The Vintage World of Frenchy50s

While most of Gen Z’s mainstream aesthetic leans Y2K, Frenchy looked further back and made it feel new again. Earlier this year, her lip-sync to Connie Francis’ “Pretty Little Baby” became the blueprint for a wave of retro edits that swept TikTok. Dressed in a pastel cardigan and perfect bouffant, she helped bring her love of 1950s glamour to the For You page. “Yeah, it’s just the style I found, and I’m going to stick with it,” she says.

Her fascination with the past started long before TikTok fame. “When I was little, my grandma — she was born in the ’30s — would show me things like The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy. Then my mom showed them to me. I was always amazed by how they dressed and the music and everything,” she says. “But I was scared to dress that way myself. I wanted to fit in with everyone else, but I also wanted to be my own person.” That changed after she saw Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis in 2022. “I saw it in theaters the day before my birthday, and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna dress like this.’ That movie really gave me the confidence to start.”

Confidence didn’t mean acceptance, at least not right away. “In high school I got bullied, and it was for the dumbest reasons,” she says. “Kids would scream ‘Elvis!’ at me in the hallway.” Even after her account started going viral, classmates weren’t always kind. “People would come up to me, ask for pictures, and then run off laughing,” she recalls. “It was annoying, but I didn’t let it get to me. I knew this was what I loved.”

Now, she’s part of a small but growing community of creators reviving midcentury style — among them Jasmine Chiswell, who she calls “one of the big ones that really inspired me.” Offline, her audience stretches even further back: “I’m also friends with a lot of senior citizens and older folks who give me some of their old stuff from back in the day, because they know I’m going to preserve it and actually appreciate it,” she says.

Recently, Frenchy started college in Florida, trading her floral curtains for dorm walls and a vanity squeezed beside textbooks. Yet her videos still hum with the same analog warmth — proof that even in a new chapter, the past remains beautifully alive.

PAPER caught up with Frenchy over Zoom to discuss vintage fashion, TikTok fame and how she’s keeping old Hollywood alive on a modern-day campus.

Where are you right now? What are you doing today?

I’m just in my room, not doing much today. I did have college yesterday, so yeah. Homework and stuff is stressful.

You just graduated high school, right? And now you’re in college?

Yes, I graduated May 29th, I think. And now I’m in college in Florida.

Take me back — how did you get into the ’50s and ’60s?

Okay, so basically when I was little, my grandma — she was born in the ’30s, and my grandpa was born in the ’20s. So they were teenagers in the ’40s and in their twenties during the ’50s. They got to see everything as it was happening: the TV shows, the music, all of it.

When my mom was a kid in the ’70s, she grew up watching the reruns, because my grandma would show her things like The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy. Then when I was little, my mom showed them to me. I was always amazed by how they dressed and the music and everything. But I was scared to dress that way myself. I wanted to fit in with everyone else, but I also wanted to be my own person.

Fast forward to the Elvis movie — the Baz Luhrmann one in 2022. I saw it in theaters the day before my birthday, and I was like, “You know what? I’m gonna dress like this.” That movie really gave me the confidence to start. Around the same time, I did a deep dive on Marilyn Monroe and started seeing all these pin-up influencers. I thought, if they can do it, I can do it too. That’s how I got involved in dressing ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s every day.

Who are some of the pin-up influencers you follow?

I guess Jasmine Chiswell. She’s one of my mutuals on TikTok. She definitely could be considered one, because of the way she dresses. I’m friends with a lot of them online, but she’s one of the big ones that really inspired me.

So it was mostly just using the internet and research?

Yeah, and just diving into media.

What’s a day in the life like for you? Are you actually fully living in the ’50s?

No, I scroll on TikTok like any other teenager! For college days, I wake up around seven, because my class starts at 9:30. Then I fix my hair, which takes about two hours twice a week. I sleep in a bonnet so it doesn’t get messed up, and in the morning I’ll fix the top part, comb out the ends so it looks nice, and style my bangs. Then I shower, do all the hygiene stuff, and put on makeup. I don’t wear a lot — in the ’50s they didn’t wear heavy makeup either — but I’ll do concealer and the basics.

Then I go to school, and I’m the only one there who dresses vintage. Same with high school. I was always the only one. It’s really cool though, because I get compliments on my outfits, and that boosts my confidence. After school, I go home, do homework, call my friends, and make videos. I just got back into posting more than once a day, since I love singing and dancing.

At night, I’ll eat dinner, listen to records, or watch an old movie. I’d say my life is pretty average, but with little vintage touches. I have a working 1960s radio right next to me that I’ll actually turn on and listen to. It’s those small things that make it feel special, but overall I live like a normal teenager.

It seems like you’re trying to stay analog, but obviously you have to be digital to survive as a college kid. It feels like it’s not cosplay — you’re just living your truth.

Yeah, it’s just the style I found, and I’m going to stick with it. Even for Halloween I try to make my costumes fit my aesthetic. Last year I dressed up as a 1920s flapper, and this year I’m going to be a vintage clown. It’s everything to me.

