Bolero Season

I have long been a fan of shrugs and/or boleros, even when they’re not currently “in” on the fashion scene. You might assume that this is because I like covering my arms, because, let’s face it, they’re not my best feature. And while I do like to cover my arms sometimes, in the warmer months (of which we have way too many!), I really don’t care. My comfort in trying to stay cool overrules any self-consciousness I have about how I look. What I really like about these pieces is that they allow me to stretch my wardrobe into fall and even winter, without getting the frumpy look a full-length cardigan might have over a full skirt. Plus, even adding a simple bolero can change the look of your outfit and freshen up your wardrobe a bit.

I am happy to report that it is not only officially fall here, but it is actually cooling off outside, so bolero season has begun. While I do have a few lightweight shrugs, this Laura Byrnes bolero from Pinup Girl Clothing is my favorite way to top off a sleeveless shirt or dress. Like everything else I’ve bought from that company, the quality is outstanding, the construction is perfect, and the cut is just right to give off a cool, retro vibe. I love the material…heavy enough that it doesn’t look like the bolero has given up halfway through the day, but not so heavy that I feel like I’m suffocating. It’s also available in a few other colors…I may have to add them to my wardrobe eventually, too!

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!

My Mary Blair Obsession

It’s no secret that I love Mary Blair, an artist who created illustrations for Little Golden Books and also worked as an animator for Disney beginning in the 1940s, on films including Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland. She even posthumously won the Winsor-McCay award for her contributions to animation, and a Disney Legend award for her contributions to the Disney Company. Pinup Girl Clothing has a collection that was made as part of a collaboration with her estate, and features her whimsical artwork and bold colors. It was thanks to this collection that I first learned about Mary Blair’s work and legacy early in 2015. I have added quite a few of these pieces to my wardrobe, and now I have transportation, animal, and other novelty prints in both skirts and dresses. While not all of my Pinup Girl  outfits feature Mary Blair, well over half of the skirts and dresses I’ve purchased do have her artwork. I don’t have every Mary Blair print Pinup Girl has produced, but I do think it has become a full-blown obsession for me!

Bullfrog and Butterflies

Yesterday, I shared some pictures of my new Mary Blair butterflies Nancy dress from Pinup Girl Clothing. I played around with styling it a little bit, and I love the way it looks with my Laura Byrnes bolero. The dress itself is a little busy to wear with a brooch, but the bolero provides a nice solid background to pin one on, and I really like the way this Erstwilder (bull)frog brooch goes with the outfit, both in color and in theme!

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Atomic Butterflies

This Nancy dress from Pinup Girl Clothing is the Mary Blair print that almost wasn’t mine. I ordered the dress last winter, but I sized up, because I was still figuring out how Pinup Girl styles fit me. Unfortunately, that was a huge mistake, and I ended up with a dress that, while it had gorgeous atomic colors of bright yellow, green, and pink on a cool grey background, and a fun butterfly pattern, was huge on me…baggy and too long and just plain awful. At the time, I simply returned it, because I didn’t want to take a chance that my normal size would be too small. I was disappointed, though, because I really loved the colors and print, and this dress continues to be the only item of clothing with that design.

Fortunately for me, Pinup Girl had a sale over Labor Day weekend, and I was able to save an additional 25% off the already-on-sale price, making the dress almost half-off! I was still worried about the sizing, but the fit is perfect, and of course I still love the atomic colors and the fanciful butterflies! I’m also glad to have added another style of dress to my wardrobe, especially since it’s in a fantastic Mary Blair print!

Stripes and Boats

I’ve paired stripes with my Pinup Girl Mary Blair trains and planes skirts, so I figured I better try it out with the Mary Blair boats, too!

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This is also a fun look and I love it, but I have to admit, I would love it even more if the stripes I was wearing were the pink and white ones on the peasant top that I missed out on this summer…I think that would be an amazing combination!

Pink & Yellow

Since Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, I figured I should wear something bright and summery this weekend. My yellow Mary Blair train print skirt and a pink top is about as bright and summery as it gets!

Warm, summer-like weather will be with us for a while yet, but I’m already looking ahead to cooler days, and trying to figure out how I’ll style my Pinup Girl pieces for fall. I didn’t do a good enough job of wearing my favorites through the colder months last year, but now that I’m more comfortable in this style, I’ve got some good ideas, and I’m looking forward to trying out some new looks!

A Border of Boats

I wasn’t originally going to get this boat border print skirt. I love the print (Hello…Mary Blair! And another transportation print, too!), and the style (the Jenny is still my favorite style of anything from Pinup Girl Clothing!), but green is not a color I usually wear, so I assumed it wouldn’t work for me. Then I realized that while the skirt has a lot of green, at least it wouldn’t be near my face, so why wouldn’t I get it? And Pinup Girl even had a shirt in the perfect shade of pink to go with it!

Then, when I received my order, I almost returned it. Seriously. Had a return authorization number, boxed it up, sealed the box shut, took it downstairs so it was ready to go. But I thought about it overnight, and I realized that I was just in a bad mood when I tried it on, plus it was super wrinkly from shipping, and that colored my opinion of it. So, I tore open the box (again) and tried it on (again) and decided that I loved it!

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So now I have trains, planes, and boats, all in Mary Blair prints from Pinup Girl. I wonder what’s next? Hot air balloons? Rocket ships? Bicycles? Only time will tell!

Derby Style

This combination of the dancing horse print Jenny skirt from Pinup Girl Clothing and a big, fancy hat immediately made me think of English Derbies, Stakes, and horse races of all kinds.

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Summer is winding down (even though it’s still ridiculously hot outside!), so this will probably be the last time I wear this hat this year. It will be waiting for me next spring, however, and maybe I’ll even wear during the Royal Ascot!