Flower crowns have been hard to escape the last few years. They’re totally on trend, totally over the top, and is it any surprise I’m totally in love? The antler flower crown I wore for Halloween helped scratch the itch, but I needed more. And then I fell in love with a piece by La Casa de Flores…
Tag: pinup girl clothing
spooky style round-up
The Halloweekend has finally arrived! I already had a casual Hocus Pocus viewing with some fam & friends yesterday, but tonight’s the big night. I’m still working on some DIY parts of my costume, so knock on wood that it will all be ready in time! Meanwhile, I thought it would be fun to do a round up of all the spooky outfits I wore throughout October…I was really inspired by all the “31 Days of Halloween” gals to really step up my spooky style this year. I definitely didn’t hit 31 outfits, but I had so much fun showing off my Halloween spirit all month long (and…also in September! What can I say, I got an early start.)
September 21
I couldn’t wait to wear my Halloween Harlequin Jenny (review here), so my Halloween season kicked off just a little bit early this year…
September 24
If you got it, haunt it, baby! This pairing of florals & spook is pretty much my #aesthetic. Cute but spooky!
September 26
What goes better with a bat wall than bat wing sweater clips from Summer Blue Jewelry? (Review here.) This look was a little more low key as far as the Halloween vibes goes…
September 28
Luckily I fixed that by going FULL SPOOKY with this amazing Christmas skull sweater from Hell Bunny (review here).
September 29
Skulls and a stripey brooch…what more does a girl need?
October 1
I kicked off October with brunch with a friend…of course, I had to go in full Fannibal style.
October 3
Not quite so obviously spooky, but this outfit was my homage to The Shining (red + typewriter? Get it?)
October 7
The skull skirt is obviously a favorite. I paired it with the Gia top (review here) for my sister’s birthday dinner.
October 9
Casual ghost style for my part time job.
October 10
The Halloween Lantern skirt (review here) was definitely a big winner for me this season. I can’t even deal with how much I love Steph Buscema’s fabulous vintage-inspired Halloween print.
October 12
Preppy witch realness. These Hocus Pocus pins were a gift from my bestie – definitely jewels in my constantly growing pin collection!
October 13
Is there anything like spiderwebs and a vintage sweater? I wanted to be spooky and chic for a work event: mission accomplished! (Skirt review here.)
October 17
I’d seen a lot of gals on Instagram and Facebook wearing dresses like jumpers, and it was like a lightbulb going off! What an awesome way to make a whole new look from a dress.
October 18
I’ve been craving some poison apple accessories all season, and these collar clips from Femme de Bloom fit the bill perfectly.
October 24
After a brief break from spookiness for a work conference, I returned in full force with a skirt that matches my hair (a thing everyone needs) that I scooped up during the Modcloth Friends & Family sale. (If you’ve been wanting to check Modcloth out, they’re offering 20% off for new customers right now!)
October 25
I can already tell this mustard sweater is going to be an MVP for fall. It pairs great with the lantern skirt.
October 27
A gal’s gotta wear her spiderwebs! (Side note: I got so many compliments on my hair, which was pinned up because it was being a Real Pain. Ya never know!)
October 28
And, finally, for my last pre-Halloween spooky look, I achieved my true Pumpkin Queen form. I don’t usually wear a full crinoline to work since it’s kind of a pain to sit on all day, but it really did make me feel like prettiest witch on the block. Pumpkin necklace & clips are from Femme de Bloom.
PHEW. What a wild ride! This October was definitely the most fun one I’ve ever had, and it was all thanks to the wonderful community of lovely & enthusiastic ladies who always inspired me to try new outfits, do new crafts, and pick up JUST ONE MORE pumpkin to put around my house. Happy Halloween, ghouls! I can’t wait to see your costumes and share mine with you!
light my lantern | PUG review
I don’t do pencil skirts. I’m a swing kind of lady, the fuller the better. But I’ve been in love with the Halloween Lantern print since the first preview, and I couldn’t justify buying two Jenny dresses from the Halloween line, especially with a print that really is very holiday specific. So I bit my lip, and I took the plunge.
I feel a little terrible reviewing these Halloween pieces when they’ve all been flying off the shelves (metaphorically speaking) and you can’t actually buy them anymore, but I also can’t not talk about them! Hopefully some of this advice will be helpful for shoppers looking to buy the high-waisted pencil skirt in other prints!
