LIL' MISS CUTIE DYNAMITE - THE INTERVIEW!

Andrea Mota is one of the best dressed ladies I know, so I was thrilled when she took her fashion flair to the next level by launching Cutie Dynamite! This accessories line is one of the best on Etsy, renown for it's high quality; and has managed to catch the eyes of celebrities such as Courtney Love (who even gave her a plug in her Myspace blog). A favorite of pinup girls and Harajuku types alike, her designs are incredibly girly yet edgy, and have a distinct vintage inspired look.



With no further adieu, here's our exclusive interview with Andrea herself:



OK, GIRLFRIEND. TELL US WHO'S BEHIND ALL THIS CUTE STUFF.

Hey, I'm Andrea, the lady behind Cutie Dynamite. I live in Northern California with my boyfriend John and our pug Elvis. Our lives revolve around music and anything DIY!
I craft out of our extra bedroom, which is also a band practice room/recording studio for my boyfriends Psychobilly band, The Tabaltix. It also happens to be exploding with fake flowers, feathers, and anything pink....somehow we make it all work!

WHEN DID CUTIE DYNAMITE START?

December of 2007. I didn't have a job for about 6 months, and got really bored, so I began hoarding pretty ribbons, feathers and vintage jewelry!

I made so many fabulous things that I couldn't realistically wear all on my own (apparently that IS possible), so I got talked into selling at a Holiday fair, and that's how it all began!

WHAT INSPIRES YOUR DESIGNS?

For me it's ALL about colors.... and sparkly stuff of course!

A few things that get me inspired: fabulous old ladies in hats and gloves and too much makeup, decadent desserts, sweets in general, watching period movies and geeking out on the costumes, vintage hats and jewelry, and going on vacation helps....a lot.

IS IT TOUGH BEING A DIY'ER WHEN ONLINE SELLING VENUES ARE FLOODED WITH COPYCATS AND SUBSTANDARD PRODUCTS? WHAT SETS CUTIE DYNAMITE APART AND KEEPS YOU AHEAD OF THE GAME?

I wouldn't say it's tough, it is one of the things that I enjoy most. It can be very trying at times though! Yes, there are a lot of those, but all you can do is keep on doing your thing, and try not to get deterred. For Cutie Dynamite, I use the best materials available to me. I have a very high standard that I set for myself in general, so that helps a great deal. Other than that, I just try to make things that I know I would fall in love with, buy, and look fabulous in!

WHAT'S CUTIE DYNAMITE'S BIGGEST MILESTONE TO DATE?

Honestly, it's the little things that make me feel accomplished in respect to my line. Having brides request that I make them custom pieces for their weddings is very flattering. Being blogged about is always great.

Having gorgeous customers as well as celebrity customers makes it all worthwhile!

ANY PLANS TO TAKE THIS TO A LARGER LEVEL?

Sure! I'm open, really. If it happens it happens, I know I am doing my part to move things along. I just want to enjoy doing this for as long as possible!

YOU LOVE HIGH FASHION. FAVE TRENDS OF S/S 09?

Head wear is still big and I'm loving it. The fact that I can now find almost anything with a bow on it has me going broke!

YOUR STUFF HAS A STRONG VINTAGE FLAIR. HELP US ACCESSORIZE THE FOLLOWING OUTFITS:

FOR A 20s FLAPPER DRESS?



For lots of drama!

FOR A 30s or 40s FLOOR LENGTH BEADED EVENING GOWN?

In this instance I'd want the dress and hair to be gorgeous on its own! I might add a little spray of feathers and a rhinestone center though...

A 50s PINUP STYLE ROMPER, ALA KATY PERRY?



Any of my giant flower pieces really. They're all super girly and fun!

FOR 60s MOD DRESSES?



One of these, in every color!

A 70s VICTORIAN REVIVAL DRESS DRIPPING WITH LACE AND RIBBON?



A BRIGHT 80s PROM DRESS?



A GRUNGY 90s BABYDOLL DRESS?



AN AUTHENTIC GOTHIC LOLITA DRESS FROM JAPAN?



AMAZING! NOW WHERE DO CUTIES GO TO GET CUTIE DYNAMITE?

www.CutieDynamite.com

aka seller 'CutieDynamite' on Etsy!


Many thanks for Andrea for making this great stuff and chatting with us : ).

xoxo, SarahJayne @ Knockout Vintage Clothing

SHE LIVES!!!

Whoops! I'm so sorry for the lack of bloggage these past few weeks, and for not commenting on y'alls blogs the way I normally do.



For most of my life I've been a pack rat (like everyone else in my family), but these past few years I've been wanting a major change: a life of minimalism! And while I talked and talked + fantasized about getting rid of all this excess for a couple years, I never actually took action. *sigh*

But that changed last month! Finally, I started selling off the dozens of shoes I've never worn, the books I've read 3x over, the dvd's I've watched a million times, even the records I no longer have time to sit back and enjoy.

I took some time off from our regular EBay listings to focus on liquidating that stuff. And it feels GREAT. Seriously. I don't miss 'em one bit. I just hope whoever acquired them loves and appreciates them : ).

