The Pulp Girls is probably the epitome of my obsession with everything having to do with , gypsies, tea reading, and midnight-wanderlusting. Last week I had a Q + A with the lovely owners of The Pulp Girls Cailie and Brianna, two moon-speaking sisters of the night. These ladies conjure up hauntingly beautiful images of youth and ephemera, and have a wicked vintage shop to boot.
Check it out below along with some exclusive photos as we chat about inspirations, owning a vintage store and of course, how to kill your evil doppelganger who is after your soul.
The Pulp Girls aesthetic is dark, mysterious, and fantastical-- very different than every day life, how do you two stay inspired? Do you have any keepsakes you keep around for inspiration?
It's easy for us to fall into our fairytale settings, actually! We're both rather dreamy people, preferring our fantasies to reality. When we were little children, we spent every waking minute in some make-believe game or other, so coming up with strange or otherworldly stories became somewhat second-nature to us. Karin Dreijer Andersson (of Fever Ray/The Knife) is probably one of our top shared heroes; everything she does is pure magic. And though it may sounds cliché, the internet has allowed us access to so much beauty, and we draw a lot of inspiration from the endless amounts of talented people we discover and admire! As for keepsakes... we've both complied quite a massive collection of beautiful images and films and books and instruments and jewelry and fabrics and hats and well... many things! We aim to live in the kind of world we conjure up in our stories.
It's easy for us to fall into our fairytale settings, actually! We're both rather dreamy people, preferring our fantasies to reality. When we were little children, we spent every waking minute in some make-believe game or other, so coming up with strange or otherworldly stories became somewhat second-nature to us. Karin Dreijer Andersson (of Fever Ray/The Knife) is probably one of our top shared heroes; everything she does is pure magic. And though it may sounds cliché, the internet has allowed us access to so much beauty, and we draw a lot of inspiration from the endless amounts of talented people we discover and admire! As for keepsakes... we've both complied quite a massive collection of beautiful images and films and books and instruments and jewelry and fabrics and hats and well... many things! We aim to live in the kind of world we conjure up in our stories.
Is it challenging being based in two different cities? How often do you work together on shoots, sourcing, etc?
It can be a bit difficult, but really, we're only an hour and a half apart, so when there's no school/work messing with our schedules, we're together working! The two of us are always together for shoots, and oftentimes for sourcing, though some days we'll pop into our favorite shops in our respective cities on our own! We like to ask each other's opinions on potential pieces, and really, buying is simply more fun with someone else there!
It just you two running the show or do you have extra help?
Well, Brianna and Cailie run the whole outfit here (pun totally intended), but of course, we are eternally grateful for all the beautiful people who've helped us out! We'd be dead in the water if not for all the lovely babes who model and donate things, inspire us, and spread the Pulp word!
Is Pulp Vintage a side project, or do you see it growing into something more full-fledged in the future?
We are definitely aiming on cultivating Pulp Vintage further! Our next plan of action is to begin selling new products, like handprinted tees and awesome dresses, and we're looking to carry items from independent designers as well as more popular labels we've personally loved for years. We're planning to move our buns on over to the West Coast as soon as we can, and devote ourselves to Pulp full-time.
We are definitely aiming on cultivating Pulp Vintage further! Our next plan of action is to begin selling new products, like handprinted tees and awesome dresses, and we're looking to carry items from independent designers as well as more popular labels we've personally loved for years. We're planning to move our buns on over to the West Coast as soon as we can, and devote ourselves to Pulp full-time.
You obviously have a huge collection of awesome clothes at your disposal, what piece in your closet is your absolute favorite and would never even think to sell?
Right now, Brianna's digging her cheesy Americana/Native American tees and perfectly worn in pair of combat boots! Cailie could never part with her vintage leather Coach purse, discovered at, of all places, a farmhouse tag sale! We also have this one perfect pair of floral-patterned denim cutoffs that everyone's probably seen a million times because we've used them on models in shoots for a couple of years now!
Who is your ultimate style inspiration goddess/god?
Stevie!! Seriously, we were just discussing how our whole thing pretty much follows Stevie Nicks and her styles, since she has that whole feminine-bohemian-gypsy-queen vibe, but she also doesn't shy away from more gothic or rebellious styles. Laura Palmer absolutely must be included here too.
Stevie!! Seriously, we were just discussing how our whole thing pretty much follows Stevie Nicks and her styles, since she has that whole feminine-bohemian-gypsy-queen vibe, but she also doesn't shy away from more gothic or rebellious styles. Laura Palmer absolutely must be included here too.
What song is going to be your summer anthem?
Cailie says Bob Dylan's "Mama You've Been on My Mind" sung with Joan Baez live. (She answered in practically a heartbeat!) Brianna feels like she's behind the times, but she can't stop listening to "The Captain" by The Knife.
Cailie says Bob Dylan's "Mama You've Been on My Mind" sung with Joan Baez live. (She answered in practically a heartbeat!) Brianna feels like she's behind the times, but she can't stop listening to "The Captain" by The Knife.
If you had to kill your evil doppelganger who is after your soul because only one of you could exist, how would you kill them and why? Note: You are able to use any weapon ever invented (fictional and non-fictional).
Brianna would ask for a wand and take out her doppelganger Harry Potter-style, with a flash of green light, because you know, it's two birds with one stone: mission accomplished, and magic wand acquired. Cailie would invite her enemy over for tea, slip arsenic in the doppelganger's cup, watch her drink it down, and look up and see Cary Grant in the doorway and embark upon classic movie-style adventures with her objective likewise met!
Brianna would ask for a wand and take out her doppelganger Harry Potter-style, with a flash of green light, because you know, it's two birds with one stone: mission accomplished, and magic wand acquired. Cailie would invite her enemy over for tea, slip arsenic in the doppelganger's cup, watch her drink it down, and look up and see Cary Grant in the doorway and embark upon classic movie-style adventures with her objective likewise met!
Lots of love and thanks to Cailie and Brianna for this interview!
Check out their incredible selection of vintage clothes at The Pulp Vintage and The Pulp Blog for more.
All photos are by The Pulp Girls
All photos are by The Pulp Girls
