Category: Fashion Reviews

Information about vintage, pinup, and repro fashion brands and sellers.

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Outfits of the Season: Surviving summer work

Ginger in Circus Print
Pinup Couture Ginger dress in Circus print.

Since I live and work in a region where temperatures shoot well above 100 degrees Farenheit, it’s always difficult for me to balance summer comfort with professional elegance. Some days it just isn’t possible to trudge across scorching hot parking lots and up four flights of stairs in uncomfortable heels and sweltering Spanx, so I try to mix things up with lightweight fabric swing sundresses, white summer cardigans for coverage and for their reflective and sunscreening properties, flats, and “flatform” shoes. Continue reading “Outfits of the Season: Surviving summer work”

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Link: Pinup Girl Style

There’s a new online community for fans of Pinup Couture, Deadly Dames, and Pinup Girl Clothing‘s other wonderful house brands! At Pinup Girl Style, members can share photos of themselves in PUG clothing, participate in discussions, read blogs by members of Team PUG and their guests, and swap or sell their PUG goods. Check it out!

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More pretty outfits, more pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photo shoot with Angela Morales

Kali by Angela M.
Kali by Angela Morales. Dress by Laura Byrnes Black Label and makeup and hair by Ruby Collins.

In addition to my fabulous photo shoot with Tara O., my Viva Las Vegas itinerary included an amazing shoot at Paris Hotel & Casino with the talented and personable Angela Morales. Angela’s photography is breathtaking, but she’s also a lot of fun to work with and an excellent teacher to boot!

Her direction was top-notch, putting me at ease immediately. “Pretend like you’re mouthing vowels; start with A and move through U – that way you’ll get variety in your expressions!” and “If it feels silly, it’s probably perfect!” were my favorite instructions.

For the shoot, I wore my Deadly Dames Pirate Dress and Laura Byrnes Black Label Grace Dress, two of my all-time favorite outfits. I accessorized them with my vintage rhinestone necklace and clip earrings, my El Dorado Club Filigree Bat Necklace, and my Piou Piou patent leather pumps by Christian Louboutin. The multitalented Ruby Collins did an amazing job with my hair and makeup. Continue reading “More pretty outfits, more pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photo shoot with Angela Morales”

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Hell Bunny of the Day + New Deadly Dames

Hell Bunny Tigerlili Dress and Trashy Diva anchor Necklace
Hell Bunny Tigerlili Dress and Trashy Diva anchor Necklace.

Here are a couple of odds and ends I thought might be of interest!

For the last few months I’ve wanted to try a non-halter Hell Bunny style, like the red gingham Chantal Dress linked here. When the Chantal sold out in my size at JBR Clothing, I steeled myself to look into other fabric options in the same cut. Luckily, my friend Jessica discovered that the minty green Tigerlili Dress from Hell Bunny was a completely different shade than the “conversation heart” hue of the Olivie Dress, which I already own. So, I decided to give it a try! Continue reading “Hell Bunny of the Day + New Deadly Dames”

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Pretty outfits, pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photoshoot with Tara O.

Kali by Tara O. Photos
Kali by Tara O. Photos, shot at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Hair and makeup by Rosetta Garcia. Dress by Bettie Page Clothing.

While at Viva Las Vegas last month, I did two great photo shoots. The first was with the lovely and talented Tara O., who was a blast to work with! Tara’s full of energy and ideas, and knows exactly how to direct inexperienced models like me. She’s also great at finding amazing settings and angles that most people would never notice, let alone consider.

Las Vegas is known for its dazzling variety, but the color, texture, and mood diversity reflected in the photo sets surprised me. Someone unfamiliar with the Vegas Strip wouldn’t know that these shots – representing both the tropics and an art deco world reminiscent of Metropolis, among other places – were all taken within the same several-hundred-foot radius! Continue reading “Pretty outfits, pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photoshoot with Tara O.”

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Real vintage accessories meet vintage-inspired fashions!

The Grace dress from Laura Byrnes Black Label looks amazing with late 1950s/early 1960s paste jewelry
The Grace dress from Laura Byrnes Black Label looks amazing with late 1950s/early 1960s paste jewelry.

Hey guys! The lovely Vanessa just posted my piece on accessorizing vintage-inspired fashions with real vintage items to the Pinup Girl Clothing official blog. In the article, I’ve included items from my period jewelry and accessories collection that look great with my Pinup Girl Clothing fashions! Hope you enjoy it.

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Outfits of the Weekend: Viva Las Vegas, Viva Mode Merr, Viva Pinup Girl Clothing!

Mugging it up in my Deadly Dames Vamp Top, El Dorado Club Filigree Bat Necklace, and great hair and makeup by Rosetta Garcia
Mugging it up in my Deadly Dames Vamp Top, El Dorado Club Filigree Bat Necklace, and great hair and makeup by Rosetta Garcia.

Over the weekend I attended my first Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender, an amazing excuse to head to Las Vegas and hang out with my new retro fashion friends!

In addition to hanging out with pals, I was able to take part in two wonderful photo shoots (more on those in the coming weeks) and buy some gorgeous clothing!

My favorite buy of the weekend was my Mode Merr Fitted Peasant Blouse in Hawaiian Print plus Perfect Skirt in Black. The skirt’s stretch gabardine was thick enough to support without adding bulk or stiffness, and the high waist and extra-hippy cut was perfect for my crazy pear shape (wearing 2x, my waist: 32-33″, my hips: 48″). Continue reading “Outfits of the Weekend: Viva Las Vegas, Viva Mode Merr, Viva Pinup Girl Clothing!”

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Outfits of the Month: Random Vintage, Trashy Diva, Deadly Dames

I’ve meant to share these for a while, but everything seems to get in the way.

Trashy Diva 40s Dress in Olivine Floral
Trashy Diva 40s Dress in Olivine Floral.

First, Trashy Diva’s 40s Dress in Olivine Floral, Doll Dress in Slap ‘n’ Tickle, and Honey Dress in Fuchsia stretch satin. I’ve had the 40s dress for nearly a year, but the others are new.

Love the fit of the Doll Dress, though the Honey is a wee bit big in the armscyes and waist. My current measurements are 44-32.5-48″, and I’m wearing size 16 in both (and size 18 in the 40s dress; the Olivine Floral version ran small).

Next, vintage 1950s! I recently purchased a deep aqua and lavender floral cotton dress (label: Carol Brent) from La Rosa Vintage on Haight in San Francisco. I paired it here with a “Luxelon” acrylic lilac cardigan from Relic Vintage (label: Designer Originals), also on Haight. Continue reading “Outfits of the Month: Random Vintage, Trashy Diva, Deadly Dames”