The Nineteen Twenties was the era when women started to gain more freedom for themselves. That's why this style of clothing will always symbolize to me the expressive freedom that I often promote on this website. I'm sure you can imagine how delighted I was to find this shop based in Thailand Called LaVieDelight - It's a shop that focuses mainly on '20s style fashion. I spoke to the owner: ThongBai to find about more about her and her delightful shop.
A: "I went to school to study social and political science. But I have always loved working with my hands, especially sewing, the passion that led to a full-time course in dressmaking in 2009, followed by a part-time leatherwork course in 2011 and 2012. Since then, there was no return. I haven’t had a formal fashion design training, so I read a lot to educate myself. I prefer keeping my work at a handmade level, as opposed to mass production, so I choose to work only with things that really speak to me. I love the freedom one gets in a creative world."
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| Model: Dr. Colleen Darnell |
Q: How and why did you start LaVieDelight?
A: "I have been using Etsy as the main marketplace to sell my handmade products. So far, I have had four Etsy shops, each offered different types of products ranging from bags, jackets, skirts, and dresses. After a couple of years of experimenting with different types of products and ways to sell them it was clear to me that it was vintage-inspired clothing, especially from the 1920s, that I wanted to focus on. So I closed all my Etsy shops in order to open a new one in 2013 to sell solely my 1920s-inspired clothes. The shop was called The House of Recollections, which was changed to La Vie Delight in 2018.”
Q: How did you come to love 1920s fashion? Of all the eras why did you choose to recreate 1920s style fashion?
A: "I chose 1920s fashion because of the fun, the value and significance attached to the world history of the years 1920s. My dresses would be attending great parties around the world, organized not only to celebrate the current situations, such as birthdays and weddings, but also to appreciate the value and culture of the Roaring Twenties. A grandmother of the groom would come to me, many months before the wedding, asking me to create her a dress for her special family event. A mother would write with excitement for having found my dress, for it to be a perfect dress for her daughter during a school show. Then people would send pictures of them in the dresses, with compliments about how they loved and enjoyed wearing them. I just love my work and would not change it for anything."
Q: I see your company is based in Thailand, is there an active vintage clothing community there?
A: "Vintage clothing is also very popular in Thailand. However, it is more of Thai traditional style clothes than western fashion."
Q: Will you ever recreate different eras such as the 1950s or 60s style clothes?
A: "Most probably not. I love 1920s fashion and wake up every day to do what I love. I have a big plan, a dream, in front of me. There are so many styles or sorts of 20s clothes that I want to recreate. The ultimate goal is to offer wedding dresses. "
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| Model: Dr. Colleen Darnell |
Q: Which design do you currently have up for sale do you recommend buying the most?
A: "We begin to use more silk for our clothes and I would like to recommend one of them, especially the one with the tiered skirt. They are so sweet and flattering. However, I would rather like to invite everyone to visit the shop and browse through to see our selections of styles, fabrics, and colors. Get in touch if you have questions on anything. And if you would like a recommendation, just tell me what your needs and wants are and I will do my best to help meet them."