Q & A with Julie Tran Le

When Brooklyn based librarian Julie Tran Le isn't reading books or running around the city in head to toe vintage and high heels (which she's been collecting for years), she's hard at work looking for one of a kind recycled chain segments. She has amassed an amazing 80 pound collection of broken vintage chains which she incorporates into an environmentally friendly jewelry line called Crunchy Jewels. Le has been making jewelry since grade school, and selling it since her teens. Each necklace in her latest venture, Crunchy Jewels, is comprised of segments of the broken vintage chains she's stock piled for years. No two are alike, and in a clever twist, Le includes long stretches of multiple clasps and long dangling necklaces which also morph into chokers or wrap-around bracelets. To preview her new collection and more CLICK HERE for Julie's blog.Who's your style icon?
Dolly Parton. As a little girl, I loved how sassy and bold she was. Dolly's outfits are always over-the-top, totally ridiculous, and off-kilter, BUT she knows how to pull it off!
Favorite designers or brand?
My favorite designers are my friends - all Brooklyn-based: Stuart & Wright, Samantha Pleet, Mina Stone, and Mer. Otherwise, I am usually head to toe in vintage (I have a huge collection of dresses & shoes) and Agent Provocateur stockings.
Gold or Silver?
Both and all shades near and in between. My jewelry pieces are comprised of segments of vintage chains in varying materials and colors - the more you wear then, the more they change in the way they tarnish or fade and I love how ephemeral and more unique each piece becomes.
Favorite book?
That is a LOADED question for me. I am an librarian & archivist by day! So off the top of my head for now (I always change my mind):
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle & Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
À rebours (translated as Against the Grain) by Joris-Karl Huysmans
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Moon Palace & New York Triology by Paul Auster
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Favorite film?
I love documentaries...Bonnie and Clyde with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway (her costumes were amazing), Party Girl, Masculin Feminin, and In the Mood for Love
Art?
Guy Bourdin's fashion photography (his ad campaigns that I came across in 1970s issues of Paris Vogue were amazing) and the paintings of Francis Bacon.
What's playing in your IPOD?
My top ten as of late: Dolly Parton, Etta James, the Beatles, Peggy Lee, Tina Turner, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Coco Rosie, Antony and the Johnsons, Sigur Ros, & Bjork.
What's your guilty pleasure?
Foreign fashion magazines and red velvet cake balls dipped in dark chocolate and covered in coconut (that I make myself).
If you had one wish?
To live in a castle decorated like it is the inside of a jewelry box.
Your favorite find? or accessory?
All my vintage white colored jewelry & scarves that I have been collecting for many years and my berets - I have ever color you can imagine.
If you could go back in time and pick out anything to bring back with you, what would that be?
Costumes from the set of all of Francois Truffaut's films.
Tell us a joke.
I am more of a physical comedienne... it's hard running around the city in high high heels.