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.
Started in 1999 by Laura Byrnes, Pinup Girl Clothing is best known for its high quality, vintage inspired, made in the USA fashions. Composed of its house brands Pinup Couture, Deadly Dames, Dixiefried Clothing, and Laura Byrnes California it covers styles from the sweet demure to the vampy vixen and beyond. Embracing body positivity, Pinup Girl Clothing designs dresses in sizes ranging from XS to 4XL. Once you try one of their pieces, you'll know why so many other have fallen in love!
That’s where reproduction boutiques come in. Many shops have popped up within the last decade to reproduce items from the post-war time period, some even using original patterns and fabrics. If you’re looking to try out a pillbox hat like Midge Maisel, interested in a classic red lipstick, or thinking of going full pinup, there are lots of options at myriad price points, not to mention styles and sizes for many bodies.
The products I like to use are by White Sands. They have an amazing heat setting pump spray (which we apply to each section before curling with the irons) and aerosol finishing spray (used to set the finished style in place”. Their products are incredible as they can hold curl in even the most fine slippery hair. White Sands products are not sticky, they do not flake, and they can easily be brushed out and restyled with ease. Their price point is on the higher end of the scale, however we all know the rule about cheap vs expensive when it comes to cosmetic products.
Started in 1999 by Laura Byrnes, Pinup Girl Clothing is best known for its high quality, vintage inspired, made in the USA fashions. Composed of its house brands Pinup Couture, Deadly Dames, Dixiefried Clothing, and Laura Byrnes California it covers styles from the sweet demure to the vampy vixen and beyond. Embracing body positivity, Pinup Girl Clothing designs dresses in sizes ranging from XS to 4XL. Once you try one of their pieces, you'll know why so many other have fallen in love!
Pin up hairstyles are very close to the classics – they transform their owner into a reserved and cold person. However, pin up is famous for its brightness that refreshes the look and makes it playful, but just a bit. This is perfect for the ladies who cannot refuse from the spark in the eyes and flirty smiles, which, by the way, were a dangerous weapon of seducing men in the hands of ladies in the 40s. Victory curls were ones of the most famous and coolest hairstyles back than – they are easy to style and look just great at any event. Try the tricks of that time’s women and get a classy pin up hairstyle!
Next up is your makeup. Start with your standard foundation. One of the most notable things about pin up models is their smooth complexions. Use a full coverage foundation that matches your skin tone well. You can use a concealer to disguise any blemishes or dark spots on your skin in this step. On to the eyebrows, make sure they’re well shaped and filled in. Your eyes will follow, a smoky eye or bare eye paired with cat-eye or pin up style liner is a great way to bring some added pop to your pin up style outfit. Your lips should also make a big statement, pin ups often times wear oxblood colors, reds, or berry shades.
Rock a retro look with a side of sexy when you wear pin-up clothing from Unique Vintage. We’re all about that sassy style that shows off your curves while turning heads. If you fancy yourself a fabulous fashionista, then it’s time to stock your closet with pin-up appeal. Whether it’s a rockabilly swing dress or a pair of fun sailor shorts, you’ll look oh-so-sexy when you step out in an outfit from our curated collection.
There is truly no right or wrong look for anyone, let’s just get that out there first. If you like it, wear it. Plain and simple. That being said, clothing styles are tailored to certain body shapes so there are some that are naturally a better fit than others. We have taken a look at the various cuts and styles of the vintage eras and come up with a fool-proof way to reach your perfect pin-up persona.
Gently flatten the back of the roll and curls under to close off the back of the victory roll (since this is the more traditional look that we’re going for), making sure to bobby pin well! Shape the front of the roll as needed, make sure to bobby pin the roll from the inside out, and spray well with hairspray. Repeat step #3 and #4 with the other side, and your rolls are done!
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.
Other pin-ups were artwork depicting idealized versions of what some thought a particularly beautiful or attractive woman should look like. An early example of the latter type was the Gibson Girl, a representation of the New Woman drawn by Charles Dana Gibson. "Because the New Woman was symbolic of her new ideas about her sex, it was inevitable that she would also come to symbolize new ideas about sexuality."[9] Unlike the photographed actresses and dancers generations earlier, fantasy gave artists the freedom to draw women in many different ways.[10] The 1932 Esquire "men's" magazine featured many drawings and "girlie" cartoons but was most famous for its Vargas girls. Prior to World War II they were praised for their beauty and less focus was on their sexuality. However, during the war, the drawings transformed into women playing dress-up in military drag and drawn in seductive manners, like that of a child playing with a doll.[11] The Vargas girls became so popular that from 1942–46, owing to a high volume of military demand, "9 million copies of the magazine-without adverts and free of charge was sent to American troops stationed overseas and in domestic bases."[12] The Vargas Girls were adapted as nose art on many World War II bomber and fighter aircraft; Generally, they were considered inspiring, and not seen negatively, or as prostitutes, but mostly as inspiring female patriots that were helpful for good luck.[13]
Beginning in the early nineteenth century, pin-up modeling had "theatrical origins",[3] burlesque performers and actresses sometimes used photographic advertisement as business cards to advertise shows.[4] These adverts and business cards could often be found backstage in almost every theater's green room, pinned-up or stuck into "frames of the looking-glasses, in the joints of the gas-burners, and sometimes lying on-top of the sacred cast-case itself." Understanding the power of photographic advertisements to promote their shows, burlesque women self-constructed their identity to make themselves visible. Being recognized not only within the theater itself but also outside challenged the conventions of women's place and women's potential in the public sphere.[5] "To understand both the complicated identity and the subversive nature of the 19th-century actress, one must also understand that the era's views on women's potential were inextricably tied to their sexuality, which in turn was tied to their level of visibility in the public sphere: regardless of race, class or background, it was generally assumed that the more public the woman, the more 'public,' or available, her sexuality, according to historian Maria Elena Buszek. Being sexually fantasized, famous actresses in early-20th-century film were both drawn and photographed and put on posters to be sold for personal entertainment.[6] Among the celebrities who were considered sex symbols, one of the most popular early pin-up girls was Betty Grable, whose poster was ubiquitous in the lockers of G.I.s during World War II.
Pin up curls seem to look like the classic Hollywood ones, but they have some differences. The first ones should look cold, tight, and shiny, if following the path of our stylish predecessors without any changes. The Hollywood curls represents a light variant of pin up style, and so they don’t need firm setting styling or a lot of time. However, we suppose that every girl, who adores those Hollywood waves, will like the pin up curls as well!
