Pin-Up Style: Origins

Committing to a specific style is always complicated.

Specially if it is not standard.

Specially if your body is not standard.

Specially if you live in a country where it is hardly accessible if not through the Internet.

Specially if you live in a country where you cannot try to be extravagant or everyone will look at you as if you were crazy.

Moreover, if the style requires certain infrastructure, and you live in the Hell Mouth, the thing gets interesting.

But as I said at the beginning, committing.

For two years, I've been focusing gradually towards this style. And I don't mean typical Rockabilly Pin-Up black and red with flowers and all that, but a larger one including 1950s style.

It all began in 2015.I was about to say on my friend Silvia’s wedding, but it may be on my own wedding.

I will not bore you with the details of picking and making my dress, maybe in another post.

I will just say that I found a style that I really liked and I think it flatters me, so I married in a 50s style, mid length and full skirt.

That same year, my friend Silvia got married in a similar style and, established that the dress code for her wedding should be a 50s Pin-Up style.

So, looking for dresses, I found several websites related to this style, and I saw myself prancing with joy.

We also discovered a little shop in the city centre where we could find this kind of clothes. Many of the guests got their outfits there.

I had mine already picked online, but I did buy the petticoat there.

       Dress from Lindy Bop, bought online.              Petticoat from Lindy Bop, bought at Petita Valero.

 In the process of searching the dress for my friend's wedding, I went two or three times to Petita Valero, to try on some similar styles as well as the petticoat.

In one of those visits, I had a revelation. It was that kind of day when you woke up at 4am, worked your shift, your hair is dirty and your make up is melted.

So I entered the shop to find this.

"Today we had a visit from Miss Ginger Tulips, Marjoleen, a Pin Up blogger we love. She fell in love with these two dresses and are they incredible on her. It’s been a pleasure to see you again, thanks for your visit!"

I went through the shop feeling like an old rag (to put it nicely). There I was with my t-shirt, jeans, trying on my petticoat over that, and that girl who looked like she was someone from Mad Men telling me how nice it was.

That same day I started following her on Instagram, and like her, some others I kept finding.

And little by little I discovered that a lot of people dress like that every day. And I loved it.

It requires a budget, I won't deny it. You have to build a whole new wardrobe.

So from my humble humbleness, I lurked through the websites, fantasising, until December came and the sales with it. And I took the step and made an order.

One after the other.

But that would be another post.