Oblong Box Shop

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!

His & Hers Fashion

No one is safe from my love of vintage-style fashion, including Ryan!

The Oblong Box Shop, which makes some really fun, novelty print skirts, also has some men’s shirts that match the patterns on the skirts. Fortunately for me, Ryan is a big fan of the bowling-style shirt anyway, so it wasn’t hard to convince him that he should have a tipsy elephant shirt to go with my only satin skirt, as well as a “Moais in Space” shirt to match my “Jetsons” skirt!

Tipsy Elephants

Surely you didn’t think I had only one skirt with elephants on it?

The Oblong Box Shop’s take on the classic Disney tipsy elephant scene is fantastic. The satin material of the skirt dresses up the whimsical pattern a bit, and the colors are gorgeous. I can’t believe how well it goes with the baby blue Harley top from Pinup Girl that I also like to wear with my circus elephants skirt! And there’s even a matching brooch by Sparkle Monster (and a matching men’s bowling-style shirt is in the works, too!):

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I will say that this skirt runs smaller than the other two Oblong Box Shop skirts I have in the same style. Luckily, the skirts are designed with a movable button, that gives (or takes) about an extra inch in the waist, so I was still able to make it work.

Mid-century Modern Skirt

Mid-century modern design has really grown on me in the last few years, so when I saw this cool mid-century house skirt from The Oblong Box Shop, I knew I had to have it. It was the perfect thing to wear to the St. Louis Modern exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum earlier this month (I can’t tell you how many staff members there complimented me on it!), and it’s also great for wearing on a day ending in “y” just like my “Jetsons” skirt from the same designer is!

Denialle Von Fitch, owner and designer of The Oblong Box Shop, has teased a mid-century modern furniture skirt, which will be available later this year…I can’t wait to add that to my retro collection, too!

Belted

Would you believe that prior to a few years ago, I never wore belts? Never, ever. I figured that as a plus-size woman, they would never be flattering on me. And I still think that’s true of the traditional, through-the-beltloops-belts that go with pants. But, I have discovered the benefit of wearing a wide belt with skirts and dresses, especially my full skirts from Pinup Girl Clothing and The Oblong Box Shop!

Because a nice, wide belt, when paired with something that doesn’t have set loops, can be worn where you want it to be, you can position it at the narrowest part of your waist, which is slimming. Now, that’s still a relative term for me, as my waist is, well, hard to find (for the record, I blame the five c-sections), but it really does help, plus, it’s visually interesting, especially when you have belts in different colors. I wear a basic black belt the most often, because it goes with almost everything, but I have found that a green belt that came with a dress, and a coral belt I bought specifically to go with another dress a few years ago, are really fun additions to my outfits. I’m also experimenting with a new white belt I bought at Pinup Girl’s last sale, and while it fits a bit tighter than I would prefer, I think it, too, will become a wardrobe staple!

Stripes and Circle Skirts

I recently realized that I have worn my one and only striped shirt with four of the five circle-ish skirts (since they have gathers, I’m not sure that I can really call them circle skirts) I own…I guess there’s something about that combination that’s irresistible!

Space-Age Skirt

Pinup Girl is still my favorite source of vintage reproduction clothes, but I have also recently discovered The Oblong Box Shop, which has some amazing full skirts, like this Moais in Space print…I love that I found a way to combine my love of space with my love of vintage-inspired fashion!

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And as long as I was already wearing a space-age skirt, I figured I might as well add a flying saucer brooch from Luxulite:

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The Oblong Box Shop currently has a men’s bowling-style shirt that coordinates with the Moais in Space skirt, and I’m hoping to get it for Ryan at some point. I’d also love to get the beautiful Mid-Century House print skirt, which also has a subtle Moai touch!

Pinup Girl

OK, so I’m totally not claiming to be a pinup girl myself, but I do love shopping with Pinup Girl Clothing, and that’s what this is really about…their amazing, well-designed, well-made, made in the USA clothes, which are available in a large range of sizes, so every woman can dress with a cool, retro vibe!

My love affair with Pinup started last year, with the purchase of a petticoat, because I had a skirt that needed a little extra oomph. I was nervous about buying a petticoat, because it was my first real jump into retro fashion, but I love it, and I really love the way it makes my skirts look!

My favorite thing I’ve purchased from them is the gathered Jenny skirt…but, of course, one wouldn’t do…not when they have so many amazing prints! So, I have four Jenny skirts, in different patterns (including one highly-prized Mary Blair train print), that I wear with regularity, because they’re so amazing.

I have to admit, Pinup shirts and I don’t seem to get along. I’ve tried two different styles, in different sizes, and I’m just not comfortable in them. They were both beautiful shirts, however, and well made, so that’s more my issue than theirs. Because of the difficulty I had with Pinup shirts, I was reluctant to try one of their dresses…and then I saw the Amanda dress in red, white, and blue. Something that special was worth taking a chance on, and I’m glad I did! The fit is still not quite right, but I can get it taken in if I decide to.

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I’ve even branched out, and tried an awesome, space-themed skirt from the Oblong Box Shop! I’ll admit, the fact that it’s a polyester skirt scared me a little…one of the things I like best about Pinup Girl is that everything I’ve purchased from them so far has been made of cotton…but the print is so quirky and vibrant, I don’t even mind the material!

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I also have a pair of Crescent and Aurora SparkleLux lucite earrings from Pinup Girl, the Starlite necklace and earring set, which is available from Pinup in a gorgeous retro pink color, but I went straight to the source (MeteorJewelry), so I could get it in blue instead, an Eiffel Tower brooch from Tangerine Menagerie, and a cool flying saucer brooch from Luxulite. I’m really loving vintage-inspired jewelry done in modern ways!

I’m not going full-on pinup or anything, because I don’t have the talent to do retro hair and makeup, or the money to have a full pinup wardrobe. I would eventually love to add another dress or two, like the Mary Blair Nancy dress, or the Mary Blair Lydia dress, and some more jewelry like the SparkleLux Crescent Drop earrings, or the antique-inspired Enchantress Bow earrings. I love including the items I already have in my regular rotation that have a vintage look, but in a totally modern way!