Camera Roll is an interview series where we glimpse into the current moment via the mundane and the ordinary — the life documented and forgotten, lived through our phones and beyond.
Vintage dealer Olivia Haroutounian — you might know her as the proprietor of Real Life as Liv on Instagram — has been selling vintage for almost a decade. A love of vintage is in her blood: her mom was a vintage seller, so Olivia has been collecting her whole life. Now, it’s both her hobby and her career. She’s trying to be less online lately, with the exception of drop days — when she’s in the middle of one of her highly-anticipated, meticulously coordinated vintage drops, she’s on her phone up to ten hours a day, bringing the internet some of the most fabulous vintage around. We spoke with Olivia about bringing fun back to fashion, her vintage shopping tips and inspiration, and taking up scrapbooking.
what kind of phone do you have and how many images are on it?
I have an IPhone 12 Pro Max and it has 11,919 images on it!
can you describe your lock screen?
My lock screen is a photo of a sunset I saw while on a train to Paris with my best friend in 2022. I always credit that train ride with saving my life in a way. Something about the solitude I felt and being in such a new place with someone I love so much made me face all my truths within the span of a few days. I keep it as my lock screen to remind myself of how important it is to choose myself.
How long do you typically spend on your phone in a day?
When I am not in the thick of a drop, three hours. When I am working on a drop anywhere from five to ten hours.
what is your morning routine like?
I wake up at 7:00 am and have tea or coffee, usually decaf. Sometimes I will read or write if I have enough time before I start the day. Then I take out my crazy dog, Pobi, to play. I go to pilates for an hour and then come home to shower and get to work for the day.
where are passersby likely to spot you? what are you doing there?
Either at pilates or at a cafe in Houston called Croissant Brioche. I am probably with a friend having a decaf cappuccino and a caesar salad.
where are you right now?
I’m in my bed responding to these questions on my laptop :-P
what are you reading lately?
I just finished Carol Dyhouse’s Glamour and absolutely ripped through it. If you are a nerd about fashion, I highly recommend reading this book. The first two sentences of the book really hooked me in. I don’t subscribe to any newsletters, honestly. I am more into books and magazines.
Tell us a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up and what was it like?
I grew up in Houston, Texas. It was great because my mother did everything she could to encourage me creatively. However, Texas is a very conservative state and I went to a very stuffy high school with a uniform. I was lucky enough to have really fabulous older people around me who always encouraged me to be myself and not fear being different.
when did you get your first phone, and what do you remember about it?
I got my first phone in the 8th grade. It was a Nokia and I remember all my friends joking with me about how it was indestructible because I was always dropping it. One day, I let a friend throw it on the ground as a joke, and it actually broke. I was ready to part ways with it, so I remember being happy.
tell us a bit about how you got to where you are now.
I am currently living in Houston, buying and selling vintage and designer clothing from the 90s and early 2000s. I just celebrated the ninth anniversary of my business in August! My mother sold vintage my entire life so I always collected because of her. It’s literally in my blood. I started selling out of necessity; I didn’t have any money to go to school and I am first gen so it was really important that I found a way to provide for myself. My business took off in ways I never even imagined. I was able to finish school debt-free and walk away with a career I love.
tell us about one of the images on your phone.
This is a photo of me in a record store in Rio de Janeiro called Tropicalia Discos. I grew up collecting records with my mom, she had a deep love for jazz and music from all over the world, specifically Brazil. When I was little I would come home from school, I would sit at the coffee table doing my homework and she would sit at the dining room table sorting the vintage she brought home that day, candles lit, records playing. My earliest memory of music is my mom playing one of her favorite records by Elizeth Cardoso, the memories are always super warm and have a yellowish hue to them. When I found out I was going to Rio I made sure to carve out time to shop so I could bring back as many records as possible. I cried while in the store.
what’s the last thing you googled on your phone?
The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie.
any tips for hunting down great vintage pieces?
Estate sales and antique stores are great! Always have a clear idea of what you’re looking for and know your fashion history. It’s hard to have an opinion and clear idea of what you want to convey with your clothing if you don’t understand fashion history.
What do your days look like?
Usually I am shopping, walking my dog, and playing with clothing. I generally end the day watching a movie with my boyfriend or by reading a book.
How do you make time for your personal life and strike the balance between work and free time?
It’s really challenging because I turned my hobby into my job, and I really love what I do. Usually, on the weekends, I cut myself off from work and opt to do more creative things like make a playlist, watch a movie, read, sew.
what are you watching lately?
Everything. I recently watched Something Wild and loved it. I have been super into Lee Lin Chin’s Fashionista series. I watch The Devil Wears Prada like once a month.
favorite thing you’ve come to possess in the last year?
I think it’s my Sonia Rykiel fall 2001 bag. It literally has the word “vintage” spelled out on it in bold. Truly made for me as a big Sonia collector. I spent two years tracking it down and cried when I found it.
We’d love to hear about how you capture and remember moments of your life.
I try to journal everyday or at least a few times a week because I believe it’s really important to remember your life. I also like to use a digital camera to take photos when I know I am going out with friends. I think it allows me to feel more present. I am super low tech when it comes to my photos, I generally just take pictures of things or moments that feel pretty.
The most recent thing I have done is scrapbooking. It’s super fun and rewarding to see all of this stuff that you might put in a box and forget about laid out in a beautiful way for you to enjoy. My favorite way to document my life is my personal Instagram. It functions as a journal and I really try to only keep people on there that I trust so I can be very free with my writing.
what’s in your podcast queue?
I honestly only listen to Slushy Noobz and my good friend’s podcast Resonare!
What are your favorite accounts you follow on social media?
I love @light4079 aka Jack The Great. He watches the lights turn off and it brings me a lot of joy. @hugohamlet is great when I am sad. @ivooav because I really love watching people and looking at food in general. I am sure there are more but I am trying to be less online.
favorite apps on your phone?
I play 2048 a lot. I love The RealReal, Poshmark, and the weather app.
Where do you look for fashion inspo?
Magazines and firstVIEW! Travel has also been a really fabulous tool for inspiration for me.
More generally, what’s been inspiring you?
This changes so often that I don’t have a concrete answer but I’d have to say the 1980’s, Eric Kroll, anything pin-up, and hats. I think fashion has felt somewhat stuffy for a while and I am always looking for ways to bring light into my wardrobe and my work. I think fashion should be fun but also serious but in a fun way.