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!
More pretty outfits, more pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photo shoot with Angela Morales
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”
Pretty outfits, pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photoshoot with Tara O.
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.”
Link: Dear Mr. Knightley…
It’s come to my attention that Mr. George Knightley of Jane Austen’s Emma fame is now authoring his own advice blog, titled Letters to Mr. Knightley! With help from colleagues and friends, he’ll be dispensing his wit and wisdom on life and love to the denizens of Highbury, the Internet, and beyond. Here’s a man I’d trust with any problem!
Outfits of the Weekend: Viva Las Vegas, Viva Mode Merr, Viva Pinup Girl Clothing!
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!”
Falling for Vertigo: 1950s Fashion and Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco
Yesterday was our Greater Bay Area Costumers’ Guild Falling for Vertigo: A Toast to Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco event. We had a wonderful time attending a guided tour of the Georgian portraiture at the Legion of Honor (an iconic Vertigo filming site), a nod to the fictional “portrait of Carlotta” that appeared in the film. Afterwards, we visited historic Fort Point, the location where “Madeleine” throws herself into San Francisco Bay, to explore the Civil War-era fort and behold the spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands. Our day ended with drinks and dinner at the Presidio Social Club (and for some of us, the Top of the Mark). Continue reading “Falling for Vertigo: 1950s Fashion and Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco”
Hell Bunny Halter Dresses = Springtime YAY!
I was impressed by the adorable Hell Bunny brand sundresses some of my friends were sharing on Facebook, so I decided to buy one three of my own!
Since a wide selection of Hell Bunny clothing isn’t readily available in my neck of the woods (California), I purchased my dresses from Sirens & Starlets, a UK Ebay Store that came recommended by a fellow pin-up style fan in New Zealand. Even from far across the pond, S&S delivered promptly (within ten days) and with excellent service.
Best of all, the dresses fit perfectly and look amazingly cute! I purchased the Olive (mint green), Vanity (black, white, and red), and Motley (black and white) in UK 18/2x, as that is what seemed to best suit my 44-33.5-49″ measurements. Since these styles all feature an elasticized back, there was some concern that they might be too big in the bust.
While I could probably size down without trouble (my waist measurement matches the xl size according to the fitting charts), it wasn’t necessary. For the Hell Bunny dresses that don’t come in plus sizes (I’m looking at you, Kiki dress!), it’s comforting to know that the XL size is there for me to try.
My next Hell Bunny purchases will be the Kiki dress – a black tropical-print halter – and the turquoise May Day dress.
The cotton fabric is light and crisp, perfect for warm springs and hot summers. I’m planning on wearing these three in Las Vegas come April, which should be pretty warm! Even though it’s still February, north-central California’s weather has been mild enough for me to wear two of my new dresses with cardigans!
Fashionable Emma Woodhouse: Costuming Austen’s Emma Adapted
Fashionable Emma Woodhouse: Costuming Austen’s Emma Adapted
Before the 2009-2010 BBC Emma miniseries came out – and before I’d even started this blog – my friends Vic and Laurel Ann of Jane Austen Today kindly asked me to do a quick piece about costuming in the three previous major adaptations of the novel: the 1971 BBC tv miniseries starring Dorin Godwin, the 1996 Miramax theatrical release starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and the 1996-1997 A&E/ITV movie starring Kate Beckinsale.
It’s based on a previous article on Emma costuming I prepared for Ellie Farrell’s excellent Celluloid Wrappers site, which is dedicated to film costume. Eventually, I’ll be adding a section on the Romola Garai Emma to that article.