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.

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!”

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”

Outfit(s) of the Day: Saturdayyyyyyyy!

Outfit of the Day - Saturday!
Outfit of the Day - Saturday!

Since the semester’s started, I haven’t had much time for anything but work. However, here’s my casual outfit for this dreary Saturday! White House/Black Market dot cardigan, Deadly Dames Vamp top in red with black dots, El Dorado Club “New Orleans” bat necklace, Torrid jeans, and Coach patent leather flats.

I’m also including a shot from Thursday afternoon, which features a smidge of that Heartbreaker Marilyn Tee I’d previously mentioned. I’m happy with the shot because my hair isn’t frizzed beyond belief and the colors involved seem to suit me.

I have a few new (and old) items in the hopper to show you within the next month or so, so stay tuned! Here’s hoping everything fits as planned! 😀

Heartbreaker Marilyn Tee
Heartbreaker Marilyn Tee.

Outfit of the Day: Deadly Dames Je T’Adore…and more!

Deadly Dames Je T'Adore
Deadly Dames Je T'Adore Dress.

A few days ago, I expressed concern that the beautiful Deadly Dames Je T’Adore Dress might not fit my hips. Turns out I shouldn’t have been so worried!

The 2xl is listed as maxing out at 47.5″, but my hips are 49″. Somehow, it worked out – score!

I wore this beautiful dress to a work training today (unpaid, alas!) with my Lane Bryant sequined cardigan, pictured below (thanks to Homegoods for lending their mirror).

Also pictured below is my new Deadly Dames Vamp Dress in Zebra Print. I’m wearing it with a red belt from Bettie Page clothing. Continue reading “Outfit of the Day: Deadly Dames Je T’Adore…and more!”

Outfit of the Day: Bats, pirates, stealing mirrors at the mall…

Outfit of the Day
Outfit of the Day.

I borrowed Forever 21’s big mirror on the way out of the mall today to bring you my outfit of the day!

I wore a silver-sequined black cardigan from the 2010 Lane Bryant holiday collection, my Deadly Dames Pirate Dress, cheap Steve Madden shoes from T.J. Maxx, Claire’s hairflower, and El Dorado Club “New Orleans” Filigree Bat Necklace.

Would’ve been nice had I, you know, worn makeup or something. 😛

Close up
Close up!

OotD and Dreaming of Spring Fashion…

It’s barely January, which means that the shops are stocked with cruisewear and the strange seasonal hybridity of bridge lines. Last week, my brother’s girlfriend and I stopped by Ann Taylor Loft to find it awash in nautical blues and brash stripes; all stuff I like, but nothing that satisfies either current climatic reality here in the northern hemisphere or my severe jones for flowers and fragrance and sunshine and springtime.

I know it’s too early to be shopping in earnest for the season to come – after all, it’s only officially been winter for less than three weeks – but it’s a perfect time to look ahead at what’s coming down ye olde pipe and try to plan. First, an obligatory look at the official Pantone palette for Spring, 2012:

Spring 2012 Fashion Color Trends - Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2012
Spring 2012 Fashion Color Trends - Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2012.

Margarita, Cockatoo, and Sweet Lilac satisfy my craving for soft candy color; Cabaret is a hot pink right up my colorsense alley, while Sodalite Blue in conjunction with rich greens would scratch my itch for midcentury sofa prints and lucite grape lamps. Sodalite is more cobalty than your standard January navy, it looks like.

Retailers like Torrid appear to be jumping on the the orange bandwagon with their new Sweet Escape cruise collection, though I can’t quite tell if they’ve used spring’s Tangerine Tango or a softer tone like last season’s Emberglow.

Heartbreaker Gretta Top and Laura Byrnes Black Label Pencil Skirt
Heartbreaker Gretta Top and Laura Byrnes Black Label Pencil Skirt (Pinup Girl Clothing).

Heartbreaker Fashion – one of my favorite brands – is offering a number of its timeless pieces in a sage print reminiscent of Pantone’s Margarita, a mod drink-themed pattern (“Happy Hour”) that utilizes several bold colors reminiscent of this season’s palette, and a navy “Orbit” theme that seems to shade toward Sodalite Blue. You can check these out at their spring lookbook.

I’m hoping to pick up some more Heartbreaker separates (like this Stripey Marilyn Tee)  in the coming months, as they’re pretty much amazing. At a recent clearance sale, I purchased their Gretta Top in a rich beige color that they had discontinued. The fabric is substantial, which makes for a great shape. More, it perfectly matches my Heartbreaker Gypsy Skirt in Dandelion print.

Deadly Dames Je T'Adore Dress in Victorian Rose print
Deadly Dames Je T'Adore Dress in Victorian Rose print.

Deadly Dames (Pinup Girl Clothing) will be rolling out both sleek and fluffy silhouettes in feminine hues and prints, most of which don’t follow the seasonal color pack. That, however, is part of why I like Deadly Dames. In fact, the parade of awesome winter-to-spring stuff from designer Micheline Pitt begins this weekend with the much-anticipated Je T’Adore Dress in four colorways. I’ve ordered it in the “Victorian Rose” pattern, which suits my springtime floral craving to a T. I tend to ride the line on the hip measurement in their largest size, so keep your fingers crossed that it fits!

Coming later are the Courtesan Swing Dress, available in a black/white gingham and the Victorian Rose pictured above (I want the gingham!), and the L’Amor dress, which I hope to get in the black with white polka-dot colorway. You can see advance images of the collection at Micheline’s Facebook fanpage.

My outfit of the day: The Mon Cheri Dress in Mauve by Deadly Dames.

The satin Mon Cheri Dress, from the Fall Deadly Dames line, comes in colors from the same palette. I purchased the dress in the mauve colorway, which is a breathtaking antique pink. It’s got just the right amount of gold to make it right for autumn, yet it’s soft enough to carry you through the winter into spring. If it weren’t lined or sleeved, I’d want to wear it in summer, too!

Anyway, it’s what I’m wearing to a party tonight! This is their 2x; except for the arms, I could have handled the xl. Even a little big, it still looks good. I particularly love the black velvet belt!