You’ll want to start with one day post-washed hair. If you have cleaned and conditioned hair, it’ll be too ‘fluffy’ and light unless you use loads of hairspray and back-combing (which isn’t great for your hair by the way). Grab your sections from the front half of your head and pin the rest out the way or hold it back with a ponytail. Split in half and you have the two chunks you’ll be transforming.
The clients you would most likely come across for this style are vintage enthusiasts, pin up pageant girls and burlesque artists, as well as people going to costume parties. There are also always drag queens and the secret “I Love Lucy”-obsessed people from that era who are holding onto nostalgia. Either way, this style is great fun to create and will come in handy when you least expect it, or when you want to embrace your inner silver screen goddess.
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.
Dressing in vintage style clothing for a themed event or personal fashion is our passion. We turned a hobby into this website to make it easy to find vintage inspired clothing for women and men online spanning 1900-1960s. Our fashion history blog helps you create the look from decades past using vintage, vintage inspired and thrifty clothing, Need help? Ask us anytime.
Another great pencil dress by Chic Star! It's made from poly/elastane stretch but the fabric is lovely and soft and smooth against the skin. The design is simple but smart and the black collar and sleeve trim reminds me of a 50's diner uniform. I love the print which is something a little bit different and the colour is great! Definitely a great dress to wear to work or for an evening out. My measurements are bust 90cms (12DD bra), waist 69cms and hips 93cms and the size 8 is a perfect fit. If you have any questions, please get in touch!
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.
Capris also came into popularity during the 1950s as everyone wanted to look like Audrey Hepburn in her latest hits. This style of pant was actually introduced by Sonja de Lennart in 1948. Many women wanted to pretend they had Italian roots by wearing black capris with a red and white knit shirt. Others chose to wear blue capris with the same shirt to pretend that they were European. Alternatively, many paired capris with a white ruffled shirt creating a Spanish look, especially when wearing a bolero jacket. Recreate your own Audrey Hepburn look by getting these capris from ModCloth (@modcloth).
Imagine having a wardrobe that is entirely and directly from the 30’s and 40’s? Well, that’s exactly what you get to see when you follow Idacath on Instagram. This modern day retro fashion icon doesn’t recreate vintage inspired outfits with modern day items; she finds real vintage clothing and turns them into modern day masterpieces. Her vintage apparel is about as authentic as it gets.
Atomic Cherry is the online fashion home of vintage inspired clothing and all things retro. If you’re a fan of timeless elegance and sophistication with an unconventional twist, then you won’t be disappointed with our range. You can browse through a large collection of dresses from the bygone era of the 1940’s and 1950’s featuring, swing dresses, classic wiggle dresses, vintage inspired dresses and cotton sundresses. Our pin up clothing comes in a range of fabrics and prints from satins, retro patterns, gingham, and polka dot prints. So if you’re inspired by pin up girls such as Betty Page and Jean Harlow– then you’ve come to the right place.
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.
Polished curls, sleek, smooth waves, delicate pin curls and mind-blowing Victory rolls look extremely sexy and often glamorous. Want to upgrade the chosen retro hairstyle? Think of an intriguing hair color solution to add to your look. Throw in some pink and black highlights into blonde hair or try the pastel hair trend. Here are some cutest hairstyles to check.
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!
Pinup fashion models of the 1950s wore many stilettos with a 4 inch heel. In the beginning, the heels on these shoes ended in a metal cap. Many establishments found that they cut into hardwood floors, so they were banned from many office settings. The first stilettos were introduced in 1954 with a very rounded toe. The square-toe version came out three years later. They came in a variety of colors so that a woman could easily coordinate her wardrobe. Almost all options had high arches with a V-shaped cut into the shoe’s sides. Most women going to a formal affair chose a pair of red ones. Compliment your night out on the town with these red stilettos from Pinup Girl Clothing(@pinupgirlclothing).
Begin with the fringe area. Create a horizontal parting and brush hair forward. Backcomb the base of the section. Sweep hair back and away from face to create a soft fringe roll. Use a hair donut, padding or gentle backcombing for extra support. Pin under as needed with bobby pins. Smooth the exterior of the fringe with a fine tooth comb and light hairspray.
Imagine having a wardrobe that is entirely and directly from the 30’s and 40’s? Well, that’s exactly what you get to see when you follow Idacath on Instagram. This modern day retro fashion icon doesn’t recreate vintage inspired outfits with modern day items; she finds real vintage clothing and turns them into modern day masterpieces. Her vintage apparel is about as authentic as it gets.
Pin ups have been making men go crazy and women caring about their look for almost a century now, and the pin up visual appeal is having a great revival moment nowadays. Pin up art and photography was all the rage in the 1940s and the 1950s, so what we look for today when reenacting this style is unavoidably inspired to 40s and 50s fashion. There’s a lot more than fashion to pin up though, and that’s exactly why we still love and get inspired by those gorgeous women. They have left us a legacy that will live on for many years to come. Long live the cheesecake girl! Confidence and attitude. Pin up style is a style that grabs a lot of attention when you go out fully dressed. Self confidence and bags of attitude are often required to rock the look. But getting the look also helps to get the right attitude, so it’s a process you can go through step by step. Start by adding pin up accessories to your everyday look, so you can get yourself comfortable with the style first. People around you will get more and more comfortable with it too and no one will be surprised when you come into the room in a polka dot red dress with a huge victory roll on your head. Petticoat. This is a trick a few women know nowadays. No one uses petticoats anymore, because they’re not needed with modern clothes. But a petticoat is something that can’t be missing from your 50s wardrobe. You need one under every dress and skirt you’ll get, aside from pencil dresses and skirts of course. Swing dresses, circle skirts, vintage dresses in general need a petticoat underneath. Get one in white and one in black to start with, you can experiment new colours when you will be more at ease in pin up clothes. Hair. Put a little extra attention to your hair and it will make a huge difference to your outfit. Learn a trick or two on how to quickly style your hair in victory rolls, or how to wear a bandana in your hair. Buy a ton of fake colourful flowers and adorn your hair with them, matching each flower to your outfit. You will go from plain to classy with just a little touch. Bow Pencil Skirt – Big Dot Long Dress – Antique Dream Bandana Makeup. What it’s true for hair is also true for makeup. You don’t have to spend three hours in front of a mirror to get a perfect pin up look. Applying a pin up makeup requires the same time as a normal makeup, with a couple of tips and tricks. You only need a bit of foundation, blush, black eyeliner and a red lipstick and you’re ready to go, it’s no hard at all. Follow our tips on how to get the perfect winged eye look, you can thank us later! Focus on the Waist. Your aim is to create an alluring hourglass silhouette. If you have a look at 40s and 50s photographs you’ll see that the focus is always on the (rather tiny if compared to the rest) waist. Whether it’s a pencil skirt with a shirt tucked in or a swing dress with a waist belt, the shape it’s always a hourglass shape. The style of dresses and accessories will help you get the hourglass silhouette, but try and pay a little extra attention to achieve it. The 50s effect will get across immediately. What do you think it takes to be a pin up? Did you like our tips? Leave a comment below and let us know. Photo credits: Pinterest.com
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!