First off, Stephanie Buscema’s print is GORGEOUS in real life, as I knew it would be. I love her art, but the way Pinup Girl Clothing uses it in their designs isn’t always too my taste. I love this charming all-over print that’s just the right mix of cute and spooky.
I sized up from my normal 2X according to the size chart, and I’m glad I did. Like the Little Jun skirt, this pencil skirt has elastic panels along the back to help for a perfect fit. I was tempted to stick with my usual size because of that, but it would have been uncomfortably tight through the hips and thighs if I had.
Since I knew I was waiting for this skirt to drop, I preloaded my cart with a few extras to get me to the free shipping minimum so I wouldn’t have to waste time when the skirt itself came out. I knew these Splendette bangles would be the perfect match and super versatile for fall!
And, pin addict that I am, I had to have the limited edition enamel pins featuring art from the skirt that Stephanie was selling in her Etsy. I got them a little while ago, but I saved them for this outfit! My pumpkin earrings from Summer Blue Jewelry were the cherry on the sundae.
I’ve also been experimenting with lipstick lately! I saw a review of the Urban Decay Vice lipstick palette and couldn’t resist. It’s been a lot of fun to try out colors that I wouldn’t have bought a full tube of…let me know if you’re interested in seeing swatches/a full review of that palette.
I can’t wait to plan more outfits with my new lantern skirt! There’s a lot of spooky looks to fit in before Halloween rolls around!
(As of this writing, the high waisted Halloween Lantern pencil skirt is still available in XS and S.)
Throughout Spooktember and October, I’m sharing everything a vintage gal needs to have the perfect Halloween with costume inspiration, decor, recipes and more! Click here to find all the Glam Ghoul’s Guide posts.
1 dress, 4 costumes | glam ghoul’s guide
Don’t know what you’re going to be for Halloween? You’re in luck! I have some ideas.
A little black dress is a must for any woman’s wardrobe, but it also makes quite a fabulous costume. When you have a good base piece, all you need to transform it into a costume are some well-placed accessories. So I’ve taken the black Jenny dress from Pinup Girl Clothing and made FOUR (that’s right, four!) different costumes! (Feel free to sub in the black dress of your choosing.)
Note: These sets are just intended for inspiration; apart from the Jenny dress, I can’t vouch for the quality of any of the products contained therein!
There’s no Halloween costume more classic than a witch! Pick out a statement hat and some stripey socks and accessorize as you choose! I went all black for this one, but purple and green are always great accent colors for witches.
If you’re a Taylor Swift fan, you probably already own a cat ear headband and you’re halfway there! A choker-style necklace is perfect to sub in as a collar, and cute touches like mouse earrings helps sell the look.
A lacy shrug and dramatic corset belt completely transforms the sweet Jenny dress into something befitting a ferocious lady vampire. The batwing boots are a tad on the nose, but I just couldn’t help myself! Definitely go as over-the-top gothic as possible in your accessories.
How unlucky can you be, to have just lost your third husband? Definitely a great choice for the last minute gal, put on your prettiest jewelry, a hat with a black veil and an unconvincingly sad expression, and you’re golden!
I hope that one of these ideas helped get your creative juices flowing!
Let me know if you’d like to see me do another one dress, multiple costumes piece, or if there’s some other costume theme you’d like to see. I love making inspiration boards like this!
Throughout Spooktember and October, I’m sharing everything a vintage gal needs to have the perfect Halloween with costume inspiration, decor, recipes and more! Click here to find all the Glam Ghoul’s Guide posts.
g-g-g-gia | PUG review
(Post title is to be sung to the tune of those old Chia Pet commercials.)
I’ve talked before about my tendency to go for dresses and skirts and find myself short on tops. So when I realized that the Gia top from Pinup Girl Clothing was almost a perfect match for this fabulous blouse:
I decided to just take the leap and go for it!
The photos make the Gia look more on the teal side, but it’s definitely a lovely true forest green in person. I actually picked up this piece about a month ago, but I was waiting for the first proper fall day. The Gia is a polyester & spandex blend, so it’s not exactly warm but it’s definitely not breathable enough for summer. It’s very stretchy, and it shapes well to your body. The faux wrap in the front is super flattering! I have to admit that this type of fabric really isn’t my favorite; it always feels vaguely swimsuit-esque to me. But you definitely wouldn’t be able to get the same kind of shape otherwise, and I don’t mind it. I had a hard time deciding whether to wear the top in or out. Tucked in felt like I was covering up too much of the fun wrap detail, so I left it out, but it did ride up a lot during the day. I was tugging it down every time I stood up.
