Its post time! Taking a break from my flower making to do a post about something I get asked frequently, that is about the staples to a starter pinup wardrobe! This post IS BIG just as a warning!
Prior to embracing pinup life around 18 months ago, I literally have NOTHING that was pinup in style! My previous style of dress which basically was a more bo-ho style as its loose styles meant clothes had more chance of fitting me. I hated the style but it was all that worked with my body so I stuck with it. It wasn’t til I took the plunge in late 2012 and bought myself my first hell bunny dress that started a love affair!
I get a lot of asks about how I started building my wardrobe, so I thought I’d do a post detailing things that are inherently ‘pinup’ that you can get to get a starter pinup wardrobe!
Dresses:
While there are some ‘pants’ brands within pinup (I’ll discuss them a little later on!) most pinups wear skirts or dresses! When I started out, I favored dresses over separates as they provided an entire outfit in one purchase and they helped me build up the confidence to feel I could style separates.
The two types of dresses that pinups primarily wear are
swing dresses and
wiggle dresses.
Swing dresses are characteristically tight on the upper body and flared at the hips! They can come in a variety of styles and can be worn with or without a petticoat. Swing dresses are fun, great for girls who are a big self conscious of their lower half and offer the body a great silhouette. Swing dresses can be full or more of an aline in cut as well, depending on the make and style. Swing dresses in block colours, polka dots, florals, harlequin prints, gingham, cherries/fruit, classical animal prints and other bright patterns are great pinup staples!
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| Hell Bunny Miriam Dress in green |
 Examples of swing dresses can be seen below:
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| Lindy Bop Audrey Dress in red Gingham |
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| Pin Up Girl Clothing Maria Dress in Blue and Green Floral |
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| Tatyana Boutique Malibu Dress in red |
The other type of dress pinups wear a lot are wiggles/pencils! Wiggles are characteristically firm fitting and tight, designed to show of your curves by embracing the hips! These are great if you want something that screams SEXY and want to channel your inner Marilyn Monroe. Again, these can come in a variety of cuts, colours and patterns! Some go from being extremely Va-Va Voom while others go for a more demure classic cut. When buying wiggles ensure to take into account the fabric as it will dictate the amount of stretch in ag garment which will affect the fit. These again can come in a variety of prints as listed before as well as block colours! Some examples from various companies can be seen below:
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| Â Hell Bunny – Magali Dress |
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| Lindy Bop Vanessa Dress in red/white dot |
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| Pin Up Girl Clothing Monica Dress in Teal |
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| Tatyana Pencil Dress in leopard |
Separates:
Shorts are amazing in summer for your pinup look! Pants & jeans are great for the winter months. The trick is to keep it
high waisted! High waisted shorts/pants give you that hourglass shape by nipping you at the waist! Play with colours and patterns here too! Great with tie tops and crop tops in summer or structured tops in winter! If you aren’t a fan of tight pants then swing pants may be the go for you! Capris are also killer! I have 2 pairs of capris and 1 pair of carpenter jeans and they are amazing!
Hell Bunny:
Pin Up Girl Clothing:
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| High waisted trousers in Tropical Print |
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| Capris Pants in hot pink |
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| Cigarette Pants in black |
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| High Waisted Harlequin Shorts |
Collectif:
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| Marilyn Cropped Jeans |
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| Bonnie Blackwatch Cigarette Trousers |
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| Glenda Swing Pants |
Tatyana Boutique:
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| Carpenter Capris |
Cardigans
Cardigans are the quintessential pinup staple when it comes to keeping warm. I’m not going to devote a huge section to these! I honestly buy most of mine from no name stores in different colours! Cropped and full length are both great. Brands like Hell Bunny do gorgeous embroided cardigans if you want something with a pattern and then there is the highly sought Dita Cardigan from Wheels & Doll BabyÂ
A cardigan should compliment your outfit. Having a range of colours is great for mix and match as well!
Petticoats & Crinolines
Petticoats and Crinolines are designed to be worn under swing styles to give a fuller shape. By flaring the skirt at the base it smooths your hips and makes your waist look small! This diagram isn’t necessarily pinup specific but you get the gist!
My recommended petticoats are from
Vivien Of Holloway or if you are budget conscious Hell Bunny (can be found on eBay and a lot of suppliers).
If…you aren’t ready for the fullness of a petticoat I suggest picking up a Crinoline instead. I started with them and they gave me enough shape to eventually be confident enough to take the dive to a fuller petticoat. I picked up my first one on
ebay for $9.99 and it helped me feel comfortable in a slightly shaped skirt
Shoes:Â
Finally we near the end! Shoes! Now shoes are probably the easiest part of pinup! Flats can be as simple as ballet flats:
 They don’t need to be expensive. I use to buy mine from kmart when I just started out!
Saddle shoes are also a great staple flat for a vintage look!
As well as tennis shoes!
Sandals are also great in achieving the pinup look!
And this season Jelly Flats also came into fashion!
For a more authentic look I’d recommend BAIT footwear for a range of flat and heels!
In regards to heels, most wedges and classic pumps are also appropriate! Have fun with colours and fabrics of your shoes! They can really add to an outfit!
Above all else remember to have fun, take risks and find what works for YOU and YOUR style!
I’m going to leave that here! I think this post is long enough! I hope you found it helpful! I’ll be bringing a budget buy guide to you all over the coming week as well!
Weekly outfit overview on its way! Til later!
xXx
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Thanks for this! Oh to have the confidence to go “full pinup”