Tag Archives: glamour

Pin Up Style, Part II

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My previous blog post is about the pin up shoot I attended last February. Here are some of the photos from the shoot I did with Cooper Griggs.

Of all the photogs, I think my funnest shoot was here with Cooper. He gave me a lot of direction in addition to lots of positive feedback. We goofed off a bit, and I appreciated that we worked more as a team, combining our ideas. Overall a fun and easy shoot!

I got my dress %50 off at Blink (a store by Wet Seal). I love this dress because its simple, classy and timeless. Also the entire look of the dress can be changed depending on accessories. I liked this dress so much I got it black and mint green. I have an older post with the mint green dress, you can see it here.

My shoes are some sky high stunners! I adore these sexy librarian shoes and found them at Ross years ago for less than $20. The faux fur stole I found attached to a clearance sweater at Forever 21. My beautiful gold belt and chain link necklace are both vintage pieces. And the icing on the cake… the fascinator. This fascinator is handmade, and from Etsy.

Thanks again go out to Cooper Griggs, the photographer and artist of this photo set! Cooper is also the director and editor of a new online series called Finding Normal which you can check out HERE.

Pin Up Style, Baby!

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Remember I went to a pinup shoot a while back? (In case you missed it, you can read about it HERE.) I helped style some of the girls, and I got a few sessions of my own in. Of the four different looks we shot, I’ve received the sets from two of the photographers that day. They came out so great and I am one lucky girl getting to participate in the day’s festivities.

This set was shot by professional photographer, Isaac Suttell. Please see Isaac’s website for more of his phenomenal work!

Isaac’s photos came out absolutely stunning and I couldn’t be more honored to have had him shoot me. On a personal note, I’m not one for being tan, however this particular set of photos inspires me to get a little more sun this summer! Hehehee. Although I must say, Isaac captured me as a porcelain doll. Thank you Isaac!

This is one of my most favorite ensembles I’ve ever thrown together. It’s classy, elegant and has that racy, vintage pin up feel to it. Now let me blow your mind from where it all comes from…. Would you ever guess that beautiful dress is from ROSS?!! I think I paid $13 for it! My leopard heels are some cheap (and uncomfortable) heels from Wet Seal that I’ve had for years. The pill box hat is from Hot topic, and the lace gloves are actual vintage pieces that were gifted to me. The nude fence net stockings are essential for pin ups, and I found these for $1 at a costume shop in Hollywood. All the jewelry is costume jewelry that I’ve collected over the years. All this plus red lips, faux lashes, and a smashing photographer and viola! Pin up style baby!

Stay tuned for my photo set with Cooper Griggs!

Black and White, an Outfit for the Night.

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The entire outfit was assembled around the headpiece, which I can proudly say I MADE!! Sparkly, sharp and extremely beautiful; it’s an accessory that flows with my personality like no other. As I stated on Instagram, I actually have one more of these pretty pieces which (someday) will be posted for sale. More details about the piece will come then.

Black and white is still a hot color combo for the season and pretty easy to put together. You can’t really screw up black and white ya know? I had been saving this peplum, houndstooth skirt for the perfect occasion, and it went great with this outfit. Garter tights are super trendy right now and hot hot hot, I suggest getting a pair NOW if you like the style. Just make sure to stay away from drunk Argentinian broads at bars who are likely to accidently burn a hole in your fabulous new stockings with their cigarette butts. (UGH!)

As usual I feel that every outfit is made by the accessories, so I had to pile them on. I like to sparkle so much when I enter a room, that people need sunglasses to look at me. ;)

Glitter, rhinestones, sequins, diamonds…. I love em all.

I loved this entire look (which I styled in about 25 minutes). The makeup, hair, clothes, shoes, and even nails worked together to create a visual symphony of a chic black and white ensemble that received quite a bit of positive attention out on the town. Ahhhhh, I love dress up.

Details on outfits often include where I found the item and its cost, because I think one of my specialties is dressing well on a low to middle income budget and still looking like a million bucks. It’s all about hunting for treasures and scoping out affordable places to shop such as sample sales, flea markets, thrift stores, etc. Spend less on clothes, and invest on shoes or accessories!

Wearing:

Fascinator: Rebecca Glam  (made by me)

Shirt: Velvet Heart (Found at a sample sale $10)

Skirt: Sensational Collection (found at Ross for $8)

Belt: TJ Maxx (for $6)

Garter tights: eBay (about $12)

Bag: Betsey Johnson (sample sale score for $20, bag retails around $200)

Shoes: Prickly, by Jeffrey Campbell (the only item I’m wearing that was expensive at $230, however you can find these shoes on sale currently for half the cost.)

 

When World’s Collide.

