Heart My Closet: Embrace Your Curves

The pinup community has been known for being inclusive. Especially when it comes to size. Mainly because when pinups such as Marilyn Monroe and Betty Brosmer first became popular in the 1940s during the war era, they didn't have a "Boyish" 1920s figure that people expected women to have. Re-starting the hourglass figure trend - Because the style flatters curvier body types, women with curves often flock to the style. At least this was the case for Cynthia, the owner of an online pinup clothing store called "Heart My Closet" whose mission is to design modern pinup style clothing for all shapes and sizes. I spoke with her to find out more about the history of her shop.

How and why did you start your shop? "I was always very fascinated with clothing from the old eras like the 40s, 50s, and I always had such a hard time finding things that fit. I then started making clothes for myself and friends, and then opened my store on Etsy "just for fun" Things just took off from there."


What inspired you to start your shop? "I hope to make clothes to fit all body types, especially the ones don't always fit in off-the-rack sizing."

How did you first get introduced to pinup style fashion? "Audrey Hepburn."

What era of fashion do you like to recreate the most? "I think the 50s and 60s, with fashion icons like Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Brigitte Bardot."


What’s your best seller and why do you think that is? "My Kate Middleton inspired dresses.. I think people love the Duchess' style because it's somewhat conservative, classy, yet very feminine suitable for both work and out on the town."

Do you wear pinup up fashion often? If so what has been the reaction from your friends, family, and the general public? "Yes definitely, my husband loves it, and I've been stopped more often at malls and on the streets about my dresses. "

Which item do you recommend first time buyers to get the most?"A simple pencil dress like the V neck dress, or one of the Kate Middleton dress."

In your opinion, what’s your best design?  "The Deborah dress."

Any up and coming designs or projects we can look forward to? "I worked with an artist to create this gorgeous hand-painted dress and the result is incredible."

"It Was My Goal To Show That Black Women That Love Pinup Fashion Exist" Model Angelique Noire Talks Pinup Fashion Natural Hair And More

I am a strong believer in that representation matters, that’s why I started Thatpinup. I want to help women who want to get into pinup fashion and lifestyle feel fairly represented. I spoke to Angelique Noire, a model with a love for classic fashion that was featured in Dita Von Teese's book called "Your Beauty Mark," where she talks about how she got into the pinup lifestyle despite the lack of representation. I wanted to know how she feels about there still being a lack of representation despite more women of color joining the lifestyle.

How does it make you feel knowing that you inspired so many women of color to get into pinup fashion and lifestyle? "Before I started sharing about my adoration for 1930s-1950s styling, it was my goal to show that Black women who love pinup/ vintage fashion exist. Just because the media of yesteryears rarely showed Black women as glamorous and beautiful in this style, doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. I am happy that people have supported me on my journey. I am also happy that more Black women are willing to share their passion for these retro styles too!"

What was the reaction from your friends, family, and the general public when you started dressing in pinup style fashion? "My family and friends were not very surprised because I have always been called an old soul. As a child, I loved old jazz (Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington…) and adored watching classic movies. My kids get the biggest kick because their schoolmates show their adoration towards me….many even follow me on IG. I believe the general public is just not used to seeing a woman dressed up without having somewhere special to go. Often times, I am complimented and even thanked for dressing in a very “classy” way. While out and about an any given day, I especially think it is adorable when little kids ask (or have their parents ask) for me to take pictures with them."

You recreate vintage hairstyles with your natural hair often, which style is your favorite to recreate?"The Poodle hairdo made famous by Betty Grable is my favorite hairdo to do. My hair is naturally curly, so this hairstyle is one of the easiest. I also favor doing a bumper bang with all my hair up to form the style. I saw it when Dita Von Teese had a lingerie fashion show to launch her lingerie line Melbourne, I believe. All of her models had a variation of this style. It was super easy to duplicate with my texture."

Do you have any advice for maintaining or natural hair while having it in vintage styles? "I rarely use heat in my hair. If I want to duplicate styles like a pageboy or other styles that require my hair to be curled with a curling iron, I opt to style a wig in order to protect my hair from damage and over manipulation. "


How do you feel about there still being lack of natural vintage hair tutorials? "Society has had a strong opposition to our natural texture for quite some time. We even adapted the mentality that our natural hair texture was “bad”. In order to be somewhat accepted, Black women often resorted to using chemical straighteners or heat to eliminate their natural texture or used wigs. Though natural hair is more accepted today, society still pressures Black women to conform to European beauty standards in order to gain acceptance. So given the history, it is not a surprise the lack of natural vintage hair tutorials, especially since there are few references to go by when looking to the past. I had posted a few retro hairstyles video tutorial of styles that I created for myself. Afterward, I saw many different Youtubers doing their versions of what I have shared. I am happy about that. I am not sure when I will add more videos to my channel, though it is often requested."
       

