Gabrielle Jones Creates Her Dream Life in Front of the Camera

Mar 24, 2023

Gabi’s dream is to tell stories and entertain people, and she has found a creative way to do that. Her story encourages us all to never give up on our dreams, whether that’s starting a Tiktok channel, acting from the stage, or starting a new business.

Gabi wearing a Victorian blouse

If you are one of Gabi Jones’s nearly 460,000 Tiktok followers then you know she is a delight. Her unique combination of a love of vintage fashion, skill at storytelling, and interest in history have attracted followers of all ages and from all over the world.

But unlike many social media content creators, Gabi did not set out with the goal of being an influencer. It was actually one of the few benefits of looking for work during the pandemic.

In 2020, during her senior year at Chapman University, Gabi took a Business of Acting course in which the professor told the students they should be creating content for social media. Not long after, Gabi was looking for acting jobs on Backstage and found an opportunity with Tiktok to produce 40 videos with some type of educational content.

“I had access to closets full of vintage clothes because my grandmother has been a vintage collector all her life,” said Jones. “I had grown up hearing her stories about the pieces she had worn or found and the era they came from. So, sharing those stories and incorporating fashion history was a natural fit for me. After those 40 videos, I was hooked. I began doing my own research, scrolling fashion history websites, reading books, and visiting museums.”

Gabi looking so chic in her aunt Lawnie’s 1960’s junior prom dress

Gabi wasn’t the only one who was hooked. Some of those first videos were viewed more than 500,000 times.

Continuing to create videos was a no-brainer for Jones, and she has continued to share pieces from her own growing collection and her grandmother’s collection for the past two years. In fact, in early 2022, Gabi decided to challenge herself by styling a vintage piece every day for 1 year.

With that challenge complete, she feels like the sky's the limit. Gabi is inspired by the women in her family. “My great-great-grandmother, and my great-grandmother, and all the women who came after didn’t have these opportunities. I don’t take for granted the autonomy and freedom I have and the ability to have my own business.”

Gabi’s great aunt Lawnie in 1965 in her junior prom dress

Gabi’s great aunt in her hand sewn 1960’s wedding dress

And, Jones certainly hasn’t given up acting. She was in several productions last year, including a role in one of her favorites, “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.” Gabi is open to acting anywhere in the world, especially since Gabi’s Vintage allows her to work remotely.

She fell in love with travel after studying abroad in London in 2019, where she attended shows at the Globe Theater and National Theatre and visited Scotland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.

And, though she has been to some of the most beautiful places in the world, her home will always be Minnesota. After all, it’s where her love of acting and vintage fashion first began.

Gabi wears an 1960’s brown and pink wedding dress worn by her great aunt in 1965

As you can imagine, Gabi has experienced significant personal growth over the past couple of years. She discovered the importance of being disciplined and sticking to a routine in order to be successful. Gabi structures her days by designating certain ones for filming new videos, auditioning for roles, and researching.

And, when asked what she would tell someone else who is chasing a dream, Gabi shared, “There will always be growing pains. For the first year I was creating content, I was also a full-time student and I worked full-time at Olive Garden. It was so painful and hard to imagine that my life and job would ever be different. But, if you are consistent and persistent, you will come out on the other side and be able to pursue what you are passionate about. I just had to learn to say yes even when it was scary.”

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” The future belongs to Gabi and to all of us who dare to believe.

Gabi wearing one of her grandma’s hand sewn vintage vests