Pinup Girl Clothing

Umbrellas

Last year, when Pinup Girl Clothing released their Mary Blair umbrellas Jenny skirt, I didn’t pay too much attention to it. I liked the umbrellas, but the pictures on their website made it look like a very soft peach color, and I just wasn’t interested.

But then I saw pictures of other people wearing it, and I realized that color was much brighter, and more pink than I had originally thought. Of course, by that point, it was sold out, so I figured I had missed my chance.

But Pinup Girl has re-released the skirt, and now it even includes pockets! And it’s beautiful in person.

I think this is already a contender for my outfit for next Easter!

Peasant Tops

There was one wardrobe staple from Pinup Girl Clothing that I was reluctant to try…the peasant top. They’re very popular, and available in some amazing colors (which conveniently coordinate with the various beautiful Pinup Girl skirts), but I was hesitant. Why? Well, let’s be honest…my arms aren’t my best feature. But I also really dislike being overly warm in the spring and summer, so I’m not going to be wearing long sleeves. I figured if I’m going to be wearing tank tops and short sleeves that show my arms, I may as well also try out the Pinup Girl peasant top!

I’m very happy with them. The construction of the shirts is amazing, as is everything else I’ve purchased from Pinup Girl. The quality is outstanding, and the colors are amazing. As for my arms…well, yes, you can see them. And elastic and arm fat aren’t exactly best friends. But who cares? Covering them up isn’t actually going to change anything about them, and I love the way these shirts look with my skirts, so it’s a price I’m willing to pay!

Oh Lydia, Oh Lydia

While most of my purchases from Pinup Girl have been skirts, I knew when I first started shopping there that I would need to own a Lydia dress eventually. And this gorgeous Mary Blair mother and child print is my favorite of all the Lydias..the pattern is fun and the colors are beautiful. I was a little worried about the fit, because I always worry about the fit of dresses, but this dress is amazing…it’s like it was made for me!

Did I mention that the Lydia dress also has pockets? I don’t use pockets very often, but I really like knowing they’re there! I also love how well it goes with my Starlite jewelry set from Meteor Jewelry…the colors and styles are a perfect fit!

Stripes and Planes

I’ve worn stripes with Mary Blair trains before, so it seems fitting to also wear stripes with Mary Blair planes!

This is my first Doris skirt from Pinup Girl…it’s also my first “something other than a Jenny skirt! While I love the Jenny, and it will probably always be my favorite, it’s nice to have a skirt in a little bit of a different style to mix things up (although I think this would look better on me if it was about two inches shorter). I love the print…I’m a big fan of Mary Blair transportation-themed art, apparently. Did I mention that Pinup Girl is going to have a boat print later this year….?

Winter Blues

When the winter blues include a dress from Pinup Girl Clothing and jewelry from Meteor Jewelry Co., I don’t mind them at all!

I’ve been working on finding ways to make my Pinup Girl items work for the colder months. Ironically, my newest dress, which I purchased during their Boxing Day sale, is one of the easiest items I have to winterize! It might be a halter dress, but with a shrug over top, it’s very easy to wear this time of year, and it has some nice, cool, wintry colors, so it works very well. Plus, I finally completed my blue Starlite collection from Meteor Jewelry with the bracelet…I can’t tell you how much I love the style of these pieces, and how well made they are!

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What do you do to make your wardrobe work all year long?

Inspired by the Italian Riviera

I’ve paired this Italian Landscape Jenny skirt from Pinup Girl Clothing with a striped shirt before, but I knew I wanted a top with a bolder stripe (and a longer sleeve). When I saw this off-the-shoulder, striped, Jailbird top on Pinup Girl’s website, I knew it would be the perfect pairing. I feel like I should be visiting the Italian Riviera when I wear it…and I also think I would be right at home in the “grape-stomping” episode of I Love Lucy!

I love the way my Starlite necklace and earrings, from Meteor Jewelry Co., go with this outfit…the blue is a great choice to bring out the accent color in the skirt. I’m really hoping I can save up for the matching bracelet while it’s still available, because I think it would look great with the 3/4 sleeves on this top!

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!

Jenny Skirts

My love affair with Pinup Girl Clothing began early in 2015, when I bought my first Jenny skirt…the pink castle print. Since then, I’ve added many more Jenny skirts to my wardrobe:

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I’m sure there will be even more beautiful Jenny skirts in my future!

Royal Dressing

So, you may have heard that today, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II surpassed Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. This is a big deal, and as is the case will any special occasion, I wanted to wear a special outfit. I deliberated a bit over my options. Jewelry was easy…my (fake) pearls and a replica of one of The Queen’s most famous brooches, the Williamson Diamond Brooch (although mine is set with Swarovski crystals instead of diamonds!). I considered wearing my Pinup Girl Clothing Amanda dress, as it is in the colors of not only the U.S. Flag, but also the Union Flag, but then I realized I had something even more perfect in my wardrobe for a day celebrating Her Majesty…my pink Jenny castle print skirt!

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I also had a moment seeing this outfit today. I’m overweight…that’s obvious. Pictures don’t lie. And so while I have nice clothes, and put together many nice outfits, usually I think to myself, “I would actually look pretty if…” and the end of that sentence has something to do with some amount of weight loss. But today, I looked at myself, and simply thought that I looked pretty. Period. No if, no when, no maybe somewhere down the line.

Now, I know there are people who would say that an overweight person can’t be pretty. Period. A daring few might even say it to my face (although I wouldn’t recommend it!). But they’re wrong. Women can look pretty, be beautiful even, at any weight. I’ve heard it said before, but I think maybe I didn’t truly believe, not about myself anyway, before today.

So, this was a monumental day for The Queen. There is no question about that…we witnessed history being made by Her Majesty. But, in a much smaller way, it was also a monumental day for me!