Deer Arrow

Sartorial Saturday–All Aboard!

This is the first of a very special series of “Sartorial Saturday” “Thanks PUG” posts, ones that feature the five new Pinup Girl Clothing Mary Blair dresses that they kindly sent me this month!

I’m starting off with the Mary Blair pink train print Natalie swing dress. And in honor of this very special occasion, I chose to take pictures at historic Union Station in St. Louis.

This is a new style of dress for me, and I love it. The top is very similar to the peasant tops I wear with so many of my skirts, with the addition of a fun tie. And the skirt is full enough to accommodate a petticoat, which is a must for me!

I also love the color combination on this dress. My one regret about buying the pink trains Aurora dress, (instead of getting a skirt), is that I was never able to pair it with my blue peasant top. But now I have that same look, and it’s just as amazing as I knew it would be!

The accessories practically chose themselves. Of course I had to go with my Deer Arrow train brooch, plus a Meteor Jewelry necklace, a Splendette stack, silver hoop earrings, and a blue handbag:

I love how bright and happy the whole outfit is!

My “Thanks PUG” series may not run on consecutive Saturdays (I have something else planned for next weekend’s Royal Wedding), but stay tuned to see how I style my other new dresses!

Sartorial Saturday–Mary Blair March

I had so much fun participating in Mary Blair March last month! Here is a wrap-up of some (but not nearly all!) of the outfits I wore, with a few favorites from other times thrown in for fun:

Next year, I’m going to choose a specific week in March to celebrate Mary Blair, and promote it. Hopefully, even more admirers of her work will join me then, in wearing lots of fun prints in different styles! And if we’re really lucky, maybe Pinup Girl Clothing will have added to their Mary Blair collection before then…I would love to add more items to my wardrobe!

The Subject of Brooches

I’m not exactly new to wearing brooches. I remember in the fall of 2004, when Bunny was just a few months old, they were quite popular in mainstream fashion. I had a few (very cheap) brooches then, and I loved wearing them on jackets and in multiples.

My brooch taste has gotten a bit more specialized since then, however. I do have two nice brooches made with Swarovski crystals…one that is a replica of a brooch worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and another that was a Christmas gift from Ryan several years ago:

I have quite a few vintage inspired brooches, from several different companies, as well.

Luxulite makes really cool 1940s style brooches that look like the bakelite models that were popular then:

Tangerine Menagerie specializes in handmade plexiglass brooches in a variety of styles:

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The Oblong Box Shop is selling a few styles (some in mirror acrylic) to coordinate with their skirts, made for them by Sparkle Monster:

Deer Arrow has a wide range of brooches in mid-century designs (including a cool Pyrex-inspired one), but my favorite is one they made to coordinate with a Pinup Girl dress I own:

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My favorite brooch company of all is Erstwilder. They have a wide variety of designs…animals, flowers, beauty, and novelty pieces. Their brooches are also available in pretty much every color imaginable, so they coordinate with everything!

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Many of these brands, as well as some others that I haven’t tried yet, are available through Pinup Girl Clothing. I’m always on the lookout for cool new brooch designs. They’re one of my favorite ways to accessorize an outfit!

Trains on Trains

It’s not news that I’m a big fan of Pinup Girl Clothing’s Magic of Mary Blair Collection, particularly the train prints. The yellow trains Jenny skirt was my first Mary Blair item, and I added the pink trains Aurora dress to my wardrobe earlier this year.

What I hadn’t mentioned yet was the coordinating train brooch from Deer Arrow, an Australian jewelry company:

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I love that they made a brooch specifically to match this Mary Blair print. I’ve worn it directly on the dress, and it looks great, although it blends in a bit, but I love how it pops on this white bolero.

Pinup Girl stocks this pink brooch, but if you’re looking for one to match the other Mary Blair train print, you can also order a red version directly from Deer Arrow. I will confess that it’s a bit challenging to pin on just so, because each train car has its own pin back, and trying to get all three just where you want them can be a pain. The final result is worth it, however, and it’s a cheerful addition to an already cheery outfit!