“I grew up on stories. My maternal
grandparents survived World War Two
and the Nazi work camps, so their sto-
ries really touched me as a child. I
grew up fascinated by this significant
time, which is still in living memory,
although starting to fade.
The ’40s suits me down to the
ground: I am passionate about the war-
time and post-war period – the strong,
iconic women in cinema, the new free-
doms and social changes in women’s
roles, and the sexy and powerful cloth-
ing. There are amazing originals out
there. The look works with my shape
and personality, and I love the quality.
I sometimes wear top-to-toe ’40s,
although it’s a lot of work to do wet sets
on my thick hair. More often, I’ll wear
a vintage dress with contemporary
shoes. I’m also committed to salvaging
treasures. Sewing is an important,
underappreciated skill. As an enthusias-
tic newbie, I became a patron of the
Australian Sewing Guild.
My annual VE Day Victory parties
honour the soldiers and nurses who
knew they may not be around tomorrow
and danced the night away. We play
air-raid sirens, swing music, drink clas-
sic cocktails, then announce victory and
celebrate. Wearing a uniform worn by a
real Red Cross nurse connects me to
what that uniform saw.
My vintage obsession also informs
my work. I have just finished writing
Dead Man Switch, a detective thriller set
in Sydney in the ’40s. The character is
probably the only private investigator in
fiction to darn her own stockings!
Women had a lot of strength and grit in
the ’40s, so it’s a period to be celebrated.”TARA MOSS, 45, AUTHOR“At my annual
VE Day parties we play
air-raid sirens, swing
music, drink classic
cocktails, then announce
victory and celebrate”PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIA SCARCELLO PHOTOGRAPHY; BEXTERITY PINUP PHOTOGRAPHY: BEXTERITY.COM.
’40s