’d come back to a time filled with Mad Max cars and mullets.


What inspires you in life?

The knowledge that I have the resources to change it for the better.





Copyright © 2010 Time Warp Wives

Tome Wilson of Dieselpunks

Websites & Contact Information

Dieselpunk website address: (www.Dieselpunks.org).

All of our latest events and newsfeeds are posted on the Dieselpunks homepage.

You can reach our news archive at: (www.Dieselpunks.org/profiles).

You can reach our events page at: (www.Dieselpunks.org/events).

Debbie DeMarco

EverAfterCosmetics.Com

"I think these tough economic times have also helped shift my perspective on what's important, and as a Timewarpian, I am gravitating toward the more simpler ways of life - of staying home and cooking, doing the homemaking, and eventually (hopefully) caring for children."

Debbie DeMarco is a fun and perky gal who is very passionate about life. Although she found herself unemployed, she took the opportunity and courage to start her own online cosmetics business, EverAfterCosmetics.com. Debbie loves everything vintage. And she happens to look a lot like her biggest vintage inspiration, Audrey Hepburn.


Debbie grew up in Massachusetts near Boston.  When she was a very small child, she longed for a warmer climate and had her heart set on California.  When walking home from school with her grandmother up a steep hill in the blistery wind and snow, Debbie would say, "When I turn 18, I'm moving to California!" And she did.  She now lives in California with her partner of eight years. Debbie said that their relationship feels like a Timewarpian relationship. "He is bringing home the bacon, and I am doing the housekeeping, making meals, running the errands - tasks we used to share 50/50 (as we did the expenses). To be honest, I kind of like this arrangement better."

Ever since she can remember she loved singing. As a child she even had a chance to be on television and on the radio. Debbie still writes songs and plays guitar as a way of self expression. She even auditioned for American Idol a few years ago.

Her passion for vintage started when her grandmother use to show her black and white photos of her and her friends and her husband from the mid 1920s through the 1970s.  "My favorite periods were the 40s and 50s.  I just adore the hair, makeup, and clothing styles from those periods and have brought them into my 21st century life. Being compared to Audrey Hepburn a few times in my life (and not really knowing who she was), I watched the film Roman Holiday. Now I take it as the highest compliment if anyone suggests even a subtle resemblance, whether in looks or demeanor."

For many years Debbie worked as an Office Manager/Administrative Assistant. She then decided to complete her Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies: Behavioral Science, Communication, and English. Debbie wanted to work in the social work field and took a position as an Intake Coordinator and Case Manager at a major non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area.  "It really broke my heart to see the conditions that so many families in my very own community were living in.  The toughest part were hearing women and children talk about their experience with domestic violence in their home.  In fact, as much as my heart was in the right place with wanting to serve others in social work, I began to take on the client's traumas, as they triggered me to remember things from my own past, and I took ill.  I had to get out of the field."

Debbie found herself unemployed but avidly seeking work. But in 2009 she found the courage to start her own business, Ever After Cosmetics. "Having lost my job and unsure of my direction or what I was supposed to do, I decided to tap into my interest in self-care and how good it made me feel to take good care of myself, including my appearance. Thus began my work with makeup and cosmetics."

Debbie took two courses from the revered professional makeup artist, Kandee Johnson, of YouTube fame.  Afterward she set sail establishing herself.  "Every little sale helps out right now. And I take pride in wrapping each order and shipping it myself." Debbie hopes that some day her company may get too big to do this for every order, but she hopes she will still find ways to make a personal connection with her customers.

Before she decided to sell a particular line of cosmetics. Debbie sampled and tried cosmetics from many different lines. She eventually narrowed down what she was looking for: High Quality Products, Made in the USA, and Not Tested on Animals.  She finally came across two lines that meet these expectations: LipSense and Besame Cosmetics.

LipSense: It's a semi-permanent lipstick that pretty much lasts all day. It doesn't transfer onto your glass, or come off when you eat, or when you give a kiss. The range of colors and the fact that the company doesn't test on animals make it worth the price. Debbie said that when she tested this product, she was so impressed that she just had to sell it. Besame Cosmetics: Is a one-of-a-kind vintage reproduction make up line. When Debbie came across this product she realized that she could channel her efforts and energy into a special niche: Makeup for the Retro and Rockabilly crowds. "I love all things vintage, and it all just came together."

And like any startup business, there are some challenges. Debbie explained that some of the challenges of having a cosmetics business is being able to keep up with having items in stock to satisfy your customers' desires. It is an investment, and you just never know what colors someone is going to order on a given day. On the other hand Debbie said the perks of selling makeup are immense. She loves selling makeup, because she knows how good and confidence it makes her feel. "I am connecting with women all over the world who share common interests (makeup, beauty, retro, vintage, etc.), and I get to chat with professional makeup artists, models, actresses, and every day women who are excited about what my company has to offer."

Although Debbie's YouTube channel started as her journey to become a makeup artist, she now shares her interests around makeup, style, life, and business. "I also do vintage hair tutorials, relevant book and movie reviews, and sometimes I review cosmetics outside of the lines that I sell."

"The MUAinTheMaking" is Debbie's personal blog where she shares her day's activities, pictures, and thoughts. "My blog posts range from makeup and cosmetics to my own personal victory over an eating disorder, to contests that I run for my readers.

When asked to describe her vintage style, Debbie said, "I would say that I like to mix it up with some winged black eyeliner, red lips, and then contemporary clothes. Audrey Hepburn is my biggest vintage influence, though when I am feeling sultry and sexy, I lean towards influences from Rita Hayworth."

We asked Debbie what year she would visit if she could travel back in time. "I would go back to 1953, the year that Roman Holiday was released."

"I have pretty much always desired to go back in time to the 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s. I am not fully immersed in the lifestyle but am quickly becoming a true Timewarpian. One of Debbie favorite's vintage places on the Internet that inspires her is the "LisaFreemontStreet's" videos on YouTube. She added,  "This gal recreates period hair styles and makeup looks and is very authentic."

When asked to describe herself, Debbie said, "I am a kind and loving soul who is very open and who, in my deepest heart of hearts, loves Life."



Copyright © 2010 Time Warp Wives

Debbie DeMarco

Contact Information

Company:
EverAfterCosmetics

LipSense Product Review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHVnUti_4P8

Debbie's Youtube Channel:
MuainTheMaking