Sometimes you meet someone so incredible that you are completely smitten with their view of the world. Angeliska Polacheck is one such person.

We met in 2002, when she was living in New Orleans & I was in New Zealand.  A writer, photographer, folklore expert and overall wonder, her style is a brilliant and absolutely original mishmash. Sequined voodoo priestess, hedonistic Victorian, tattered bon vivant, she is all of these things and more. I hope you find her style as inspiring as I do!

What’s your name?  Where do you live?  What do you do?
Angeliska Polacheck: My name is Angeliska Polacheck, and I live in Austin, Texas (though half my heart is still in New Orleans!) I’m a writer and photographer. For love and money, I sell curiosities and relics. For fun, I throw wild dance parties!

What adjectives would you use to describe your style?
Angeliska : Savage, witchy, dancy and decadent.

How has where you grew up influenced you & your aesthetic?
Angeliska : Growing up with extravagant tastes and dramatic style in Texas was a bit of a challenge, to say the least. I’ve toned it down quite a bit since I was a punky-gothic teenager in feather headdresses and tattered ballgowns, but I still am often asked if I’m dressed for a costume party, or if I’m in a play. This happens when I go to the grocery store, for instance. My idea of everyday attire is not very casual. I’m not a denim person, though I do wear vintage cowboys boots frequently, and with great pride! The downside is that I am only recently figuring out the technique of non-lumpy layering, because it’s not ever cold for very long here!

Would you agree that the way we dress fulfills a spiritual or psychological need?  Is a skirt ever just a skirt?
Angeliska : Clothing for me absolutely fulfills me on both spiritual and psychological levels. The image that we present to the world has the power to shift realities. Dressing beautifully, or in a way that reflects your imagination and inner vision is a powerful act. Honing that viewpoint into an ensemble takes craft, and when it works — people definitely take notice. I love it when people on the street approach me, and want to talk about my look. Children are especially fascinated by my outfits, which is awesome. A skirt is pretty much never just a skirt for me — there’s usually some kind of story behind it.

Where do you find most of your clothing?
Angeliska : Ebay, clothing swaps with my friends, and vintage stores. I buy a lot of stuff online (at 3am, when I should be sleeping!) and I love finding rad stuff on sale. I’m really rough on my clothes, shoes and bags so I kind of hate spending a lot of dosh on designer fanciness, unless I just really have to have it. I’m much more proud of paying a dollar for something amazing than spending a fortune on something that I’ll probably just shred.

Do you have a secret clothing mecca you’d like to share?
Angeliska : Austin has killer vintage stores — buyers from Japan and the UK come on a regular basis to shop here, and you can find gorgeous things for not insane prices. I always find deliciousness at Feathers, an extremely well-edited vintage boutique. New Bohemia is also great for cheap glamour and summery frocks. The Buffalo Exchange here is one of the best around, and I always find good shoes and crazy sparkly things there.

Tell us why you’re doing such a huge clothing purge.
Angeliska : Long story in a nutshell — I lost most of my clothing and shoes in Hurricane Katrina when I was living in New Orleans. Many friends kindly sent me lots of things to replace what I lost, and I engaged in a ton of retail therapy, but I ended up with a very odd wardrobe of lovely things that just don’t really click for me. I’ve been going through a style transformation as well, in that I used to wear a lot more feminine, frilly vintage dresses. I’ve been feeling less comfortable in delicate clothes that feel precious or twee, and am wanting to wear things that are stronger, and more versatile.

What are you learning about yourself from this process?
Angeliska : I’ve been doing much reflection and contemplation about the direction I want to go in, and it’s inspired me to create — mainly because a lot of the things I want for myself are just not being made (yet!) I consider almost all of my clothes to be components of costumes that express different aspects of myself, as well various archetypes and time periods. I want to transmit a lot of information about who I am to the world without having to say anything. My personal universe is pretty magical, and I like for my appearance to reflect that.

What’s in your purse right now?
Angeliska : Um, way too much! Teaberry gum, dark chocolate with crystallized ginger, my camera, lucky mojo bag, a beaded applique, french hairpin, Weleda Wild Rose deodorant, my business cards in a vintage cigarette case, my bright red Moleskine daily planner, fancy fountain pens with vibrantly hued inks. Hollyhock seeds. Chinese silk coin purse. Various glitters and glosses from M.A.C., Urban Decay, YSL and Sephora. I love makeup, man! Snowbunny bronzer from Too Faced. Tangerine Emergen-C. False eyelashes from Ricky’s NYC and lash glue. American Apparel nail polish in Office. My mushroom passport case and credit card case. Palo santo wood — it smells amazing when you burn it!

What do you have entirely too much of?
Angeliska : Stockings! I have a huge drawer stuffed so full that I can barely close it. Something needs to happen with them all, especially my out of control striped sock collection. I’m considering making sock monkeys out of them all. Seriously.

What would you love to have more of?
Angeliska : Stockings! Yeah, it’s an addiction. Fabulous earrings, because I’m always losing just one. Shoes and boots! My collection took a huge hit in the storm, and I have trouble finding the perfect ones.

What is your most treasured possession?
Angeliska : Ooh, tough one! Escaping a natural disaster will make you really consider what you can’t live without. My mother’s violin and jewelry collection for sure. I also have a vintage mannequin from the 1920′s that I’m deeply in love with.

How does your personal style creep into the interior design of your home?
Angeliska : Well, my clothing, jewelry, hats and accessories are strewn about hither and thither, but I collect a lot of beautifully decrepit objects that often make their way onto my headpieces and costumes. My house looks like a very eccentric victorian witch lives in it, which I suppose is pretty accurate!

Where are your top 5 most beautiful places?
Angeliska : In no particular order:
1. Bali
2. Brussels
3. Barcelona
4. New Orleans
5. Amsterdam

Who inspires your personal style?
Angeliska : Dead icons: Theda Bara, Léon Bakst, Edward Gorey. Living inspirations: Barbara Hulanicki of Biba, Tamera Ferro and Kesh Kumari. Also, the Cockettes!

What is your favorite way to refuel your creativity?
Angeliska : Reading glossy magazines in the bathtub! Tearing pages out of those slightly-soggy magazines to paste into my inspiration collage book. I’ve been making a lot of silver jewelry, which is very meditative and inspiring. Reading biographies and watching documentaries about my heroes and heroines. Traveling to new and exciting places always gets my motor going.

Interview by Gala Darling
You can learn more about Angeliska at Angeliska.com.