While some may say that fashion is cyclical, the advanced outfitter knows that the best looks are the ones that never went out of style in the first place! By bolstering your closet with an impressive collection of retro dresses from ModCloth, you give yourself the gift of looks that bypass all current trends and hype thanks to their unwavering timelessness. Vintage dresses have always been a favorite of ours, and we believe that if they haven't already, our assortment of throwback styles will find a place in your heart soon enough!
While women still wore their big Victorian pieces in the first part of the 1950s, soon jewelry trends became smaller and more refined. Every girl wore a brooch on her shoulder with many wearing more than one at the same time. In the first part of the 1950s, gold- colored jewelry was found many places especially in big bold bracelets. In the later half of the decade, however, copper and plastic started to reign. Modernization allowed pieces to be made in mass quantities bringing down prices considerably. Many women brought jewelry in sets. Add these fashion pieces from Sweet and Spark to your jewelry box.
Women usually chose a pair of cigarette pants with side or back zippers. These pants were cut full through the hips tapering to slim- fitting legs. Most cigarette pants ended just above the ankle allowing women to show off their stylish footwear. They had a high waist usually accentuated with a 3 inch waistband. Some women broke up the wide waistband with a thin leather belt. Early on, these pants were mostly black, but by the end of the decade women were expressing their own unique style by wearing stripes, leopard prints, checks and polka dots. Consider adding a pair to your wardrobe by getting these from Unique Vintage (@uniquevintage)

Read my article Sammy Davis, for complete details, but no fashion designer had more influence on the 1950s fashion than Christian Dior. His influence can be seen in the A-line dress that he introduced in the spring of 1955. Until that point, women had worn fashions with tightly nipped-in waist and broad shoulders. The A-line was seen as radical because of its narrow shoulders, elongated waistline and trumpet-like flared hemline. Take a look at this vintage A-line dress from Rose Wholesale (@rosewholesale_official) to create this look for yourself.
Next, brush hair smooth in the back area. Backcomb the interior for extra volume and keep the surface smooth. Create soft curls with a medium barrel iron. Curl hair from the mid-length through to ends in a horizontal fashion. Set curls using pin curl clips until all hair is curled. Allow hair to cool, then release curls and allow to fall softly. Backcomb gently for a soft, voluminous finish.
These ten items are the pinup basics that will build a fabulous foundation for your new wardrobe. I’ve tried to find affordable options for each item. Money can be tight when you’re buying yourself a whole new wardrobe! And when you’re a fledgling pinup, you may not want to blow £100 on a dress. Well, you’ll probably want to but may not be able to justify it! Now, enough of this chatting, it’s smudging my lipstick. Let’s go shopping! Here’s what you’ll need…
Contrast. This is one of the main demands of the pin up style, as only making one of those hairdos cannot change your appearance significantly – if you want to get this effect, of course. Bright red or black, white or brown – it doesn’t matter which color you will pick, the only thing you should remember is the intensity of the color. Preserve it carefully after dying or just take a good care of your natural hair.
My friend and I are in a vintage girl band called Diamond Darlings. When we first started out, we wanted to conduct a photo shoot in order to use the pictures for our publicity materials, such as our business cards and our website. Luckily my uncle is a professional photographer so we enlisted his help to take vintage style photos of us on our local beach and harbor. Although I wouldn't technically call it a pinup photo shoot, we definitely had elements of pinup girl glamour within our snaps. We even managed to use items that were already in our wardrobes so we didn't have to spend a ton of money on costumes and props.
Unique Vintage: The go-to for entry-level retro fast fashion. Coming out of a boutique in Burbank, California, Unique Vintage carries a huge variety of dresses, skirts, shoes, and accessories from many of the brands on this list, and it frequently sends sale alerts and email discount codes to newsletter subscribers and members of its Facebook group. If you’re just starting out, this is a great place to begin.
Voodoo Vixen: While the brand has the same themes as many of these other shops (swing dresses for everyone!), Voodoo Vixen has two unique angles. It does collaborations with popular retro bloggers — like this winter’s collection with Chicago Chic — and it creates its own vintage-inspired prints in house (this nautical dress is everything), which means you can’t get some of these looks anywhere else.
Do you ever find yourself craving an ensemble that transports you to a different time and place entirely? Should that be the case, you've found yourself in the perfect place! Around here, retro dresses are our specialty, because they're not just a fun fashion choice - they're essentially a time machine, too! Once you explore the bold floral prints and playful fringe of our 1970s dresses, be sure to swing by our offerings of post-war-inspired shirt dresses and elegant cocktail frocks. With so many styles to discover and try, it's almost impossible to pick a favorite - but hey, at least now you know where to go when the mood for nostalgic style strikes!

Fashions were quickly changing in the 1950s. Hemlines were coming up, and necklines were dropping. More women than ever before were turning in their dresses for pants. Many young men adorned their bedroom walls with 1950 pinup fashion posters of Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Natalie Wood and Marilyn Monroe. Women sought to look like them by copying the 1950s pinup fashion. Many clothing items created in the 1950s are great to wear to work, school and parties today.