You’re a mom of two, how do you maintain your look while being a busy mom? and do you have any tips? "My kids are teenagers now, so that helps tremendously. I delegate, and they do what is asked of them. The biggest tip is not putting pressure on myself to think and act like I am Superwoman...there is nothing wrong with asking for help whenever it’s needed.

Maintaining my retro look took a lot of practice before it became less time consuming to execute. Plus, making my natural texture work for me saves a lot of time too."

What has been your favorite moment in your pinup career and why? "My pinup “career”? To be frank, showing the pinup style is not my really my “career” persay, though it does take a lot of work to share online and show up to events. I am a professional model and have been long before I started sharing my love for the pinup style online. My career supports/ aligns with my passion. They happen to mesh well together and provide favorable results. As for my favorite moment that I encountered on my journey, I would have to say it was when Dita Von Teese asked me to be a part of her book, Your Beauty Mark. When it was released for sale, she invited me to participate in several of the events she did to promote her book."

Some people may say that you’re celebrating a time when women of color didn’t have as many rights as we do now, what would you say to those people? "I am far from being the person who says that I was ‘born in the wrong time’. I was born at exactly the time I needed to be, which gives me the ability to shine now. Present society still exhibits racism, but not to the extent it did during my favorite decades in fashion (1930s-1950s). I relish that I can open peoples’ eyes to see and understand that every race donned these classic styles. It is not, and was not, exclusive to only one race. In spite of media biases due to racism,  many Black women were (and continue to be) beautiful, feminine, and glamorous whether the various media choose to show this or not."

What’s your advice for aspiring pinups of color and just all pinups in general?"I pretty much say the same thing to all women who enjoy the pinup style, POST PICTURES ONLINE! in the vintage styles, and attend events with people who like to dress in these retro fashions too. No one will know who you are if you don’t put yourself out there."

Do you have any up and coming projects that we can look forward to?"Yes, I am working on a documentary that I am not ready to share about, and other projects are in the works that I am not at liberty to discuss. I am excited most about these projects, but unfortunately, I have to delay the details."

Becoming A Modern Bettie Paige: ModBettie

Getting into the pinup community can be a bit daunting at first. One way to build your confidence is to have your own pinup shoot - I know this may seem even more daunting for some, but seeing yourself all dolled up in a professional setting can really do wonders. But don't just take my word for it, I spoke to Nicholette, a pinup model for a Photography studio called ModBettie. I asked her various questions on her journey to becoming somewhat a Modern Bettie Paige.

How did you get into pinup fashion and how did it lead you to model for Modbettie? Getting into pinup and modeling at Mod Bettie actually went hand in hand.  I had made a bucket list of things I wanted to do before turning 30. One of the things on it was to participate in a pinup contest. I went, had a good time. Definitely did not place. After that, I did a Valentines themed photo shoot. The photographer told me I should look into modeling.  I scoffed. I was 30, curvy and way to short ( Exact words the modeling company told me!). Feeling horribly discouraged and ready to throw in the towel, Mod Bettie was holding a model call.  On a whim, I sent in a selfie, because that’s all I had. Next thing I knew, I was in the studio! That snowballed into a life as a pinup!

Which vintage pinup model ( such as Marilyn Monroe)Inspirers you the most when you pose? I take my inspiration from lots of different pinups.  Bettie Page, for when I’m feeling feisty. Jane Russel when I’m feeling glamorous. Vargas Girls when I’m feeling classic pinup and Hilda the redheaded plus size pinup for when I’m feeling cheesecake!  However, I take inspiration from all of the gorgeous modern pinups. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing women.  

Can you tell me about your first shoot with Modbettie and how it was like? I was so nervous the first time I shot with Mod Bettie. I hadn’t really modeled before, but Elise, the owner of Mod Bettie, has a magical way to make you feel at ease. She knows how to pose all body types and just make you feel like a hot little number! Before long I was in a black bustier and matching panties, strutting around like I owned the place.

