Hair and makeup: Melanie Harris For Oliver Piro

What do you do? I am a vintage expert-guru and collector and have just written a book for HarperCollins, Vintage L.A.: Eats, Boutiques, Decor, Landmarks, Markets & More. Now I’m in the process of writing Vintage NY. I also blog about my cross-country “vintageing” adventures (jenniferbrandttaylor.com): My husband (Nic Taylor) and I search for unique treasures every weekend, accompanied by our pug, Ali Baba. I also design a line of handmade jewelry out of vintage findings, called J.B. Taylor.

How would you classify your style? It’s an homage to Auntie Mame, Marianne Faithfull, ’80s Molly Ringwald, Holly Hobbie and members of the Ziegfeld Follies. But if I had to give my look a label, I’d call it “granny glam.”

What are some of your favorite places to hang out in NYC? Penelope for fish-and-chips, the Folk Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum for inspiration, A-1 Records for disco LPs, Fabulous Fanny’s for vintage eyeglasses, Film Forum for classic flicks, the Strand for out-of-print design books, the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel so I can sip cocktails and eat party mix with Dorothy Parker’s ghost, Portmanteau in Williamsburg for unique vintage home decor, banana splits at Serendipity III—Marilyn and Warhol’s fave hang.

Why did you choose this location for the photo?I’m obsessed with the treasure-chest room in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, so I wanted my closet to evoke that same fantastical feeling. It’s like my secret little Gypsy cave, filled with all the vintage objects that I adore.

What are you excited to do this fall? Discover more NYC haunts for my upcoming book, Vintage NY; dine at the legendary “21” Club for the first time; and explore upstate New York, where my husband and I are dreaming of finding an old farmhouse to convert into a letterpress/craft studio for our company, Thunderwing Press (thunderwingpress.com).

OTHER STYLE ARCHETYPES:
Modern dandy | Art minimalist | Eco-fashionista | Skateboard mogul

FALL FASHION ’08:
What fashion archetype are you? | Bite my style | What’s mine is yours | 1+1 = style | It all goes together | Who wears the trou?