Pinup, vintage fashion, vintage home, Jane Austen's Emma, and Miracles from Molecules!
So here’s some fun news! I now have a Retro Lovely Showcase special edition dedicated entirely to my pinup work with great photographers like Marilee Caruso, Miss Missy, Bettina May, and Feathered Flash!
You can purchase a copy here for $25, including shipping, a sticker, and my signature!
Posters will be available too! This issue, the cover poster, and my 2024 pinup calendar are also currently available via my Linktree.
Last month, Marilee Caruso and I took some Summery outdoor pinup images in the garden in front of Sacramento’s historic Tower Theatre. They turned out just as I’d hoped, and appear in Retro Lovely Number 229! One of the covers for this issue features Suzi Q in a great jukebox-themed pinup set also photographed by Marilee!
Marilee did the fabulous 1940s-inspired makeup and hair, and I’m wearing Vixen by Micheline Pitt (her 1950s Swing Sundress in red vintage roses print – it comes with the scarf!). The bat sunglasses are also by Micheline Pitt, from her La Femme en Noir line. The shoes are by Remix (I think they’re the Veronica style, but I’ve had them for at least 8 years at this point so I can’t be sure).
We were going for mid-century old Hollywood glamour, and this locale provides that vibe.
You can purchase this issue, and all of my issues here, or via the links in my Linktree:
The June issue of Bombshell magazine is out! My Hearst Castle-inspired set by Marilee Caruso (who also did the makeup and hair) is in Book 1, including the inside cover facing the table of contents. If you want to grab this – or any – Magcloud publication on sale, there’s a discount code right now: MAG25.
Since I am a huge fan of William Randolph Hearst’s La Cuesta Encantata estate (“the enchanted hill,” now a California State Park located near San Simeon, CA), I wanted to incorporate a sliver of the atmosphere there. Virtually all aspects of the architecture and decoration were overseen by architect and Berkeley grad (Go Bears!) Julia Morgan over nearly three decades, and it remains one of her most impressive projects.
Since we couldn’t shoot at the actual house, we adapted Marilee’s “study” setup to double as W.R.’s library. The original room is very Spanish Baroque in ways that only a wealthy media mogul who collected lots of European antiques can replicate, but we did our best. I added a reproduction Greek vase (dude collected tons of art, including a huge ancient pottery collection from Greek antiquity which he highlighted in his library) and my “Citizen Kane” snowglobe to the studio set.
Marilee put images from my Film Noir shoot on the late 1940s tv console to add another layer of meaning, as both Hearst and Marion Davies (his girlfriend and major silent era and golden age of Hollywood star) were involved in the early American film industry. Given the tv cabinet and the more mid-century look of the studio set, we couldn’t do 1920s or 30s. And since the house was closed during World War II and Mr. Hearst and Davies left the house in 1947 due to the former’s ill health, we figured a small evening party in 1946 or 1947 “coulda happened” like this.
You can find this and all my issues via my Linktree.
I had the pleasure of shooting with the multi-talented and very lovely Bettina May back in March, and the pretty Victorian hotel photos we took that day are now on six pages of Retro Lovely‘s Godiva No. 57! Bettina did my sweet 1940s-style hair and makeup, too!
I wore two fabulous lingerie outfits made for me by Rachel of Buttress & Snatch in the UK, a blue tulle robe by GlamourGhoul on Etsy, and a black ruffled Cassandra robe by Catherine D’Lish.
More pictures after the jump… Continue reading “Boudoir pinup by Bettina May in Retro Lovely’s Godiva magazine”
I’m happy to say that my “Easter pin-up” shots by Marilee Caruso made six pages in Retro Lovely‘s Spring special edition, Volume 1. Marilee also did the beautiful Springtime makeup and 1940s hair!
I’d been wanting an excuse to shoot some photos in my pink Lirika Matoshi Strawberry Dress, so the Spring edition seemed like a perfect opportunity. As I’m Greek Orthodox (hey, it’s almost Easter as I type this! Christos Anesti! ), of course it made sense to pose with a basket of red Easter eggs; these were Ukrainian-style hand-painted eggs (artificial, of course), because I love Ukrainian Easter egg designs (even made some of my own millions of years ago using layers of wax and dye) and support Ukrainian sovereignty.
Marilee has some great dusty pink velvet drapes and a lovely sakura tree, which really made the red eggs – and the bright, sparkly strawberries on my dress – pop!
To get this, or any, of my published pinup, please check out my Linktree.
I love Blade Runner. It’s my favorite neo-noir film, and one of the rare novel adaptations that’s at least as good as the original source material. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I recently cosplayed my favorite replicant character from the movie, Rachael, for a photoshoot with Marilee Caruso.
Marilee did the 1940s-inspired “Rachael” hair (yes, there are rolls present) and makeup, and we used her classic “film noir” set, brand-new lamps, and some neon-red lighting to get a 1980s-does-1940s-gritty-mystery look. I’m wearing the Mariette Jacket by Pinup Girl Clothing with the Bad Girl Pencil Skirt in faux leather from the Vixen by Micheline Pitt line and Re-Mix reproduction Babydoll pumps.
The fruits of our labor are published in Retro Lovely’s Masquerade No. 28. You can find this issue – and all of my other recent pinup publications – here, via my Linktree.
Everything happens at once, it seems! Back in September, Marilee Caruso and I shot a set of images inspired by the October, 1962 cover of Playboy magazine. Today, they became a six-page pinup spread in Retro Lovely Issue #211!
Marilee did the fabulous early 1960s makeup and hair (and lent me those awesome vintage earrings!), and I supplied my own clothes and vintage copy of the magazine. The playmate necklace (crystal pave bunny head) is a cheapie I got years ago on Ebay, the velvet dress is the olive green velvet Starlet Wiggle from the Vixen line by Micheline Pitt, and the shoes are my old reliable Christian Louboutin Piou-Piou patent stiletto pumps.
As always, you can get the issue straight from Magcloud (when you order a hard copy you get a digital copy for free, immediately). For all of my recent pinup publications, see my Linktree.
More photos from the shoot after the jump!
Continue reading “Early 1960s pinup inspired by the golden age of Playboy in Retro Lovely #211”