My name is Julie and I grew up watching old film noir movies with my Grandmother.

On my visits, I would rummage through her bookshelves and read Gone with the Wind and her Emily Post Etiquette books cover to cover. These things inspired me to embrace the type, graphics, and traditions of the past. 

My first obsession with the 1920s era started when my friends and I were learning to Lindy Hop and Charleston from one of the inventors of swing dance, Frankie Manning. As a teenager in the 1920s, Frankie danced in Harlem and then in many Hollywood movies. He inspired us to learn about the art, music, and culture of the early 1920s. 

 

I started Gilded Swan Paperie with my vintage-loving, budget-minded girlfriends as target clientele. One of my best friends was getting married and said "I don't want pretty type on a white background-- that's not me. I want vintage and colorful."  Her invitation turned out to be a swanky Art Deco-inspired invitation in gold and sage. And that's how my first wedding invitation came to be.

 

I design a look based on a rare piece of ephemera from my collection or from a piece that just inspires me. It might be a finial from old sheet music, a flourish from a Victorian tin can. I choose typefaces that convey a specific time frame, but also like to make sure they are warm and romantic. I try and stay clear of cliches... I love when eras are in those "in-between" phases like when Art Nouveau started morphing into Art Deco. 
 

I hope my work embodies the spirit and ideology of the past while using modern-day printing methods and paper. I hope my wedding invitations convey a non-traditional, colorful way to tie the knot!

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