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Start with a vintage wool hat from the 1940′s…

Then grab a fringed infinity scarf…

And wear the infinity scarf in a whole new way!!! Almost all infinity scarves made of lightweight material can be worn in this way to create an entirely different look. Cool right?!?!?! Use a small safety pin to keep the scarf in place.

 

 

 

Clearly I’ve melted a few different style elements together for this outfit. As you know, I don’t dress to any one style ever… I like to change it up, and mix and match fashion themes to my heart’s desire. If I was to dress my personality, this is what it would like. <3

Wearing:

Hat: vintage (circa 1940′s)

Purse: Betsey Johnson

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Jewelry and leggings: Downtown Los Angeles

Skirt and tops are all basic staple items found at random places.

 

Stylin’.

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Last Saturday I went to an all day pin up shoot at Nick Boswell photography in Pasadena. It was a grand time. About 20-25 girls, 6 or so photographers and a whole lotta costuming going on. Some of the time I couldn’t tell if I was actually in a photography studio or a major studio costume department.

I knew in advance that some of the girls wanted help with hair, makeup and overall styling so I took the opportunity to lend a helping hand and packed up  my beautifying arsenal of weapons.

As soon as I arrived I went to work on a few of the girls hair and makeup. I am not very experienced at making up other women, because I normally just do me. This was good practice for me, but also there was no room for messing up, because they were going to be photographed. I did my best and the girls appreciated it. Although they were thankful for my help, it truly was my pleasure and even beneficial for me to get practice.

A few of the lovely girls I got to practice on. If there is one thing I’ve learned to appreciate more after this day, it’s the art of liquid eyeliner!

Luckily, I was able to get behind the camera a few times myself in a few different looks. Because the day was so fast and overwhelming, taking my own pictures (with my cam) was not on my mind. And as I sit here and type this up, I am regretful I didn’t get more photos of all the action.

Hopefully sometime in the future, the professionally taken photos will start to pop up. One of my favorite looks of the day:

Overall, an awesome experience and I can’t wait to do it again! Practice makes perfect! Thanks for reading lovelies!

 

 

Festive in February!

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February is sort of a drab month for me. I never felt too great about the month you know? January is cool because everyone’s all excited about a new year, new changes, and wonder what adventures await them. Then February rolls around and you stop going to the gym, the excitement fades and  the reality sinks in that it’s just another year. But on the bright side, February does offer up Pisces (Love all you Pisces out there!) and two fun, festive holidays: Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day!

This was my look for last year’s Mardi Gras (2012)… I didn’t celebrate, I just did this for work. Hair picks from Antickquities.

Below is my look for last year’s Valentine’s Day as well. Again, this look was for going to work and being festive.

I didn’t get many pictures from this year’s Valentine’s day, however after spending a nice chunk of time on my hair, I had to capture this:

Gotta love that pin up look for lover’s day! I’ve received many requests on doing a hair swirl/pompadour tutorial and I’ve actually made attempts at this project, but it has yet to be perfected. Maybe some day…

As for Mardi Gras this year, I went all out. I was going to be volunteering at a booth from an on campus club I recently joined, the Student Communication Association. Our club was amongst a plethora of clubs offering Mardi Gras related activities, club information and general recruitment.

I made my top hat last year and never got an opportunity to wear it, so I styled my Mardi Gras outfit all around my hat. This hat took me over 7 hours of hand gluing Swarovski crystals and it needed to shine!

The night before I constructed the feather and beaded epaulette on my right shoulder, and my vintage gold sequined skirt and Jeffrey Campbell Damsel’s completed the look! Head to toe festive and FABULOUS!

My friend April joined the party also dressed head to toe in fabulous festive Mardi Gras garb, with her own personal flair. We were definitely the best dressed on campus that day, and we rocked our ensembles throughout the entire day.

Cold Weather in California?

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Although it rarely happens, it DOES get cold in Southern California… Of course my version of cold is any temp below 60 (then again, I am desert native.) This winter we’ve definitely had some bouts of COLD cold! But you know what that means? Time for layers and one of my favorite accessories… scarves!!!!

Black, white, hot pink OH MY! Love these colors together! A scarf is an easy way to make a colorless, boring outfit fun and bold!

 

This outfit came together with the help of my all my favorite places to shop… mainly Ross and sample sales!!! The gorgeous coat I’m wearing is from an Abbott & Main sample sale and I scored it for a mere $35!!! The material is incredible soft and the details on the coat are endless. Truly an amazing find!

On my ankle is a unique piece of jewelry I found at a small boutique in L.A. It is meant to be worn over your shoes and works like a basic anklet. This scarf I found in the lost and found at my job, and so after it had been there a while, I took it home, washed it and made it my own.

Although I prefer the heat, ain’t nothin wrong with a few weeks of cold weather to allow my coats and scarves to get a work out!