A 23-year-old has revealed the unlikely way she chooses to dress and decorate her house – as though it is still wartime Britain.
Maisie Probert may have been born in the noughties, but she says she is “stuck in the forties”.
That includes decking her council flat out in antiques and themed décor, dolling herself up with classic 1940s pin curls and vintage dresses, and blasting music from yesteryear.
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While her day-to-day life includes working in a sunbed salon and she is often seen wearing a modern uniform there, once a week Maisie indulges in her passion for all things World War Two.
“I remember being in primary school and being fascinated with the ‘40s,’ Maisie, from Walsall, told Whats The Jam.
“It really started with WWII for me.
“I love all history but something about WWII just constantly pulls me back to it.
“Then the love of the 1940s fashion, music and films came later.”
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While a typical day involves assisting in the salon with all things tanning, at the weekend Maisie gets to dress up in traditional vintage get-up.
She said: “My 1940s style pieces are either from charity shops, reproduction shops online, antique shops or vintage stalls at 1940s/WWII events.
“I often use pillow rollers to get that classic 1940s curl – always with a side parting – and the same base of make-up I use as with my modern looks, just with red lipstick and no eyelashes.
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“I also love 1940s music – some of my favourites are Billie Holiday, Anita O’Day, Sammy Kaye and Joe Loss.
“I love 1940s films too – such as the Dick Tracey film series and Stormy Weather.
“I’m also a huge fan of the home décor – so much so that I try to emulate it in my own flat.”
While Maisie’s loyalties lie with the dated styles of the 40s, she can often be found in more modern garb.
She said: “I enjoy wearing other styles, such as Y2K and I have a full-time job that requires me to wear a uniform.
“You’re more likely to see me in my uniform, a mini skirt or a Juicy tracksuit [day to day].
“But I like to dress vintage when I go to antique or charity shops, as there’s this superstition amongst the vintage community that if you wear vintage while you’re hunting vintage things, you’ll apparently find better pieces.
“So people in charity or antique shops are usually quite taken aback by it [my look]!
“I [also] will dress up in vintage when I have a day off work.”
Maisie’s family history, like many others, is also steeped in WWII history.
She said: “My great-granny Irma was from Suriname, which was a Dutch colony at the time, and served with the Free Dutch.
“She told my nan that she used to drive officers around in Jeeps in Asia.
“This was one of the only things she told my nan about her service – like so many others of her generation, she didn’t like to talk about it.
“Great-granny Irma’s husband, my great-grandad Alfie, served as ground crew in the RAF and he was an Acting Sergeant in No.111 Squadron and later No.152 Squadron.
“He and great-granny Irma met while serving in Asia and married in Singapore.
“My great-granny Joan worked in a munitions factory in Stoke-on-Trent.
“Her husband, my great-grandad Billy, was in the Royal Navy for the duration as an SPO aboard HMS Offa.
“They were both from Stoke and married while great-grandad Billy was on leave in 1942.
“My great-grandad James was a miner, which was a reserved occupation, and his wife – my great-granny Gwendoline – was a housewife.
“My grandad Jim, their son, was 10 when the war ended, so he loves to tell me little anecdotes about the war.
“Unfortunately, Grandad Jim’s wife, my nan Yvonne, had passed before my parents got together, so I don’t know much about her side of the family.”
Maisie says she was drawn to studying the Second World War after first touching on it in primary school – and it’s now something she actively learns about in her free time.
She added: “As quite a black and white person, it draws me in because of how clear-cut it was between good and evil.
“It also interests me deeply because of the sheer size of the global impact of it.
“The fact that quite literally every corner of the world was touched by it – so it’s a fountain of information to learn about.
“I have been studying it for around 10 years and I always feel like there’s still more to learn about it.
“For example, if you’ve learnt every single possible piece of information about New Zealand in WWII, then you can always start to learn every single piece of information about the Senegalese in WWII.
“There’s always more to know.”
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