The other nice thing about the Gia is that it’s easy to adjust the bust for work or play! It just takes a little bit of shimmying to bring the girls out…or to cover them up in the office. Can you say “day to evening”?? The cut of the top also makes it great for a wide range of bust sizes.
I paired this lovely autumnal green top with my new pumpkin earrings from Summer Blue Jewelry (look for a full review of all my new Halloween accessories from there coming soon!).
I’m just so excited that it’s finally fall! There are so many new outfits to play with! And I have to say…a top like this does make me tempted to give in to the desire for some fabulous pants. It would pair so well with them, and I’m also already brainstorming some Christmas-related outfits with it. We’ll see what the future holds!
hello halloween harlequin | glam ghoul's guide
Welcome to Pugoween 2016.
Here’s a brief history of me and Harlequin prints:
College, just starting to get into pinup: Eh, it’s not really for me.
After getting more involved in pinup and seeing lots of cute outfits: Hmm, idk, maybe.
Upon seeing the Halloween Harlequin: OH GOD GET ON MY BODY RIGHT NOW
So the Halloween Harlequin dress is not only my first harlequin print, but also my first Jenny dress! Shocking, I know. I was always a little intimidated by this perennial favorite; all the talk of boning and de-boning spooked me a bit, I’ll admit it. But this print was too perfect to pass up, so I took a running leap off the dock of indecision and did a cannonball into the glittery black waters of fabulous spookiness.
There was a lot of sturm und drang about the sizing of this Jenny dress, which didn’t help my nerves. Based on the measurements, I ordered a size up from my usual. I don’t have other Jenny dresses to compare it to, but this was definitely the right choice for me. I’m at the upper end of the 2X, so the 3X has maaaybe just a skosh more room in it than I want, but I definitely wouldn’t have been happy in the 2X. I buy my clothes with the intention of wearing them as part of my everyday life, which means wearing them to work, out and about, sitting, leaping, skipping, etc., so the slight bit of extra ease is perfect for me.
Also, the pockets in this dress are DEEP AS HELL. Deepest pockets ever, I think…I could lose my whole forearm in there.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I got so many compliments a dress. She’s definitely a showstopper! I did worry a little bit about how much wear I’ll get from this print outside of Halloween, but even if I don’t wear it much through the rest of the year (which I do intend to do, for the record!), it will be worth it for the fun that I have during the season.
I’m still waiting on the delivery of some Halloween jewelry that I can’t wait to share, so I kept it low key with my Hamlet pin (it has a skull!), a cameo necklace, and some subtle spider earrings.
I also might have had too much fun practicing my “startled Halloween pinup” facial expressions while taking my detail shots!
Golly, it’s getting awful spooky!
Who else is madly in love with the Halloween harlequin print? Did you snap up this dress (apparently the most popular one in Pinup Girl Clothing history!)?
Throughout Spooktember and October, I’m sharing everything a vintage gal needs to have the perfect Halloween with costume inspiration, decor, recipes and more! Click here to find all the Glam Ghoul’s Guide posts.
how to dress pinup on a budget
Back when I was just a simple schlubby college student wearing ill-fitting jeans and hoodies and daydreaming about pretty pinup clothes, cost was definitely a major hurdle between me and the aesthetic I wanted to achieve. At that time, I didn’t think it was one that I would ever overcome, but hey – look at me now! I do wear vintage/pinup attire every day, and I didn’t win the lottery or anything. I’m totally against the predatory lending practices of our modern age, and I don’t carry any debt (apart from my student loans, boo) and pay off my credit cards every month. So here are my quick and dirty tips for achieving vintage style on a budget.
A caveat: The idea of “budget” means something different to all of us. Things that are easily achievable to me may not be to everyone, and things that are prohibitively expensive to me is nothing to someone else. These are only tips from my own experience.
- Don’t rush. Sure, we all want to have exactly what we want right now, but you don’t get a trophy for acquiring the most stuff fastest. Be patient, save up, wait for sales. I owned ONE Pinup Girl Clothing dress for many years, and you better believe I loved that dress to death and wore it to every single special occasion. This is definitely one that’s gotten the better of me with all the limited releases lately, so it’s worth reminding myself: slow down.
