Model exclusive: Sailor Cherry shares her top tips for becoming a vintage pin-up
The
fabulous Sailor Cherry has been a successful pin-up and Cheesecake model for some time now, appearing in calendars and working with top photographers. Here she shares some great advice on how to break into this tough industry, how to get started and what fuelled her own career.
QoV: Tell us a bit about yourself: who are you and what do you do
Sailor Cherry: My name in Sailor Cherry, I’m a UK vintage pin-up and Cheesecake model, with a modern twist. I have a love for all things vintage from Forties and Fifties music to clothing, hair styles and accessories. I love the work of Gil Elvgren, and have tried to recreate poses in some of my pin-up shoots.
I have always been a creative person with a love for art and photography from and early age. I was a photographer before I was a model and not the other way round as it tends to go.
QoV: How did you get into pin-up modelling?
Sailor Cherry: I actually got an account on professional model/photographer network Model Mayhemfor my photography, then later opened a model account using self portraits I shot with some local photographers in my area.
A few months later, me and a friend had a photoshoot booked with London-based pin-up photographer Tony Rusecki. Beforehand we also treated ourselves to a vintage make over at Nina’s Vintage Hair Parlourat Alfie’s. The photoshoot was great and the results even better, we both couldn’t believe how good we looked. That was it, I was hooked from then!
QoV: Was it difficult to break into the industry?
Sailor Cherry: It is very difficult, there are so many ladies wanting to make it as pin-up models, and there are so many well-established models out there. You need to work hard and be prepared to work for very little – you are not gonna make millions.
QoV: Who are your pin-up icons and in what way have they influenced you?
Sailor Cherry: I of course love the work of pin-up sensation Bettie Page and more modern pin-up’s such Dita Von Teese and Bernie Dexter who have been influenced by her. Bernie Dexter is an inspiration. She used to work as a make-up artist and while working on photoshoots doing models’ make-up, she was asked from time to time by photographers to show the girls how to pose, and that is how it started for her. It just shows that anybody can get a lucky break!
QoV: How did you decide on your name and your pin-up style?
Sailor Cherry: I used to have an obsession with cherries, I had cherry bags, clothing, shoes accessories, then I moved on to nautical. Ilove anything with anchors or sailors. I also love tattoos and have many of them, and love the work of the tattoo artist “Sailor Jerry” – I have one of his tattoos on my thigh – plus I also Love Sailor Jerry rum, yummy!
So it just seemed obvious to put the two names of things I loved together, and I came up with Sailor Cherry.
Pages: 1 2
Category: 1950s, Vintage news
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
