Pinup at work part 1

We all know by now that pinup fashion is great for summer, weekends, and evenings.  The staples include pretty sun dresses and glamorous wiggle dresses that stop traffic.  But what about when you decided that you want to embrace the style full-time?  How do you reimagine your wardrobe to fit office dress codes?  Or what about when the weather turns cold and you realize that every dress you own is sleeveless!  This is the first in my series regarding work wear and then winter wear, or how to be a real life pin-up girl!

I know that at work I want to look both beautiful and like “me” but also be taken seriously and not have men staring at my boobs all day (though that is hard to be avoided).  I have been working in a research lab at my university over the summer, the dress code was “business casual” which is the most ambiguous phrase I’ve ever heard.  I decided to be on the safe side with pencil skirts and nice blouses, plus the occasional dress.

The first rule of thumb is: don’t show a lot of skin! I know that pinup is very sexy and sensual, but you can be both of those things while still being professional.  If in doubt, cover up.  It can be hard sometimes to find things that are work appropriate but it takes just a little time and imagination.  Some tops can become appropriate by adding a cardigan or a camisole, only get skirts and dresses that go to your knee or below (you should be anyway for vintage/pinup style), and stay away from very tight garments.  Leave the low-cut, tight dresses for evening wear when it will be appreciated

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This is what I wore to work today.  It is a Bettie Page dress that I just bought from ModCloth during their 70% off sale.  I like that it is has a higher neckline and can be appropriate for work.

But at the same time it can be dressed up for evening and be very sexy

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here is a close up of the bow detail on the neckline, it is very cute

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The fact that my arms are uncovered is balanced by the high neckline, long hemline, and the fact that it is not terribly tight.  I felt great wearing this today and can’t wait to wear it again.

The dress was originally $108, but I scored it for $33.  I will talk about my haul later in the week after I take pictures of everything on.  let’s just say that my entire order was less than the original cost of this dress!

Do you have a dress code at work?  Is it fairly conservative or do you get to wear what you want?  I had worn uniforms in past jobs, except for my last job which was in a warehouse so I went to work in t-shirts and track pants that were then covered by freezer gear.  How do you express yourself while staying within a corporate dress code?

Like an Elvgren girl

I recently acquired, after much lusting, the Bettie Page “lucky Dog” dress.  It was from a few seasons ago so it was a little hard to find.  I had to order it from the UK, shipping was crazy! But totally worth it!

If you don’t know, Bettie page did a line of dresses based on the artwork of Gil Elvgren.  He was a painter and illustrator, best known for his pinup art from the 40s and 50s.

The lucky dog dress was fashioned after this illustration.

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It is fabulous and fits like a dream!  It also has a Tim Burton, Beetlejuice type vibe that I adore.  I was full-on goth at one point, so it tends to creep in to my style now and then, I like to call it psychobilly now 😉

I took my friend to go shopping for her baby shower so I wore black flats, boring I know.  I was planning on putting on my Iron Fist Zombie Stompers but decided there was too much walking.

IMG_7594 How awesome are these! Next time I wear this dress, I am definitely going to rock these shoes.  I wore them the other night, but that’s a different post 🙂

I love this dress, if you can find it anywhere I would recommend to jump on it.  I got so many compliments while running around town, 80 year old ladies are my biggest fans!

Next up…Pinup Essentials more hair accessories!

 

Jayne dress from Pinup Couture

I recently made a purchase from Pinup Girl clothing, there was a sale and it had been awhile since I bought anything new so I went for it.  I decided on the new Jayne dress, it is one of the new styles they released for spring.  I have been lusting after it since it was released a few months ago so I was pretty excited to see it included in the sale.

This style was released in four colors: yellow, pink, black and blue

I like the yellow and the blue the best, I tend to be drawn to blue and I have been really into yellow lately.

The yellow one was the only one on sale so that is the one I purchased 🙂

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It is perfect, I definitely felt like I was channeling Jayne Mansfield while wearing the Jayne dress.

There is boning in the bodice to help define the shape of the dress.  It is lined with a satin that feels amazing, be it a bit warm in the 90 degree weather.  I think it is the perfect wiggle dress, I’m thinking about purchasing it in the other colors as well.

According to the size chart I would have fit into the medium, I am usually either a medium or a large in PUG dresses depending on the neckline.  For this dress, the medium is said to fit the following measurements: bust-34-38 inches; waist 28-29; hips 38-39.5.  I have a 42 inch bust and a 27 inch waist, so I went with the large (which fits 36-40 inch bust) so that I had some room in the top.  I liked that it wasn’t too terribly tight, it is a very sexy dress and I wanted to stay classy 🙂

In the same order I picked up some new sunglasses

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don’t they look fabulous with the new dress 😉

I think that this is the ideal casual/daytime wiggle dress, which is something that every pinup needs in their wardrobe.  It looks great dressed down with flats or dressed up with heels.

I also got a new pencil skirt, the Dixiefried Perfect pencil skirt in Orange.  I don’t have a picture of it on yet but I will post one soon.

I always look forward to my orders from PUG and have yet to be let down 🙂