I'm very excited to share my recent interview with Bianca Turetsky, author of
The Time-Traveling Fashionista series and its newest entry,
The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antoinette. If you haven't heard of the series yet: It follows the adventures the young and vintage-loving Louise Lambert, who receives a mysterious invitation vintage fashion sale and, upon trying on unique vintage wear, finds herself transported back in time. The first novel sent Louise on the historic and fateful first voyage of the Titanic in 1912--the newest and second novel will find Louise in the distant 18th century, in the glittering but also doomed world of Marie Antoinette. The second novel is set to be released on September 18th and can be pre-ordered from retailers such as
Amazon.com.
Q. What was your inspiration for the first Time Traveling Fashionista book? And did you always plan for the story to be a series?
A. The
idea came to me a few years ago after visiting this amazing vintage
shop in New Haven CT, called Fashionista Vintage and Variety. It’s owned
by these two fabulous women, Todd and Nancy, who know everything and
anything about vintage clothing. I tried on this pink party dress that
belonged to a Mrs. Baxter from Newport Rhode Island, and I couldn’t help
but wonder what her life was like, what the last gala or fancy event
was that she wore this to. Was she in love? Was she happy? And how in a
way, her memory was being preserved through this garment.
©Sarah Shatz (2012)
I
had always hoped it would be a series, as there are so many historical
events to explore and people who would be fun for my character Louise to
meet through their dresses!
Q. This second
story takes Louise all the way back to 18th century France. What kind of
research did you do on the time period and what would you say was the
most difficult part of putting Louise in that historical setting?
A. Doing
the research for this book was so much fun. My grandmother, who
immediately volunteered to be my research assistant, and I went on a
trip to Paris! We took the train out to the palace of Versailles to see
what it is actually like in person. It’s really hard to appreciate the
scale and grandeur of the place from photographs- although I hope I was
able to capture it in this story. We ate lots of French pastries (for
research purposes of course!) and wandered around the grounds and
gardens where Marie Antoinette lived hundreds of years ago.
The
most difficult part was trying to be as historically accurate as
possible. The books are fun, but through them I also want to get girls
excited about history by teaching it in this new way- through the
fashion of the times.
Q. Could you tell us a little about what inspired you to pick that particular time period?
A. After watching Sofia Coppola’s movie, Marie Antoinette,
which was such a visual treat, I became obsessed with the fashion and
food and aesthetic of that time period. And Marie Antoinette herself is
such an iconic historical figure that I thought it would be fun to
research more about who she actually was as a person. She was really
just a girl when she was thrown into such responsibility. I thought my
readers, many of who are just a few years younger than she was when she
was taken from her home and married into the French royal family, would
be able to relate to her in a different, more intimate way.
Q. Fashion,
obviously, plays a big part in the books. How would you compare the
fashion of Marie Antoinette's court with the fashion of the well-do-to
during the early 1910s? Do you personally have a favorite 18th century fashion style?
A. The
fashion of the 1910’s was constricting, but it had nothing on the
heavy, corseted frocks of Marie Antoinette’s court. The gowns were so
complicated and intricate that it would take a whole gaggle of ladies in
waiting to help her get dressed each day. I think I’d prefer to wear
the more casual (and definitely more comfortable) muslin tea dresses
that she introduced when she was spending more time at Petit Trianon.
Q. And
finally: The first novel definitely had a "there's no place like home"
feel to it. Is there a special message you hope to convey to readers in
the second book?
A. The second book has a bit of that
“there’s no place like home” and “be careful what you wish for”
sentiment as well. I feel like when you’re 12 (or at least when I was!)
you want to be living in another more fabulous life with hair that never
frizzes, a less embarrassing set of parents, and a fabulous closet full
of clothes. Of course I still feel that longing sometimes, but I’ve
grown to feel more comfortable in my own skin and appreciate my “real”
life more as I get older. Louise is still learning that!
--
I'd like to thank Bianca Turetsky for taking the time to answer my questions and many thanks to Lisa Moraleda,
(Associate Director of Publicity at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) for helping me set this interview up!
*This interview has also been published on my Tumblr blog,
Treasure For Your Pleasure.
