About Me – Vintage Fashion Blogger

Welcome to my vintage fashion blog with a modern twist!

My name is Dominique de Merteuil. I’m a vintage fashion writer, creator of It’s Beyond My Control, the vintage fashion blog for modern women with unique style.

If you love to learn about the history of fashion from the 1930s to the late 1950s, how to date, take care of vintage clothes and pair them with contemporary brands, you are in the right place!

I like to write as though I’m having a conversation with women who equally share my passion for fashion from the 1930s-1950s, as well as those who are only starting their adventure with vintage and would like to get an idea of how to pair something that’s at least 70 years old with contemporary brands. I truly detest fast fashion and heavily promote smaller designers who produce beautiful, high-quality garments and accessories. My motto is; quality over quantity!

It’s more important to find and refine one’s own personal style, rather than obsess over must-have fashion trends. 

Fashion fades, style remains.

I’ve been wearing and writing about vintage clothes, mainly from the second half of the 1930s through to the late 1950s, for over a decade now. As a very passionate self-taught fashion historian, I pride myself on being extremely diligent in doing extensive research before I put pen to paper.

I have a proclivity for studying the history of vintage fashion, leaving no stone unturned until I get all the facts. Believe it or not, I do have a couple of museum curators and textile conservators on my speed dial.

The only other ” team” member of It’s Beyond My Control, except my beloved husband who happens to be a fashion & beauty photographer, and takes all those incredible pictures of me, is my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

I’m not looking for contributors because I truly believe that the whole point of being a blogger is to share one’s own opinions and ideas otherwise a blog would be no different than a magazine.

9 Things About Me – the vintage fashion blogger

1. The one thing that can definitely be said about me is that I’m an aficionado and collector/wearer of vintage fashion from the 1930s and 1940s. I also have a penchant for procuring costumes from my favourite films, which I buy from auction houses when the budget permits. * sigh *

2. My fabulous mum, a real style icon, initiated my interest in fashion and art. She used to take me to see ballet and opera from when I was 5 years old.

3. I’ve lived in 4 different countries and I’m fluent in 3 languages. When asked where I’m from, I always reply, “From everywhere darling!” and even though I reside in London*, which has grown on me over the years, my heart belongs to NYC because it’s the only place where I can wear couture to breakfast without being pointed at.

*I currently divide my time between London and Warsaw. I’m utterly in love with the capital of Poland! If you are curious about the reasons why I share my time between the two countries read about it in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel – essentials for your new puppy article!

4. I studied classical ballet for a few years but my teacher had me marked as trouble from the day she caught me warming up to Megadeth.

*As of  2017 I’m back to taking classical ballet lessons, or as I call it “70 min of humiliation”, and I LOVE it!

5. I love everything related to Eighteenth-Century France! Also, I adore the 1930s and 1940s Hollywood Glamour.

6. The works of Woody Allen (especially his writing) and David Lynch have had an incredible impact on me and it would be an absolute dream come true if I had a chance to interview them both!

7. I love dogs especially two breeds: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and American Pit Bull Terrier. I wish that people were much more educated about Pit Bull Terriers, after all, there are no bad dogs, it’s just that sometimes good dogs happen to bad people!

8. Horse riding is my biggest indulgence in life, and if I could, I would be at the stables every single day. Every time I ride, I learn something new, and it’s incredibly gratifying.

9. Number 9 is magical and it’s my birth number.

CONTEMPORARY BRANDS I’VE COLLABORATED WITH THAT GO PERFECTLY WITH TRUE VINTAGE CLOTHES!