An Interview with Penny Heartbleed
Penny Heartbleed @pennyheartbleed, is a 29 year old software engineer and vintage fashion blogger from Norway. With over 41k followers on her instagram, Penny is a well loved figure in the vintage community. Showing that vintage can be worn easily in everyday life, and doesn’t have to be uncomfortable or expensive, Penny’s style is classic and elegant with a slight modern twist. I was delighted when she agreed to this interview, the first on the Eternal Goddess website, and I hope you will be able to learn some more about this wonderful lady!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your fashion sense?
“Hello there! I'm Penny, a 29 year old software engineer and pinup in Norway. I live with my fiancé and two cats, and spend my days coding, doing makeup and hair, sewing, or playing video games.
I have always been interested in technology and science, so I'm very lucky to be able to work with something I love. I have also always been interested in typically girly things, barbies and fashion and hair and makeup, which is what I display more of online, I guess. I grew up in a rainbow family, so I was lucky and my interests were never judged as "too girly" or "not girly enough", and I was encouraged to keep going with any interests that I had.
My fashion sense I think is very classically feminine 50s, but I try not to focus too much on dressing "correct" for a certain era. I dress in things that make me feel happy and well, and for the most part that is wavy flowy hair, eyeliner and red lips, and well fitting clothes! If I can fit something nerdy in there as well, all the better.”
When did you choose to start dressing vintage? And did you have any other particular styles before?
“My style has flip-flopped a lot, but I have always liked seeing my interests reflected in what I wear. When I was very little my mum used to sew most of my clothes, and I always asked for the pinkest, frilliest dresses. Except for my birthday when I wanted to host a "Pirates and Princesses" birthday party, and I wanted to be one of the pirates. Growing older I found shops on the internet that sold nerdy things and I jumped into it, and my style was basically a fitted nerdy T-shirt and jeans. By this time I was in university for computer science, and I think I wanted to prove to people that I belonged. As one of the very very few girls, your motivation and interest is always questioned.
I am fairly petite, so finding clothes that both fit and look nice in the high street was always a challenge. Something was always too big, too long, too small, or the waist was in the wrong spot. On a visit to the US, we happened upon a Tatyana's Clothing boutique and let me tell you it was heaven. It was filled with the prettiest clothes, and I could find things that actually fit me! So we spent a good 3 hours in there trying everything on, and I went home with 4 complete outfits. Blouses, skirts, and a dress. They had very "dressy" clothes, so I would wear them any time I got dressed up. They also fit marvellously with my go-to style of makeup for dressing up anyway, lashes, liner, and red lips.
I kept this, let's say, duality in style, until I finished uni and moved to Oslo to work. That first summer I happened upon Manillusion, our local vintage inspired store. Here they not only had the beautiful dresses, but also clothes that would work for every day! Clothes that looked nice, fit, were comfortable, and were well made. I had just started working for the company I'm at now, and for the first time I didn't feel like I always had to prove my worth. I didn't have to walk around constantly displaying my interest in tech to be taken seriously, they appreciated me for who I was and trusted me. That was 4 years ago, and since then I have slowly and steadily switched out my entire wardrobe to just items I love, and feel nice wearing.”
Do you have any major influences when it comes to your style? And if so, what are they?
“Most of all, I dress in what makes me feel happy. But I take a lot of inspiration from the shapes and colour combinations from the 50s, and people like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn. Like a lot of us vintage inspired ladies I think the Dior New Look is a staple.”
You have a wonderful following on Instagram, can you tell us a bit about why you started your account?
“Thank you! I started it around 3 years ago when I was just nearing the end of a project, and honestly I needed some motivation. The office was grey, most of the people dressed in very business colours, and I wanted to bring some more joy into my day. I had worked up a bit of a wardrobe by then, and I used my outfits as a motivation to get to work and look forward to it. I then started taking pictures for instagram to hold myself accountable and keep at it! There are so many wonderful profiles on instagram that go full out on hair and makeup and accessories every day, so I wanted to also show that this style can work for everyone, even if you have 10 minutes to get ready for working a desk job. That is why even now that I have more time, better equipment, I still mix both more professional photos and my everyday outfit photos. A lot of my followers have said they really appreciate seeing the way I style for every day. I know brands will always favor the heavily styled photoshoots, which are fun to do and fun to look at, but I also want to show how clothes work every day.”
Wearing vintage and reproduction can be rather expensive, do you have any tips on how to dress vintage on a budget?
“Absolutely! Thrift stores are always good if you have any nearby, but I have struggled to find things I like in my size. So my biggest tip is to shop for separates in the high street, high waisted skirts and T-shirts and tops, tuck it in and add a belt and you're good to go! A lot of my clothes, especially tops, are from the high street. It doesn't have to be vintage to look vintage!”
If you had to give one piece of advice to your younger self about your style now, what would it be and why?
“Stop caring so much about what other people think, you have nothing to prove to them. Other women and girls are wonderful and any boy who tells you "you're not like other girls" is trash and doesn't deserve your attention. Wear what makes you happy, and don't be afraid of colour. Also you look pretty great in a fitted suit.”
Do you have any wishes for the future of fashion?
“I hope we're moving more in a direction of freedom, less restrictions on who wears what, gendered clothing, gatekeeping. I hope to see more natural materials or sustainable materials, and I would love to see more combinations of technology and fashion. Every Iris Van Herpen show has me mesmerised. I hope we see more inclusivity in fashion (please for the love of god make mesh that actually matches every skin tone not just beige). I hope more new and small designers will get support, instead of every rich person spending thousands and thousands on expensive monogrammed bags and tshirts. Clothes that work for everyday people. Clothes that celebrate diversity and showcase fashion around the world without stealing them from indigenous peoples under an umbrella of "I love culture" (Maria Grazia I'm looking at you).“
And finally, what does fashion mean to you?
“Fashion for me is a way to express myself in my everyday life, and in a way extend what's inside my head to the outside, let people see more of me, get to know me a bit just by seeing me. It's a way to extend what I feel. If I'm feeling down I can wear a bright happy colour and be cheered up a bit every time I look in a mirror. But I can also use it to help process bad feelings, if I'm feeling down and want to wallow in it I can, I can wear greys and black and just be ok with not feeling ok.
So in short.. it just makes me happy.”
Fashion is clearly important to Penny, and through her use of her Instagram and Blog she has shared this passion with thousands, inspiring many to delve into the glorious world of vintage fashion.
If you would like to see more of Penny then you can follow her on her social media!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pennyheartbleed/?hl=en
Blog: https://www.pennyheartbleed.com/
