Ringo Have A Banana

The beautiful Ringo Have A Banana has answered some serious style questions for us, don't you want to know what she said...

1. What is the one essential item in your wardrobe you couldn't live without?
I have this beat-up old pair of black Victorian-looking ankle boots with little buckles at the ankle. I've had to have them repaired several times and they're already in shreds again, but I wear them year-round with everything from shorts to tights and dresses.

 2. If you could give one piece of style advice, what would it be?
Learn what proportions best suit your shape. I'm smaller on top than I am on the bottom (damn genes!) so I tend to wear tight bottoms and looser tops, tucked in. This gives the impression of a slightly more balanced silhouette.

3. Who is your fashion icon?
It's a tie between Chloe Sevigny and Maria Schneider in The Passenger

4. How have you developed your style?
I loved playing dress-up as a kid, and I guess I've just never lost that passion. Growing up, one of the few affordable places to shop where I lived was the local thrift store, and I started going there as soon as I was able to count change. I went through a pretty heavy 60's/70's phase in high school and that combined with my obsession with fashion magazines lead to some pretty intense outfits (thank god we didn't have a dress code!) These days I'm still basically just as broke as I was back then, so what I wear is a cobbled-together mix of things I dig up in second hand stores and on eBay and Etsy.

5. What is your favorite outfit that you've worn, and why?
Can I be really cheesy and say the outfit I was wearing the first time I ever met my current boyfriend? It was my favorite flowered dress, black tights, these vintage black suede t-strap heels and a camel colored tie-waist coat with a huge golden furry collar. It's one of my favorites because it was comfortable, a little ridiculous, easy to dance in, and it scored me a total hottie.

6. Favorite movie costume?
Everything that Jane Fonda wears in Klute, that Terri Garr wears in Tootsie, and I'm a big fan of the simple poncho-and-jeans combo that Clint perfected in his role as the Man with No Name in Leone's Western trilogy.

7. What beauty products can't you live without?
Maybelline Full 'n Soft mascara in Very Black, I feel naked without it. I also love blush, since I really hate being deathly pale. My favorite scents are Stella McCartney and Falling Love by Philosophy.

8. What do you wear on vacation/holiday?
I'm actually on vacation right now, and I've been wearing the hell out of a pair of borderline-indecently short Wrangler cutoffs with various tops tucked in. If it was up to me though I'd probably just wear some sort of simple pretty dress and no shoes every day.

9. Favorite pair of shoes/boots?
I found a pair of brown vintage Dingo ankle boots a couple of moths ago, and I've already worn them so much that the heels need repairing. They are just the right amount of Western without being costume-y, and they even remind me a little of those infamous Balenciaga boots, you know, the Olsen boots. I have a feeling I'm going to be wearing them a lot this fall. I just wish they weren't a half size too small!

10. Have you got any advice on how to find great pieces when thrift/vintage shopping?
Keep an open mind! Check out every part of the store, the men's section, the little girl's section, everything. Sometimes it helps me to keep a list of certain things I really need, like a type of skirt or top, but at the same time it is paramount to remain open to the unexpected, off-season, out-there find. Finally, when in doubt, just buy it. You can always sell it on Esty later if you change your mind!