There’s something so romantic about the classic, retro-inspired pin-up look. When the weather turns warm, I look to the work of Gil Elvgren and Art Frahm for fashion inspiration; but when the weather turns cold, I miss that cheeky, flirty feeling in my modern — albeit warm — pullovers and slouchy scarves. With its gift-giving, hostessing, baking, and mistletoe, this is the time of year I feel most ladylike; it’s also the time of year I want to cover every inch of my body with chunky knitwear, which is pretty much the opposite of what pin-ups wear, unless it’s that drawing of the unfinished sweater. (Spoiler alert: My best sweaters could probably fit an about-to-pop preggo woman, so they don’t look like that.)
I felt it was time to return to my retro-addicted roots — curled ponytail, bow bracelet, nylons and all.
But, it’s still me. My nose is pierced, my manicure is a straight-up mess, and all my favorite words are four letters long. (No joke, I was cornered into a weird break-up-esque phone call with a web hosting company when I first made this blog self-hosted, as the guy on the phone said they’d take me offline for using “choice four-letter words” because of their morality issues. Uhhh, it’s not you, it’s me? Kidding; it’s you. Obviously I turned to GoDaddy, which airs practically pornographic commercials, offers great customer service, and probably couldn’t give two shits less what I write.) Despite not having children, my car is peppered with old, abandoned French fries. We went almost a year without a ceiling light in our bedroom because we didn’t feel like cleaning. All my socks are horrifyingly covered in pet hair. I recently ruined not one but two pairs of tights just trying to put them on. I would choose Waffle House over nearly any other restaurant every damn time.
I could do this all day. You get the idea. There’s a limit to my ladylikeness — Lady-like-ness? Ladiness? — so we can’t go too crazy frilly.
Enter the modern-but-vintage-inspired pin-up girl dress. It’s the perfect compromise of style and classic femininity without being too…it-needs-white-gloves-like. Added perk? This particular dress’s ideal autumn color palette takes the flora look from spring to fall, meaning that vintage flair I crave when it’s warm can be enjoyed in the cold without looking out of season.
Also, there’s the fit. Is any item made to play up curves more than a pin-up dress? I am sure I have mentioned this, but I’m a big supporter of boob-friendly garments. Whether it’s stuff that hides the bra-straps, supports the gals, or simply makes them look as spectacular as possible, OhJuliaAnn.com votes YES to loving your lady lumps, and pin-up dresses are a great way to do just that. Bra straps? Hidden. Support? You got it. Looks good? Agreed. Dare I say, it’s a threefer for your twofer. That’s hitting a crapload of boob-birds with one awesome dress-stone.
Currently wearing… ‘Petunia’ dress, c/o Voodoo Vixen [HERE] | Belt, vintage | Booties, Steve Madden, Famous Footwear c/o Brown Shoe Company [SIMILAR] | Jacket, Bitten by SJP, Steve & Barry’s [SIMILAR] | Earrings, Betsey Johnson [SIMILAR] | Bangle, Kate Spade [SIMILAR]
Oh, and fit-and-flare frocks bring one other element of fun to the table: flippy skirts. You know, the kind you can twirl and fiddle with and move around way too much. Does it make you look like an impatient child? Sure. But it’s insanely fun. I won’t even tell you how many photos I found on the camera of me twirling and flipping this skirt while we shot these photos. (27. There were 27. I clearly used some restraint.)
P.S. I knew this dress would be a great option for this post when I saw the company’s name: Voodoo Vixen. That’s just ladylike enough for me. The quality of this frock is out of control, and it even came with its own (unpictured) matching belt.
What do you wear when you want to feel your most ladylike?