But enough about that! It's back to business over here, and this month Knockout Vintage Clothing is OVERFLOWING with amaaaaaaaaaaazing stuff! What's left of the dresses from the Miss Teen USA stylist's estate are currently for sale, in addition to other great 50s and 80s party dresses for you last minute prom shoppers (and 24 hour party people).

We're trying to sell more 50s dresses again! When Knockout Vintage Clothing launched 9 years ago, that's pretty much all we sold - 40s and 50s pinup style stuff. It's gotten harder to find in good condition since, so we'll just have to search harder : P.

Of course, we'll continue to stock on-trend vintage! We currently have some really cute bandage dresses, 'secretary' dresses, and sun dresses in our new EBay store. ALL of our store items will include free shipping within the USA!

As always, we stock only the best stuff, yet keep our prices competitive and affordable for you savvy shoppers! A lot of EBay's 'big guy' dealers buy wholesale from us to re-sell on EBay. If you don't feel like overpaying, check us out and get straight to the source ; ).

Here are my fav pics of this weeks listings:



My absolute favorite item of the month. Metallic gold origani + rhinestones! THE 80s DRESS TO END ALL 80s DRESSES!!!



Metallic op art : )



High waisted sailor pinup shorts, from the 70s.



Like a virgin!!! Sooooooooooo Madonna. <3>



ELECTRO PINUP QUEEN!



Tiered ruffles + sequins + rouching! See EBay for a better look.



Fashion's answer to Audrey Kitching's hair.



Metallic lace + tiered ruffles. 80s heaven.



If the Little Mermaid lived in the 80s...



Electro pinup gone mermaid!



Strawberry Switchblade?



Metallic marabou and a bandage cut. High fashion/high drama.



Minnie Mouse gone rock & roll!



LIKE A BAD GIRL SHOULD.



50s red silk chiffon + rayon crepe. Hello, Marilyn.



Early - mid 50s Anne Fogarty piece! Very high end ready to wear ala Lilly Diamond and Suzy Perette.

Sorry they're so space consuming. If there's a way to do a 'cut' ala livejournal, someone clue me in.

Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Cutie Dynamite and much more - coming sooooon!

xoxo, SarahJayne @ Knockout Vintage Clothing

BLACK IS THE NAME OF MY RELIGION

CURRENT OBSESSIONS INCLUDE:

Swedish stylista Lina Osterman's s/s 09 line...

Haute Hungarian designer Dora Mojzes 'Diploma' collection...

And Canadian design duo Greta Constantine's f/w 09 collection!

Yes, the top is made of seat belts.

SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS ENTRY:

The Black Angels (on the brink of being huge, thank god)



Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Black Wire (r.i.p.)



The Black Kids



The Black Keys



............ and of course The Horrors thrown in for good measure : P.

xoxo, SarahJayne @ Knockout Clothing

OH, HELLO BLOG!

Sorry I've been neglectful these past few weeks and have hardly posted/commented. I've been super, super busy with Knockout Clothing and am just starting to wind down... for a few days at least!

I've been hemming a bunch of dresses which go on sale later this month, and making my rounds at estate sales. Also went out and bought more (much needed) accessories for styling our shoots. I'm especially excited about the latter, because accessories can make such a huge difference. I've been lazy and haven't put that much effort into styling the shoots, so I'm working to improve this. You can't grow unless you're willing to critique and improve your own work.

Those are pics from a collaboration I did with photographer Emily Rusk (Digital Pixels), Paper Dolls makeup, and models Caitey Sarganis and Erin Gentry. Emily's friend Brian did the art direction too, and did a pretty fine job if I may say so. They were all great to work with, and I look forward to doing it again.

We shot at Turtle Creek park, which is a really beautiful place. It was sooo freezing though! And windy as hell! I felt bad for Erin and Caitey, but they were great sports : ).

xoxo, SarahJayne @ Knockout Clothing

THE SADDEST ART OF CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA

"Camille Rose Garcia was born in 1970 in Los Angeles, California and grew up in the generic suburbs of Orange County, visiting Disneyland and going to punk shows with the other dissenchanted youth of that era. Her paintings of creepy cartoon children living in wasteland fairy tales are critical commentaries on the failures of capitalist utopias. Creative influences include Phillip K. Dick, William Burroughs, Henry Darger,Walt Disney, as welll as politically aware bands like The Clash and Dead Kennedys. Her recent solo show, Ultraviolenceland, explored ideas of violence and empire.

Her work has appeared in Flaunt Magazine, Rolling Stone, Juxtapoz, and Paper Magazine, among others. She currently lives in Los Angeles." ~ from Camilla Rose Garcia's website.

She's without a doubt my favorite artist, and one I'm hoping will someday take over the world! I'm usually not a big fan of artist/celebrity licensed products, but if she were to branch out into the world of fashion and glamour, you bet I'd LINE UP to buy her stuff. She's already done wallpaper and dolls, so my hopes are pretty high.

I'd love to see her do an environmentally friendly high fashion line. I imagine it'd look much like Galliano's Fall of 2007 collection:













And a mineral makeup collaboration between her and M.A.C. would be splendid! The products could have names like toxic sludge, gangrene, and pharmaceutical blue. Haha.

If you could have any two artists/companies do a collaboration, who would they be, and what would they make?

xoxo, SarahJayne @ Knockout Clothing