Where do you mostly find your clothes? Vintage stores, Depop?

Yeah. Depop has great deals. Sometimes there are upcharges, but it’s good. I also scroll on eBay for hours. Then there are places like Goodwill, Salvation Army — the typical thrift stores. I’m also friends with a lot of senior citizens and older folks who give me some of their old stuff from back in the day, because they know I’m going to preserve it and actually appreciate it. And flea markets too. Sometimes if I’m at TJ Maxx or somewhere like that — which you’d barely see me walk into — if I’m with a friend who wants to shop, I’ll look for things that are vintage-inspired, pieces that look like they would be around back then. That’s where I get my clothes.

You said you’re friends with a lot of elderly people. How did that happen?

Mostly through church. There are a lot of them there, and they notice the way I dress. They’ll come up to me and say, “Oh, I used to dress like that back in the day,” and then we start being friends. I also used to work at a nursing home, and the residents would tell me, “Your hair is very ’50s, from when I was young.” They really appreciate it when younger generations keep their styles and culture alive, so they want to talk to me. And I love it, because I know about all the stuff from when they were growing up — Elvis, Marilyn Monroe. I’m not going to say I’m a human encyclopedia, but people tell me that sometimes. I can communicate back and forth with them as if I was their age — like I was an 80-year-old woman myself.

Did you ever feel like you weren’t like the other kids your age?

Definitely. In high school I got bullied, and it was for the dumbest reasons. I love Elvis, and I had this Elvis pin that I used to hold my ID. We had to wear IDs in school, and I didn’t want to use a lanyard because it ruined my outfit. So I’d clip it on with the pin and walk down the hallway, and kids would scream “Elvis!” at me. There was even an instance at lunch when a guy was being gross, saying “Elvis this” and laughing with his friends.

When I started getting followers on TikTok, people would come up to me, ask for pictures, and then run off laughing. Even recently, after I graduated, I went to a football game to hang out with my friends still in school, and I heard two kids yell, “Elvis sucks!” I didn’t let it bother me too much, but it was annoying.

I was definitely different, especially being the only one dressing ’40s, ’50s, or ’60s. There were alternative kids, some who dressed ’80s, even 2000s styles — but nobody touched the decades I loved. I stood out.

Are you a triplet? I saw that on TikTok.

Oh yeah, I am. My sister used to dress ’70s and ’80s, and seeing her embrace her own style gave me confidence too. She started dressing vintage first. Her style now isn’t as vintage as it used to be, but it’s still nice. And then I have a brother — we’re all one minute apart.

Do all three of you share this love for vintage style?

Not exactly. My brother dresses modern, just a normal boy who plays PlayStation all day. But he does like history, so in a way we all have our own vintage admiration.

Which stars or starlets from that era inspire you the most?

Annette Funicello — do you know her? She was an original Mouseketeer on the 1950s Mickey Mouse Club, and then she made the beach party movies with Frankie Avalon. People tell me I look like her. She’s my biggest inspiration. I literally do my hair the way she did it in the early ’60s.

I also love Marilyn Monroe, Priscilla Presley for her style, Shelley Fabares from The Donna Reed Show who did movies with Elvis, Debbie Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Audrey Hepburn. There are just so many great starlets from that time. For the guys, definitely Elvis, Frankie Avalon (who I actually got to talk to), James Dean, Engelbert Humperdinck — everyone laughs when I say his name — and Paul Anka.

If you were to host a Last Supper, that would be your table.

Yes, that would be my table!

Who do you think is our modern-day Marilyn Monroe?

I would say Jasmine Chiswell, because she literally looks like her. She’s the TikTok and Instagram Marilyn Monroe. But if you mean celebrity-wise, like an actress, that’s harder. People always say Kim Kardashian, but I don’t know… If I had to pick, maybe Sydney Sweeney. She has that sexy vibe Marilyn had, so I’d say they have similarities. But in my mind it’s Jasmine Chiswell, for sure.

If you were to play one character from Grease, who would it be?

Frenchy, of course!

Are you into anything outside the ’50s? Do you listen to modern music or get into modern trends?

I try to just listen to ’40s through ’60s music, because that’s what I love most. But recently I’ve been listening to Lana Del Rey and Sabrina Carpenter. Both of their music is really good. I also listen to Stephen Sanchez, who does ’50s-inspired music. But trend-wise, I’m not into modern stuff. I’m pretty much all about the ’40s through ’60s.

I’m honestly so fascinated and enamored by you. You’re my favorite influencer because you actually influence style and trends. You’re not just some random person trying to be an influencer. You live and breathe it.

Thank you! I didn’t even expect any of this. When my account started going viral, I did the “Pink Shoe Laces” dance, and that’s the video that really boosted my account. Then Adam McIntyre, he’s a YouTuber, was live one day and showed my account, telling people to go follow me. At the time I was at 100K, and he also boosted my account, which was crazy. And thank you again. It means a lot that you think I’m your favorite influencer.