Admittedly, I’m a clothes whore (I’m a lil’bit of a promiscuous slut too, but that’s for a different article). If it were up to me I’d convert my entire basement into a closet and stuff it full of vintage dresses, jackets, corsets, lingerie and shoes. This is especially true now that I have discovered PinupGirlClothing.com, a site dedicated to retro, vintage, rockabilly and other super fun, hot and sexy clothing styles.
According to their website, “Pinup Girl Clothing was started in 1996 by Laura Byrnes. Laura, a swing dancer, collector of Vargas Pinup Girl, lounge lizard, frequenter of underground Los Angeles bars, photographer of the LA music and retro scene, got fed up with the constrictive nature of the magazine photography world (her old-school, punk rock attitude and general disrespect for authority certanly didn't help either) and decided to pursue her lifelong interest in pinup style: '50s fashion, rockabilly revival, retro dresses, pinup girls, '50s Hollywood bombshells, and the seedy, sexy underside of it all.” The California based store has had physical locations in the past, and will again in the future, but for now it’s all online with excellent customer service and fast shipping.
What’s hot about pinup girls? They’re sexy, they’re sultry, but at the same time they have a captivating sense of girlish innocence and coquettishness. They’re also real women, defying the standards of current media standards, pin-up girls come in all sizes and shapes from long and lean, to cute and petite, to curvy and luscious. The modern pinup girl may sport tattoos, funky hair styles, and outrageous makeup. The exciting thing is that any woman who is looking to spice up her wardrobe and transform herself into a sexy pinup can visit PinupGirlClothing.com and find the right fit.
Jeanette Iskat, COO of Pinup Girl Clothing (aka Iron Hand, Velvet Glove), says, “Laura Byrnes (CEO aka Supreme Overlord and Otherwise Unemployable Diva) is tall and so are many of her friends. I'm 6'3. Laura got a lot of my vintage thrift scores because I couldn't fit into them. When she began designing, she was doing mostly custom work and could handle a range of fits, because of in-house manufacturing. When we went into standardized production, we kept a varied size range because being a pin up girl is about attitude, not size or age... Our new plus size section will go up soon. We flew in a plus sized model for our recent booth to MAGIC and got amazing feedback."
Jeanette describes the creative culture behind the clothing: “100% of Pin Up Couture is designed by Laura and in-house staff, including myself. We're inspired by so many things: art, vintage fashion, film, old family pictures, nature. We'll get an idea and run with it. We'll make the sample and see if it truly brings a smile to our faces. If it does, we make it.”
What’s the future vision for Pinup Girl Clothing? Simply put, “World domination.”
Upcoming events from Pinup Girl Clothing:
Pinup Girl Clothing Forty Deuce Fashion Show:
Originally published March, 2008