- Mix in non repro. Reproduction 40s/50s/60s clothes are a specialty style mostly made by small manufacturers. They’re always going to be expensive. Personally, I tend to buy more skirts and dresses from repro brands and mix in vintage-inspired blouses from places like Target or New York and Company (when they’re having a super good sale) to complete the outfit. We’re lucky that a lot of retro styles (especially pussy bow blouses) are pretty trendy right now. You don’t need head-to-toe repro to be legit – it actually can be more fun to mix in an unexpected piece so you don’t feel like you see yourself coming and going (as my mom would say) all over Instagram.
- Don’t buy it if it doesn’t fit your aesthetic. If you really want to commit to a ~vintage aesthetic~, stop buying clothes that don’t go with your wardrobe. This is the one tip that I would say really made my full-time pinup/vintage look possible. Obviously you can wear whatever you want, but this keeping this in mind does so much good when I’m tempted by whatever random pretty is on the rack at Target.
- Consider cost per wear. Yeah, stuff at Forever 21 is cheap. But that’s because stuff from Forever 21 is cheap. If you find a brand you like with quality fabric and solid construction, those pieces are going to last a lot longer. It also makes me happy to know that I’m supporting mostly women-run businesses and ethically produced clothing.
- Work the accessories/layers. You can really transform a piece with different cardigans, scarves, brooches, etc. One dress (like the Havana Nights, perhaps?) can quickly become several outfits thanks to the power of accessories. I always make sure to add to my rainbow of cardigans when there’s a good sale!
- Think about your monetary vices. We all have them! Personally, fashion definitely is my major vice. I don’t eat out much, I don’t smoke, I don’t even buy coffee regularly. My “fun” money goes to helping me achieve my aesthetic, because that’s what makes me happy. You certainly don’t have to make fashion your priority – but keep in mind what the other things you choose to spend money on are when you’re feeling like you don’t have the budget for new clothes!
My personal favorite “budget” brands are probably Hell Bunny and Lindy Bop. These both offer nice quality, fun pieces at a cost that’s more in line with “mainstream” fashion than the more high-end repro brands.
And finally, no clothes are ever worth going into debt over. Make good choices!
What are your favorite tips for being fiscally responsible while also looking fabulous?
guest post: thoroughly tiki emily
Hey kittens! I’m super excited to share a post from the lovely Emily on my blog today! Her enthusiasm for her adorable outfits (and everyone else’s!) on Instagram always makes me smile. Enjoy her petite perspective on the Little Jun!
Hi! I’m Emily of Thoroughly Modern Emily, and today Penny Snark and I are doing a post exchange, because the best thing about blogging is making blogger friends and doing fun things together! She’s over on my blog sharing her tall-girl thoughts on the new tiki Little Jun from Pinup Girl Clothing, and I’m fangirling my little heart out over that same skirt right here.
Like Penny, I’m a fan of all things tiki, so when I saw that Pinup Girl Clothing was releasing the fabled OG tiki print in a new pastel colorway, I sort of lost my mind. When the mint tiki Little Jun skirt made its first appearance on Instagram, I was a goner! Since I’m only 5’2″, I’d been interested in trying out the Little Jun for quite some time, but none of the existing colors or prints really struck me as must-haves. The mint tiki Jun was the perfect storm of OMG I WILL ORDER THIS THE SECOND IT RELEASES. And order it I did!
First things first: this skirt is adorable! I’m a big fan of the now-discontinued Kinky Box skirt, and the Little Jun does a nice job of filling the pleated-skirt hole in my heart. Before ordering, I fretted a bit over what I’d wear it with, since pastels and I have only started getting along fairly recently, but now that it’s here, I am coming up with outfits left and right, and need to restrain myself from wearing it again this week!
The print is exactly like PUG’s original tiki print, except very slightly scaled up and in cool-tone pastels instead of yellow, orange, and green. As a huge fan of the original tiki print, I’m happy to have another skirt that’s different enough that 1) hopefully people won’t notice that I basically buy the exact same items in multiple prints/the same print in multiple items, and 2) I won’t feel guilty about having a closet that’s overflowing with duplicates.
