Turtle Love Co.’s Vintage Style Council has some pretty creative members in it, including September’s Member of the Month Christine from The Big Mac Blog. Christine, a London-based clothing designer, recently finished up a roadtrip across America with her sister (which she chronicled on her blog and you can read about here) and is now in Berlin before heading back to the UK. Below is an interview we recently conducted with Christine about her style, favorite jewelry, and inspirations.

In the interview you did on the Pocket Change Blog you mentioned you were quite goth in your style when you were a teenager- what inspired you to make the shift to the more light and floral vintage style you have now?

Change is inevitable; the shift has been very organic, I guess. I spent my teenage years in deepest, darkest Yorkshire (a fairly sleepy town in the countryside) listening to a lot of heavy metal, punk rock and grunge without a lot of disposable income and an obsession with artists like Cindy Sherman, Leigh Bowery and Sarah Lucas. I used to play around with ‘looks’ dressing up and rockin´ out. I remember borrowing my Mum’s leather jacket, my sister’s Doc Martens (Both of which were far too big!), painting my face white and slapping on red eye shadow right up to my drawn on eyebrow. I used to get told to wash my face a lot in high school. Up until around 18 years old I dyed my hair a lot too, usually jet black (you can imagine the roots!). I was always a little shy and remeber my parents saying I needed to go to drama school to ‘get out of my shell.’ As I’ve gotten a bit older I guess I’ve learned to embrace my natural self and be much more confident in the way I look and who I am. My love of creating a ‘look’ never really went away- I continue to play around and experiment so today I may be wearing a floral vintage frock but tomorrow who knows? I’ve always fancied being a Hell’s Angel. Number 92 on my list of 100 things to do in 2012 was to be fearless in my appearance. I believe the fact we are all different is what makes life so exciting and if there’s something that makes you stand out, exaggerate it. I never dye my hair anymore and have completley embraced my natural red curly hair. I also believe that confidence is one of the most stylish qualities a person can possess. Style exudes from within. I love this quote by Japanese author Haruki Murakami: ‘the fact that I’m me and no one else is one of my greatest assets.’ It’s important to play around, evolve, don’t take fashion too seriously. Be yourself and enjoy every minute.

Is there a jewelry accessory you couldn’t be without or would recommend everyone have in their collection?

I have a classic pair of pearl earrings that my brother and sister-in-law gave me as a gift a few Christmas ago. They are simple, elegant and timeless and go with pretty much everything I own. I imagine I’ll be wearing them for many years to come.

The majority of our vintage rings are from the 1950s, a decade whose style I know you love. As a designer, what elements of that era’s style do you find most appealing?

I love everything about 1950’s America: listening to Rock ‘n’ Roll music, the cars, the packaging, the graphic signage, the adverts, the architecture, the frocks, the films! The style and design was incredible. I love the attitude. There was real optimism, being able to achieve a seemingly better life driven by certain economic aspects such as advertising, television, cars, the civil rights movement began, the abstract art movement was firing up, the beat generation and culture of teenage and young adults who rebelled against social norms, cultural liberation. The dress styles reflect this, the colours are fun, the fabric prints are playful and they make you want to get in your Cadillac and drive!

You’ve mentioned on your blog that this past road trip across America was to gather inspiration. Was there anywhere you visited/came across in your travels that inspired you in a way you didn’t expect?

It would be unjust to mention one specific location. I could not even begin to describe how intensly I was inspired by our American roadtrip, in ways I never imagined. Our trip was bursting with inspiration, the people, the places, the history. I’m currently working on a book packed with photographs, ramblings and notes from our journey that I hope in some way will do America and her people proud. I have learned so much from them. I started out on a quest to devour all America had to offer, the best vintage shopping, old cinemas, films, street signs, architecture, as I believe we are a sum of our influences, [but] our journey unearthed so much more. I have note pads upon note pads of scribblings so [I] will try to digest and condense my discoveries into my photobook as best I can and hope you’ll find time to share in the notes from my journey.

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This month we named a new batch of vintage engagement rings after the members of our Vintage Style Council. You will get to see more of these antique engagement rings over the next few weeks. Below is our Christine Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring circa 1950, named for September’s VSC Member of the Month. To see our other new rings, click here.