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.

Oh-So-Classy

The famous oh-so-classy look is back again, this time with more vibrancy and brazenness. Think in terms of loud and bold coloured pencil skirts, floral print blouses, vibrant low cut vintage dresses and retro pumps. Sophistication is being redefined here with a pop of colour. Shun away the understated elegant look and adopt the vibrant and elegant style. This trend is here to stay throughout the season; in fact you could still carry it off even in the fall. The key to rock this look is ‘don’t wear too much, don’t wear too less’.  For instance, if you’re wearing just a light shade blouse and a plain skirt make sure you wear a bright shoe or have a colourful accessory on, like a colourful bag. Wearing too much would be, wearing all colourful from head-to-toe, colourful dress, shoes and bright accessories. You’ve got to balance it if you want to stand out looking all sophisticated yet at the same time fun and flirty. Find out how to.

Floral Print Blouses and Bright Pencil Skirt: This is sure to put you on a spotlight. It’s classy, fun and totally chic. However, while choosing the blouse make sure you choose very soft printed ones. Don’t pick anything that has huge floral motifs and too much detailing. You don’t want to confuse it with the retro style. You could choose peplum style tops in soft prints. They look great with pencil skirt and the combo of both would give you that elegant yet fun look.

Pencil Dresses and Retro Pumps: Teaming a bright pencil dress and vibrant retro platform pumps is an ideal classy and fun look. For the dress, opt for classic check prints or very soft floral printed ones. On the shoes, make sure the colour of the pumps matches with the dress. While teaming them together, keep in mind to coordinate the colours or patterns.

 High Waisted colourful Pants and Printed Shirt: This combo sort of resembles the retro look so you’ve got to be careful in selecting the trouser. Don’t wear too fitting pants; instead look out for classic-cut trousers in ankle length. The blouse need not be printed, plain oxford shirts with very soft print would also work. To avoid looking like a retro girl, sport a pair of classic round-toe stilettos with it.

Back to Basics

Every once in a while we come to a point where we need to break free from the excess and indulge to the authority of minimalism. How often can you dress yourself in nines? We all need to return to basics every now and then. Sure, dressing in minimal can be a bit mundane and trite but think about it, making a statement with a lot of efforts every single day can be tiring and exhausting.

Finding the right footwear to match your floral spring dress or thinking what looks good with your figure on a daily basis can sure be frustrating. If you’re a born fashionista then it’s a different thing. Well, for those of you who feel the need to shun away from all that glamour and keep it understated yet chic once in a while then follow these basic rules.

White Top: This is the first basic outfit you need to incorporate in your wardrobe. White tops go with anything. Wear it with jeans, skirts, wear it under a jumper, you can wear a white top with almost anything. Casual, semi-formal a white top always looks great. For a casual day out with your mates, team a white top with denim shorts and gladiator sandals or sport the classic white top with blue denim look. For an evening hangout wear it with a nice skirt or skin-tight pants. And, for work-wear, team the white top with a high-waisted pencil skirt for a simple yet classy look.

Denims: A must have item otherwise also. Denims are a tool to any fashionable statement or even when you want to keep it minimal. Classic, modish and elegant, denims are the most effortless way of making a statement. When nothing is working out in your wardrobe, just pick a denim, a blouse in any style and a pair of simple thong sandals. If you have an event to attend to and you’re in no mood to dress up, denims can work wonder and make you stand out looking all glamorous and trendy. Pick a fitting denims, a crop top or a strappy blouse and adorn a sexy sky-high gladiator heels and you’re sure to make a statement that is subtle and chic at the same time.

A black dress: An LBD is a must in every girl’s wardrobe and LBD’s come in great help when you want to keep it low. Adorn a basic LBD with pumps if you’re heading to office. Team it with a pair of sky-high platforms if you have to attend a party or an event and for a random day out or an evening hangout, wear the LBD with cute ballerinas or thong sandals.

The Little Black Dress

The Little Black Dress, something that has been there and something that is here to stay. LBD’s are totally worth spending your moolahs on as it’s an on-trend item all throughout your life. They are one versatile outfit in your closet as they can be worn for formal occasions as well as casual events like a dinner date, clubbing, social events etc.

Even if you already own loads of LBDs, the thing is they are never enough. With new designs coming up constantly in the market, it’s hard to resist. The ever-popular lace detailed LBDs have come with even bolder and trendier style this season.  Think tough, bold, clean structure and standout details. And there are these ladylike silhouettes with a classic cut for an elegant feel. 

You could also play the siren card with curve-hugging body-con styles.  Pretty and simple is always a win but if you’re ready to take it to a very fashion forward way, go for the rich, bold and daring cuts.  And as for the simpler ones, you can always team it with bold accessories such as big statement clutches, retro pumps and jewelleries.

Ready to shop for head-turning LBD for this season? You don’t even need to go hunting for it. It’s just one click away. KOOVS has a wide range of LBDs. From short black dresses to black party dresses, short prom dresses or to even short evening dresses, there is something for every reveler.

Short Black dresses: If standing out in sophistication and understated is your thing, short black dresses are your staple wardrobe pieces. These short dresses come in different styles too. You could opt for short dress in peplum style for an old Hollywood glamour or detailed with laces for a sexy and sophisticated look. Wear the lacy style short dress for a hot dinner date or a glamorous event. The peplum style can be sported on a fashion night out or on an elegant event. Be sure to adorn super high heeled retro pumps and statement clutch bags with it.

Black Party Dress: A black party dress is the easiest way to look all spruced up and dressed to the nines. From tube style to one shoulder or even thin spaghetti strap style, there are varieties of party dresses. Pick according to your body type. If you’re thin and lean, almost everything will suit you but if you’re a plus size, then stick to the basic party dress. Don’t try anything that is unflattering to your body. Tip: Avoid anything tight and flashy, that will make you look even more portly and outsized.