The Pin-Up Girl

Glamour and self confidence is the key to achieving a pin-up look.  It is a trend from the 40’s and 50’s that never seems to fall off the fashion radar. It doesn’t even need to be recycled. It is as classic as classic can get.  Well, glamour never goes out of style, does it?

Now the question is what exactly a pin-up look is? We are all acquainted with the retro look: woman in a colourful tight dress with perfectly curled hair and bright lips. Pin-up look is somewhere close to that but the pin-up girl is associated more with sexy, curvy and cute.  Sexy icons like Betty Grable and Bettie Paige were the perfect personification of a pin-up girl. In the modern era, Dita Von Teese is the living and breathing pin-up girl. The pin-up philosophy is excessive emphasis on glamour. It’s about looking good all the time. Another philosophy is that timidity isn't sexy, but tenacity is.

Red lips, coiffed hair, curvy body: the three main point of a pin-up look. On the clothing, think sexy and colourful.  Tight fitting bombshell dresses in various prints, bright floral print blouses and solid colour vibrant pencil skirts are few things that define a pin-up girl wardrobe.  The look is flawless and cheeky and gives out a very old Hollywood glamour. Fancy this style? Here’s a little sneak peak to how to sport this look.

The Hair: Curls, curls and curls! Curly hair is the most essential for the pin-up look. You can use any range of hair colour, blond, red, black but it should be a solid colour, no highlights. If you have natural locks then keep it as it is. If your hair is straight then curl them in medium curls and pin it up in one side. To add a little fun, you can use a cute hair pin in floral style.

The Make-up: First start with the eyebrows. Think Elizabeth Taylor for the eyebrows. The pin-up girls usually had sharp arched brows not Clara Bow arched. You got to brush up your eyebrows and make them pop. Key is, keep it as dramatic as possible.  For the eyes, the cat-eye does the trick. Use a black-liquid line and create flicks at the outer corner of your eye. Blend in a sultry shade eye shadow and contour it with a neutral colour later. Don’t forget to sweep your eyelashes with two or three coats of mascara. And last, the lips. It’s the most important part of all. Think Marilyn Monroe. Cherry red or fiery red would do. Make sure you outline your lips first and make a sharp cupid bow "V" and fill in the lip colour to give a rich look.

The Wardrobe: Stock up all vintage items. High waisted pants and shorts, floral blouses, wiggle dresses, pencil skirts, Cuban heeled stockings, round toed pumps, ballet flats, espadrilles, 3/4 sleeve cardigans are some things to start with. While choosing a top, don’t pick tops that have a high neckline. Pin-up is all about looking sexy. You could try halter tops as they reflect a hint of sexiness. But remember to keep it classy. Your aim is to look sexy, not trashy.  You can also try to create your own pin-up style, now that you know what the look demands. Pull out your old blouses, cardigans and try and work the pin-up girl look.