INPerson
Miss Liz Chérie
Pure French Vintage
French vintage pin-up Miss Liz Chérie hails from Toulouse and currently has hopes to move over to the UK next summer, in time to attend some vintage festivals. We caught up with her to find out why the ‘50s are her favourite era and what the retrospective scene is like in France.
How did your vintage journey begin?
I discovered the ‘40s and ‘50s in image, through films. I’m a real ‘movie-lover’ and after following the careers of some ‘90s popular film directors like Lynch, Carpenter and the Cohen brothers… I began to discover the Golden Age films of Hollywood.
I can’t name the first ‘40s and ‘50s movie I saw, but it changed my life. Everything in this period suits me, perhaps because every single little thing is moved by aestheticism. There is a consistency between it all.
How did that lead to Pin-Up?
I was much too fascinated by the image of women of this period to be only a spectator! Film Noir is my favourite film genre – the woman are strong, mysterious, and oh so glamorous. When an actress appears on screen, I can’t keep my eyes off her.
Mix that with the fact that aestheticism and design are almost an obsession for me, it led me to completely change my way of life. Vintage is my way to express myself and build the world I want to live in. This is not only a way to dress, it covers all the points in my life; it is also an attitude.
How did you come up with your Pin-Up name?
My name is Elisa but everyone calls me Liz. I became “Miss Liz Chérie” as I wanted to have an artist’s name when I started modelling, which was six or seven years ago.
I choose Chérie, which means darling in French, to keep my French touch. I also dreamt of every gentleman calling me chérie but it hasn’t turned out the way I expected… everybody calls me Miss Liz ha ha ha ha!
I added Miss, to pay homage to Christian Dior, with his perfume Miss Dior Chérie. To me, he’s one of the most influential men in 50’s fashion; I have a lot of admiration for his work.
What is it about the ‘50s that really appeals to you?
To me the ‘50s represent joy, happiness and glamour. It represents me well as I am a positive, open minded, and kind person.