Rio Revisited: Nagel Girl, pin up style, for Halloween!

Several years ago for Halloween, I decided to bring to life my favorite Patrick Nagel painting. Usually described as “woman with flower in her hair,” the piece is also known as the alternate cover art for Duran Duran’s iconic Rio album.

Nagel Girl
Woman with flower in her hair, AKA the “alternate” Duran Duran “Rio” cover art!
Nagel Girl by Missy
Me as the Nagel girl, by Miss Missy.

The first incarnation of the outfit included a royal blue tube top and raspberry capris, both of which I made myself by altering commercially available patterns. Since I’ve gotten a lot smaller since then, I decided it was time to put together a new “Rio” look for this Halloween. This time, I’m using separates produced by popular pin up clothing manufacturers.

Nagel Girl
Me as the Nagel girl, by Miss Missy.

Reusing the earrings I made for my first Rio costume, I replaced the top with a royal blue “Scarlett” bustier from Fables by Barrie and the pants with hot pink bengaline capris by Deadly Dames. The capris are stretchy and reliable; I was able to order my usual 2x in the style and come out fine. While my waist is about 32″, my hips are 48″, necessitating the larger size.

The Scarlett bustier is well-constructed and fits closely. As a short-waisted person with very wide hips, the length of the top is not ideal. That said, the bustier looks great tucked in, so the fit at the hips isn’t so important. Those wishing for a bustier top that stops at the waist may prefer the Dixiefried bustier in bright blue. Initially, I’d hoped to use the Dixiefried bustier for this project as I’ve had good luck with the same piece in other colorways. Unfortunately, the bright blue bustiers still haven’t stocked. Like the Fables Scarlett bustier, the Dixiefried bustiers are boned. Unlike the Scarlett, which has a zipper, the Dixiefried bustiers have a button closure down the back. Whereas the Scarlett bustiers currently stop at size XL, the Dixiefried bustiers are available up to 2x. I wear size XL in both, with a bust at around 42″ and a waist measuring about 32″.

Nagel Girl
Me as the Nagel girl, by Miss Missy.

The hair flower comes from JoAnn’s floral department and the shoes were kind of an afterthought; just black, 40s-inspired sandal heels by Chelsea Crew.

These photos of the look are by the fabulous Miss Missy of Miss Missy Photography. She did my makeup and hair as well.

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