Archive for the ‘Vintage’ Category

The desire for pin-up girls really came into it’s own with the development of the movie industry. Audiences flocked to see their favorite stars in their latest movie, and then sought to have their pictures on their bedroom walls or in magazines.

Soon fans were clamouring for photos of their favourite movie or theatre stars, and so an industry of glamorous photos to cheer people up in what was an era of drabness and war began.

Katherine Hepburn, Betty Grable, Maureen O’Hara to name but a few were made more famous by their photos being used on calendars, stuck on schoolboy lockers and in army barracks.

There were man’s ideal of the “perfect woman” and the movie studios invented fictitious life stories around them to make them even more appealing.

Retro Pin-up girls represented everything an average woman in the street aspired to and reflected a glamorous side of life that was sadly missing in the forties and fifties.

In the thirties such stars as Vivien Leigh, Greta Garbo and Dorothy Lamour had graced our screens and given us all an outlet outside our ordinary lives. As it was gradually realised by the movie moguls that there was a great thirst for glamour pin-ups so the industry began to grow.

Central to all of this of course was the glamour photographer. Gradually these photographers became almost as famous as the models themselves, and by developing new ideas about how to capture the best images possible, the pin-ups became more and more sophisticated.

The pin-up photo of Jane Russell in the film “The Outlaw” however caused a lot of controversy and was considered at the time to be extremely provocative and daring. How times have changed!

The servicemen’s lives during World War II were relieved by their pin-up photos which were plastered over the walls and lockers in their barracks. “Nose art” painted on the cockpit of planes became the norm and helped the men to face the horrors of the war and brought some normality to what was a terrible time in their lives.

The pin-up photographs became a tool in the advertising and music industry. It was soon realised that a glamorous woman’s photo could sell products such as washing machines, cars etc. So another industry was born.

The music industry used pin-up photos of the artists themselves to promote their new albums and so it was not just the movie stars that were being sought after.

Newspapers started to appreciate the selling power of the pin-up and began using more and more glamorous pin-up photos in their papers and magazines.

Agents for actresses and singers recognised an opportunity for free publicity and started to supply newspapers and magazines with photos of their clients for publication.

The fashion industry itself started to use glamorous stars to promote their designs and shows and so the pin-up girls became more and more in demand. What had started out as a trip to the theatre or cinema for relaxation and a time away from the day to day drudgery of everyday life became a huge and successful industry within itself.

Often we are asked ‘How do you create vintage pinup hair to go with a vintage gown?’   To the rescue is Amanda Hallay and her video showing you easy steps to creating several types of  1940′s vintage hairdos.

Prom Dresses

When shopping from prom dresses choosing the perfect prom dress is an important decision! Do you go short or long? What color should you choose? Strapless, halter or strappy? So many decision when sorting through all of those prom dresses!

Is this prom dress right for my school?
When shopping for your prom dress, consider if your choice would be proper for your school. Movie stars walking the red carpet do not need to show a lot of skin to look sexy and stunning.

Does the color of this prom dress look good with my skin tone?
Skin tones can be divided into “seasons” depending on some key characteristics.

“Winter” complexions have blue or pink undertones. Skin can be pale white, yellowish-olive, or dark. Winter people are generally brunettes, with deeply colored eyes. Many Asians and African Americans fall into this category. Winters should try prom dresses whose colors are sharp, stark and clear. White, black, navy blue, red and shocking pink all go well with winter complexions. For lighter colors, wear icy tones rather than pastels. Avoid subdued tones like beige, orange and gold. Try these Unique Vintage options:

“Summer” complexions, like winter complexions, have blue or pink undertones. Skin is pale and pink. Summers are often natural blondes or brunettes with pale eyes. Summers should choose prom dresses that are pastels and soft neutrals with rose and blue undertones. Lavender, plum, rose-brown and soft blue suit summers well while black and orange do not. Take a look at these Unique Vintage options:

“Autumn”. Autumn complexions have golden undertones. Many redheads and brunettes with golden brown eyes fall into this category. Autumns should try prom dresses whose colors have golden undertones, like camel, beige, orange, gold and dark brown. Avoid colors with blue tones, like navy:

“Spring.” Spring complexions have golden undertones and are usually creamy white or peach. Spring people generally have straw-colored or strawberry red hair, freckles, rosy cheeks, and blue or green eyes. Springs can try prom dresses with warm colors like camel, peach, golden yellow and golden brown. Avoid dark, dull colors. Check out these Unique Vintage options:

Does the shape of this prom dress work with my body type?
Everyone has things that they don’t like about their body. When shopping for prom dresses, keep in mind that the right dress can hide flaws. Keep your particular body type in mind when shopping. You can accentuate the positive and downplay the areas that you don’t like. Whatever type of body you have, you can find a flattering dress to fit your shape.

When looking at prom dresses think about what your body type is:
Triange Body Shape: Triangle body types are categorized by a wider waist and smaller shoulders. Triangle body types also generally have a full lower half of their body. Flattering this body type is easy following a few simple rules. Flattering any body type is done by focusing on emphasizing the positive, and by minimizing the negative. The trick is to draw attention away from imperfections by the way you dress.

Try wearing light colors on top, dark colors on bottom. Simply put, dark colors hide, while light colors magnify. Select prom dresses with sleeves to draw the eye out, making shoulders seem wider, and balances out the larger hips.

Wear a prom dress that fits. Prom dresses that are too big look sloppy and unfinished, and doesn’t disguise narrow shoulders. Prom dresses that fits the shoulders exactly and simply draw the attention elsewhere looks polished and attractive. Find a good tailor. This especially applies to large busted triangle body types. In order to get a prom dress to fit properly, it is sometimes necessary to have it properly altered. Other styles of prom dresses that are not flattering on a triangle body shape include boat necks, anything without collars and scoop neck shirts.

Apple Body Shape: Women with apple body types tend to have an average to large bust, a wide waist and thin legs. Flat rear ends, narrow hips and wide shoulders are also key characteristics of an apple. Focusing on the positive–the arms, legs, and bust; while camouflaging the negative–the waist in particular; is the key to flattering an apple body type.

Choose prom dresses that have tops with details such a ruching on the sides, knotting, pleating or ruching. These details will draw less attention to the tummy area, which is an apple body type’s trouble area.

Wear v-neck or scooped neckline shirts. They accentuate the bust, which is a key feature. Any shirt that has an interesting neckline works well for an apple body type.

Dress in monochromatic prom dresses or add just one more color. Keeping the number of colors down creates an illusion of length, which draws attention away from the waist.

Wear dark-colored on the lower half of the prom dress. To draw attention from the waist and flatter the apple body type, dress in a lighter colored top.

Wear prom dresses that hit right above the knee. Flattering the legs, the best characteristic of an apple body type, is easy in a mid-length skirt. Beware, though—prom dresses that are too long, that hit below the knee mid-calf, for example, will not accentuate the legs, but draw negative attention to the stomach.

Hourglass Body Shape:
An hourglass body type has moderate to large bust and hips, and a small waist—generally 10 inches smaller than the bust and hips. The hourglass is the most highly desired body type for women due to its femininity. Dressing to flatter the hourglass body type focuses on proportion, since the top and bottom half balance out so well.

Choose prom dresses with tops that define your small waist. Wrap tops, tie waist tops or belted tops are great examples of this.

Show off a great bust. Scoop necks tops and V-neck tops are examples of tops that do this for an hourglass body type.

Avoid necklines that hit high on the neck like turtlenecks. They draw attention aw