Confidence as a Symptom of Wearing Ageless, Fun Vintage Clothing: An Interview with Gianna Corvino
Written by Erin Norton
Image courtesy of Maddie Pope
On Thursday May 14th, I had the pleasure of chatting with the founder of The NY Archive, Gianna Corvino, as she hosted her vintage pop-up event with vendors It’s Vintage Bitch, Effortless Vintage, and The VNTG Collective. We talked about her white whale of clothing items, Desperate Housewives, and the agelessness of fashion.
Erin: What shoes do you want to be buried in?
Gianna: I have the Dior Gambler heels. They went super, super Pinterest viral. I have a larger size foot, which is why I’m always about inclusive sizing in shoes. We do 34 to 43. I believe there’s a shoe for everyone, but [I thought I’d] never find the Gamblers in my size. [I was like“ They will be my white whale, they will evade me.”] One day, the Instagram [Explore] page brought me to the white whale and I found the Gamblers in my size. I was trying to justify the purchase with everything under the sun. I called my parents and said I think I need them, I’ve been waiting for years. Anyway, I pulled the trigger and I bought them. They are, by far, the most fabulous pair of shoes I own, and they are so meaningful to me. It was one of my first big vintage purchases after I started The NY Archive. They are very sentimental to me, I will have to die in them.
E: That is so special, I’m so glad you found them. It’s always the most random places, like your Explore page, or an ad that just pops up, and it’s something you’ve needed your whole life.
E: In your opinion, what is the most overlooked, should be, closet staple?
G: Oh my goodness, anything beaded. I feel like it’s a really big trend right now, but it has always been big for me. [Beading] has a ton of craftsmanship to it. All of those pieces are just so intricate and special. We found some beaded shoes that are going to be in our next drop.
E: Oh my God.
G: It’s taking everything in me not to hold onto them. But I’ve been gravitating towards pieces like that, that are maybe a little bit more fragile and need a little bit more care, but are so special. Those need to be a closet staple instead of something more neutral.
E: Yes! They’re like the Persian rug of clothes.
G: That’s an incredible comparison!
E: Beaded is really coming back, in a good way.
G: Thank God, everyone else is catching up. I gotta stop being the only one wearing it.
E: What was your first spark of inspiration when starting The NY Archive?
G: My first spark of inspiration was always my mom. My mom in the early 2000s was very much Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives. She was always in a pair of heels, always in a little mini skirt. She was everything to me. She really pushed my creative exploration [when it came to fashion]. I had this overflowing box of little costume dresses. [My mom] would never say no to anything, so I would put on my full feather party dress that she got me from the Disney store, and she’d let me go out thinking it was normal. That and my little plastic heels. It was genuinely the most fabulous I’ve ever felt in my life. Once I started school, I realized not everyone else was doing that. It tampered down my personal style. It wasn’t until adult life that I’ve been able to really bring that out fully again. I wanted to create a space and brand that brings that little girl out in women who want to celebrate fashion and play dress up. Who doesn’t want to play dress up?
E: I work at a children’s bookstore and it’s so awesome seeing little girls come in with their parents and they’re wearing the coolest stuff ever. It’s evidently costume clothes, but they treat it as normal.
G: I did not know that wasn’t normal. I literally was out there in a flapper dress. I would think: why are you guys wearing shorts? Nobody told me!
E: Yes, and their confidence is through the roof.
G: Yeah, I’ve been trying to get back to that. I want to be as I was at six years old, now at 26.
E: Is there a color that you will absolutely never wear?
G: Oh my God, no! I would never say that. But I do want it on the record that I’m very much in my pink era right now. I spent so much of my life pretending that I didn’t like pink because I didn’t want to be associated with [girliness]. I was the person that wanted to have a pink bedroom, but thought I needed to have a blue and green one. Like:“ I am different, I’m not like every other girl”. [The truth is] I love pink. I painted my ceiling pink. My boyfriend and I live together. He took a nap. I went to Home Depot. Within two hours, our ceiling was pink. He woke up and was like:“ what happened here?” This is how it should have been the whole time. The ceiling is pink, the door to that room is pink. Color is just so fun. I would never stray away from anything at this point. It’s an exploration of things I like.
E: What has been your favorite pop-up so far?
G: I think the one we did for Fall Fashion Week was my favorite. It was the first event we ever did in this space, in Hot Studios. It was to celebrate a collaboration that I had designed with Maison des Nus. They created a homeware collection. It was called Inside The Archive. It was based on [the] personal style inside my home. We embroidered these pillowcases with fun phrases.“ You’re too cool for your nine to five” and“ bitches are people too,” all kinds of things. We brought a bed [to the space], and set it up to look like my apartment. I brought sheets and did a tablescape. It was so obviously a labor of love, but it was so special to make it come to life in that way. We truly tried to immerse people in that world. I fully asked people to lay in bed with me. Put on a sleep mask and get in bed, I’ll read you a bedtime story.
E: You fully curated that. That’s so cool.
G: Baby, I brought the sheets!
E: Who is your dream The NY Archive house ambassador?
G: Honestly, it might sound sappy to say, but, my mom. It would be so full circle to me, to have been inspired by her and [then] be able to pay homage to that by styling fun pieces that fit women of all ages and making them feel confident. She is really the it girl of my dreams. But obviously, I’m just so grateful for everyone who resonates with my brand and wants to represent it.
E: Fashion doesn’t have an age. People forget that there is not an age limit.