I’d heard a number of people say that they sized down in the Little Jun, but in the interest of extra German-food-room (#Chicagolife!) I went with my usual size large and I’m quite happy with the fit. Measured down the side seam, this skirt is 24” long, which is perfect because I have short legs even compared to other short gals. The elastic panels at the back make this skirt incredibly comfortable to wear all day, and the curve of the waistband in the front makes it look great without a belt. (Again, this is all about comfort – belts look fabulous, but when you’ve got a beer-cheese belly, they aren’t always comfortable after 8+ hours of sitting at a desk!)
This skirt makes me feel confident and happy – the wide waistband defines my waist/gives me the illusion of a well-defined waist, and the box pleats give me hips that don’t quit. I may or may not have wiggled my hips with maximum sass when I showed my partner this skirt. (Hint: I did.)
The most important thing you need to know about this skirt, though, is that it has massive, forearm-swallowing pockets! Making my hands disappear into my pockets is the only magic trick I know.
For such a busy print, this skirt is actually quite versatile. It looks cute with a crisp white top, basic black, and pastel pink (my Voodoo Vixen top goes especially nicely), but it would also be fun with stripes, black polka dots, and pastel yellow. I’m planning to do a One Piece, Three Ways post featuring this skirt soon, but I have a feeling it’ll be hard to stick to just three outfits!
It was such a treat to do this post exchange with my fellow Midwestern pinup – thank you all for reading! I hope you’ll stop by sometime on my Instagram (I’m @emily.hallock), Facebook, Twitter, or over on my blog, and say hi!
roses & ribbons | PUG review
I don’t know if I’ve stalked and anticipated any Pinup Girl Clothing print as much as this floral ribbon print. Ever since it was first spotted by an eagle eyed PUG fan in the model pic for the mint Sabrina, I’ve been daydreaming about it. In fact, it was this print that inspired me to order this pink floral dress from Hearts & Found…only to have the floral ribbons Ella announced before it had even arrived. Curses! I love the Ella, but it seemed a bit like overkill to have two pink floral full skirted dresses with gathered busts…but I could totally justify picking up a Jenny skirt! You can never have too many of those…
I was tempted to snatch up the Petite Jenny when it launched, just to make sure I could get a skirt in this print, but I’m glad I waited for the full length version. The print is seriously even more beautiful in person…it’s so soft and feminine, and the colors are so lovely. You can definitely see how many different colors could pair well with it; I would love to wear it with olive.
It has the same weight and heft of other Jenny skirts. Though I’ve become fond of other skits (like the Doris), there’s a reason that the Jenny has a cult following. These gathered skirts give you an instant “oomph”! I found the fit of this Jenny to be true to size. And the pockets are SO deep! I love it.
I paired this skirt with a bow-print blouse because ribbons! and bows! I was feeling classically feminine, so I wore my vintage circle pin and a necklace made form vintage enamel pieces. I added a pair of pink rose earrings to my order to get to free shipping…they’re cute, very standard.
I mentioned in my Hearts & Found post that I’m really having a pink renaissance these days…I’m having a lot of fun playing with the color more! There is definitely more pink in my future.
darling doris (PUG review)
Much like the Havana nights dress I reviewed back in June, Pinup Girl Clothing’s Doris skirt is a soft-spoken lady. She’s often overshadowed by her louder and more giggly sister, the Jenny, but don’t pass her by.
I’m planning to do a mega masterpost about dressing pinup/vintage in the workplace (is that someone you’d be interested in? Let me know in the comments!), but I will give you a spoiler right now: the Doris skirt is the PERFECT skirt for the office. I picked one up somewhat on a whim; I needed a nice basic black skirt, and I already own several Jennys. I knew that the Doris had been redesigned with a fuller sweep and pockets, so I took the leap – I’m so glad I did!
The Doris has a good amount of fullness even without a crinoline; I really like the “swing” of the skirt. It has a lot of body without the full-on POOF of a Jenny. The pockets are nice and deep, and it has real belt loops which is always a plus. I do have to say that I’m once again distressed by the length of the belts PUG includes with their dresses – I ordered the Doris in my usual 2X, and it fits very comfortably, but the belt is wayyy too short. I can only close it on the very last hole if I want to be able to sit down – please make longer belts!
I still love my Jenny skirts, but I’m definitely head over heels for Doris! I’d love to collect a whole rainbow of them to mix and match however I choose…but I guess basic black is a good start.
Are you a Doris fan?
Penny Snark 