Do you or did you used to work in an office environment? Then you're bound to own a pencil skirt. The classic pencil skirt is a key piece to bring to a pinup shoot as it's very usable and can be worn with shirts and cardigans or even just with your favorite bra. It is reminiscent of 1950s wiggle dresses that made the wearer walk with a little wiggle in their step.
• A fluffy skirt: This is one of the primary details for visually widening the hips, which is quite important for this style (Learn: How to Wear a Fluffy Skirt). Still, if you already have wide hips then you’d better opt for pencil skirts with high-waisted accents and different tight-fitting shapes, which will accentuate the pluses of your body nicely.
So you booked a pinup photo shoot and now you're panicking about what to wear? Don't worry your pretty head; you may find a collection of pinup shoot clothing already within the walls of your wardrobe or beauty items hiding in your makeup bag. Perhaps you have a favorite iconic pinup girl or Hollywood starlet who you'd just love to channel, or maybe you want a reminder for when you're older of how chic you were as a young woman. Whatever the reason, pinup shoots are totally fun, instill body confidence, and remind you how awesome you are! What's not to love about that?
When it comes to getting a vintage inspired dress and channeling your inner Grease Lightning character, the bigger the poof the better. There’s something so fun and flirty about a high waist thrills skirt, and the spring and summer season are the perfect time for both of those things. The best part? Our High Waist Thrills Skirt even comes with pockets just like the real retro deal. So, our thrills skirt is definitely a must have you’ll want to be twirling in this year. 
A polka dot dress is always a must have for vintage inspired outfits, regardless of the season.  After all, it’s a classic! However, the modern-day fashion trends for spring and summer have also fallen in love with the polka dot look which is great news for ladies with a retro wardrobe. After all, you’ve been perfecting the polka dot look all this time. So, now is the perfect time to show the world how to wear polka dot dresses like a fashion icon from the 50’s in this vintage red hot pencil dress.
Unique Vintage: The go-to for entry-level retro fast fashion. Coming out of a boutique in Burbank, California, Unique Vintage carries a huge variety of dresses, skirts, shoes, and accessories from many of the brands on this list, and it frequently sends sale alerts and email discount codes to newsletter subscribers and members of its Facebook group. If you’re just starting out, this is a great place to begin.
For the ladies eager to find vintage inspired fashion from all walks of life (and moments in history), you’ll want to follow Victoria at Vintagemaedchen_by_victoria. This modern day retro fashion icon focuses on all types of retro fashion from between the 20’s and 60’s, giving you a glimpse into fashion that your grandma, great-grandma, great, great-grandma would have worn.  She also has a blog that focuses on books, arts, history and vegan life.
First and foremost, you’re going to want to start from the top, literally, your hair is up first. There are several different hairstyles that you can choose from but, some of the most popular can be a little bit daunting at first when putting together the perfect look to go with your pinup dress. If you want to go the easy route, be bold and cut in some Betty Page style bangs and flat-iron your beautiful locks for an edgy but simple look. But, if you’re more daring, maybe you want to try your hand at some victory rolls. First, you’ll curl your hair, dab some gel onto the roots of your hair and loop your hair using your fingers into rolled curls. You can twirl whichever direction you want to, but it’s most common to curl the rolls inward for a symmetrical look. Pin them in place from front and back, spray with some hair spray or liquid gel. You can now take out the pins or leave them in for some added strength.
Longer lengths should also be encouraged to wear soft romantic waves, especially since this was one hairstyle ‘40s pin-up girls made super famous. To get this super sexy look, start by applying the Dove Style +Care Volume Amplifier Mousse onto your clean, parted hair to give your hair some added volume. Next, take a 1-inch curling wand, and start to create loose romantic curls all around the head. Gently brush out your curls with a paddle brush. Secure your look with a strong-hold hairspray to avoid any frizzies or flyaways.

Love these. My butt looks freaking fantastic in these and I'm sure yours will too. Wore these with my black bordello pumps and they looked incredibly cute. Very comfortable too. The buttons were fun to figure out when i needed to pee in a hurry, but the cloth started to break in and get easier. I've got voluptuous legs naturally (cuban) and this gave me a natural thigh gap I've not used to seeing. Thank you magic pants!

You can’t be anything but eye candy in vintage inspired pin up dresses with A-line, pencil or circle skirts that dance with your every step.  A wide cinch belt helps define your waist and add a contrasting color to your pinup fashion. The strapless, spaghetti or halter neck pin up dresses are the most popular 50s pinup clothing for summer.  Pin up dresses with sleeves are harder to find however with a little crop or cardigan sweater sleeveless dresses are wearable all year long.
Pin up bangs is the special bangs type. The contemporary stylists try to cut messy bangs that can look good without any styling. However, back in the day bangs were very difficult to style the way we can see them when we look at pin up style pics. The perfect pin up bangs demand longer hair, so if your hair’s grown – do not cut it immediately, try another style and feel its mood!
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First and foremost, you’re going to want to start from the top, literally, your hair is up first. There are several different hairstyles that you can choose from but, some of the most popular can be a little bit daunting at first when putting together the perfect look to go with your pinup dress. If you want to go the easy route, be bold and cut in some Betty Page style bangs and flat-iron your beautiful locks for an edgy but simple look. But, if you’re more daring, maybe you want to try your hand at some victory rolls. First, you’ll curl your hair, dab some gel onto the roots of your hair and loop your hair using your fingers into rolled curls. You can twirl whichever direction you want to, but it’s most common to curl the rolls inward for a symmetrical look. Pin them in place from front and back, spray with some hair spray or liquid gel. You can now take out the pins or leave them in for some added strength.
Welcome to the home of Retro Glam, the sister company to our brick and mortar store Rowena! After serving the local Edmonton community on Whyte Ave since 1998, in 2012 we took to serving the world with the start of our website! We pride ourselves on being inclusive and having outfitted guys, gals, and visitors to our fair city (and around the world!) with our eclectic mix of rock’ clothing, footwear, and accessories. Embracing the many sides of the modern pinup we carry clothes that show case the old school glamour of bygone eras specializing in pinup clothing, 40s, 50s, vintage reproduction dresses, etc all the way to punk and goth inspired goods! Whether you are looking for the perfect dress to have all eyes on you, skirts and pants, tops, or fabulous swimwear to soak up the sun in - we have something for everyone! You are sure to find us there there supporting the local scene, Be it car shows, concerts, or tattoo conventions (either working, or just having fun!).
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