Based in Edinburgh, she also contributes to The Herald, Scotland on Sunday, I-On, Premier Living magazine, The Telegraph, and The Scotsman. Here she guides us through the glamorous online haunts that, via very contemporary means, open the door to the past at its most beautiful.
My favourite website...
The New York Times because I have a subscription. The investigation journalism is fantastic, and their archive is really useful for research.
My favourite app...
InShot is great for video editing, but Twitter is probably the app I use the most.
My favourite blog...
Clothes on Film because film costume design is a big interest of mine. And Tokyo Fashion, for images of crazy Harajuku style.
My favourite podcast...
I did like The High Low, but now that it’s finished I’m trying to find a new favourite. Currently listening to Death of a Starlet, about the murder of Dorothy Stratten by her ex-boyfriend, which is part of the Hollywood & Crime series.
My favourite YouTuber...
I tend to use YouTube as a research tool for finding old movies and interviews with stars of the Golden Age. But I enjoy Brian Taylor Cohen for a pithy, spot-on take on US politics.
My most recent buy online...
John Lewis bed sheets.
Last book you downloaded or read...
I’m addicted to buying books at the moment. For fiction, Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye, which is a retelling of Jane Eyre as a serial killer and, for research for my new book, Veronica Lake’s memoirs, and for sensationalism, I also bought Melania and Me, by her former friend Stephanie Wolkoff.
Favourite tweeter...
I follow a lot of dress historians like Kate Strasdin, who shares beautiful images, and Hilary Davidson, an expert on regency style. But I also enjoy James Felton for his funny and on-point political commentary.
Favourite Instagrammer...
I tend to avoid the Insta-models with millions of followers as they have unrealistic beauty standards that can be quite negative. But I have a select group of Instagrammers who I enjoy, such as A Vintage Nerd, and friends who post inspiring content.
Favourite tech gadget...
My Firestick.
The most useful gadget/item on your desk...
My laptop, as it’s my tool for writing and for accessing research, which is the only way to do it during lockdown.
Most useful digital resource during lockdown...
I find Canva really useful for making up graphics for Instagram, and templates for Instagram stories to publicise my books.
Most inspirational digital resource during lockdown...
I use Les Mills to get fit – I love their website and app as they have endless exercise workouts where I got to know the instructors.
Aubazine
First thing/app you look at on your mobile when you wake up/in the morning...
The Guardian and Twitter.
Last thing you binge-watched...
The Serpent on BBC iPlayer – it was chilling, particularly as I did a lot of travelling to Thailand and India in my twenties.
Favourite brands have you discovered online...
Tatty Devine jewellery is really fun.
Social media allowed me to meet...
Contacts with like-minded interests in classic cinema.
The best digital advice I've been given...
The more that you interact with people on social media, the more you’ll get back in return.
My screensaver is...
I don’t have one!
My standout online memory...
Meeting people online and then interacting offline.
Do you have any online rules or resolutions?
I wish I did. I do turn my phone off when I go to bed, but I often find myself switching it on in the middle of the night.
The Internet. On balance, a force for good or ill?
A force for good overall, but there are dark elements that should be cleaned up.
By Nancy Alsop
February 2021
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Evie Wyld
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Paula Sutton of Hill House Vintage
