OverDressed for Life

Trashy Diva’s Angie and Shelby.

I noticed a definite vintage look happening in New Orleans: shirtwaist dresses, full skirts paired with tight fitting tops, head scarves and hats. Soon I was hearing the local buzz about a boutique in the French Quarter called Trashy Diva, which offers vintage inspired clothing for women.

Naturally I made a beeline over to Trashy Diva to see for myself. There I met salestaff Angie and Shelby who told me that they like to think of Trashy Diva fashions as “vintage with a hipster twist.”

The silhouettes are mostly 40s and 50s, the fabric prints in cotton and rayon are all designed by Head Diva, Candice Gwinn and in limited editions. So, almost like buying an actual vintage garment you won’t see yourself coming and going. Well, you might a bit in NOLA but that just means you are  a member of the Trashy Diva tribe.

Ms. Gwinn started TD in the 1990s when she moved to NOLA from Atlanta, GA. Initially she sold strictly vintage but after hearing from her customers that fit was often a problem she began making new fashions with the vintage look in larger sizes. Today there are five store locations in NOLA, one in Atlanta, and a vibrant online presence. TD fashions have been featured on the television series Treme, New Girl, and House of Cards. Celebrities like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry count themselves among the Trashy Diva crowd.

The shop itself is located in one of those fabulous old NOLA buildings on Royal Street.  High ceilings and wood floors mixed with kitschy gold gilt mirrors and chandlers make for a charming environment. Retro tunes played in the background as I perused the wide choice of fabric prints. For spring/summer it’s all about color in floral, bicycles, polka dots. This season’s Preservation Hall print features images from NOLA unique music scene in shades of blue. Choose a print and then find it in dresses, skirts, tops, and pants.

Are you thinking – what’s up with the name? I was wondering that too. Here’s what they say on their website:

Trashy Diva was named nearly 20 years ago (before most people ever heard the word DIVA and certainly before it was common). The name was inspired by an article in W magazine about vintage starlets including Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield. We regularly get questioned about “why Trashy”? The Trashy part of the name expresses two different ideas to us. At the start, we sold only vintage, so the idea was that found objects (aka some people’s unwanted items ‘trashy’ ) could be made beautiful and and stylish. Another reason Trashy Diva appealed to us as a name was that it expressed an idea of an irreverent beauty- the girl who doesn’t always follow the rules!!

Name aside, I really enjoyed my experience at Trashy Diva. The clothes, the friendly staff, the vintage vibe … all great fun. Angie says I’m a Trashy Diva, too. Count me in!