What’s your advice for women who are thinking about having a pinup shoot? Take the jump! I still get a little nervous.  I have had tons of shoots since that 1st one. I’ve walked the runway, but I still get those little excited, nervous butterflies.  Here’s the thing though, There is nothing to be afraid of! You have more to gain then you ever have to lose. Stop waiting unti the right moment Happens.  You are beautiful, sexy, strong, and amazing just the way you are.

How did you feel after your first shoot? I felt amazing, I still feel like that after every shoot.  I felt empowered. Strong. Sexy. I saw myself in a way I had never seen myself before, beautiful.  

Do you think you have to look or be a certain way to have a pinup shoot? Absolutely not.  Pinup embraces all ages, sizes, and ethnicities. It also covers so many different types of pinup.  Some prefer horror, cheesecake, traditional, glam, boudoir, rockabilly. The list goes on. As long as you feel safe with your photographer, let loose! I definitely recommend doing your research.  Make sure you check out the photographer prior to shooting. You should always be able to bring a friend. Make sure their work reflects what you re looking for.  Once you have your photographer picked out, research different types of pinup. You don’t need to spend a lot of money either. There are lots of affordable options out there for pinup clothing.  Most importantly, have fun! Then print those pictures off and hang them in your house with pride. You are amazing. You are worth it.

Meet The Dutch Youtuber Paying Homage To Beauty Icons Of The Past

One of my favorite pinup beauty channels to watch is A channel called Lopsie, It's a channel run by Lucy, a 25 five-year-old from The Netherlands with a passion for History. She focuses mainly on modern fashion and lifestyle. But She also has a couple series on her channel such as "Beauty Beacons" and "The Pin Curl Dairies" where she tries to recreate different looks and hairstyles from style icons from the past. I spoke with her to get to know a little more about her and her journey to finding her inner pinup girl.

Can you give some background on your life and how it lead you to start your YouTube channel? I've always had an interest in fashion and beauty, for as long as I can remember. When beauty blogs became a thing, I fell in love with them and started following a bunch. One day in high school, we were given an assignment in IT class to build a website. I knew straight away I wanted to make mine a beauty blog. This was around the time when YouTube was upcoming and the first "beauty guru's" were popping up.

I thought it'd be nice if I made a few beauty tutorials to go with my blog. They were filmed on a webcam, in Dutch, and in terrible lighting, but making them was a lot of fun. After the school assignment was done I decided to delete these videos and start over. I started making videos in English and focusing on hair rather than makeup this time. I wanted to share hair-friendly styling tips and there were barely any no-heat, no-dye, and natural products only hair videos out there at the time so I decided to fill that void. That's where it all started! Over time the topics I covered on my channel expanded to include more lifestyle content, less strict hair styling videos, fantasy-inspired hair tutorials and finally my historical beauty series.

How did you get into vintage fashion and history? History is something I've enjoyed for a long time. I had an amazing history teacher in high school who really got me into it, and I ended up studying medieval Celtic languages and culture in university. I've always been mainly interested in the more distant past though, and have only started exploring the style of the last century very recently.

For the past couple of years, I've been recreating the looks of notable women in history on my YouTube channel, and I realized the styles of the more recent ones are the most wearable and they slowly but surely got among my favorites. It all kind of started when I discovered some early photos of Brigitte Bardot in the 50's and realized this was very likely to become my new fashion icon.

You have a series on your channel called  “Beauty beacons” What was your favorite vintage look to recreate and why? Beauty Beacons is the series where I recreate the hair and makeup of historical beauty icons. As for my favorite, I'm torn between the looks that end up resembling the original very well and the ones that actually look great on me. Obviously, the Brigitte Bardot episode is among my favorites, but I also really like the ones about Audrey Hepburn, Theda Bara, and Clara Bow.

Which beacon is your favorite?Ah, back to BB, then! I find it hard to explain, but young Brigitte with the dark hair and 50's skirts is just my ultimate goal when it comes to looks. She's effortlessly beautiful, casually glamorous, and the style is right up my alley.

What era of fashion is your favorite? And why? Honestly, my favorite is probably rococo which is just fabulous (that's the only right word for it, haha), but to stick with the vintage theme I'm going to say 1950's. I think 50's style is very feminine and elegant, but I also just really like it on me personally. It accentuates the female shape in a way that's flattering on my body type and most other body types too. I like that it's a little more extravagant than 40's fashion, but not as revealing and loud as 60's fashion. I also feel like 50's fashion is quite wearable still, and you can add little touches of it to your look without looking too costumey.

Do you wear pinup/vintage style fashion often if so what has been your experience wearing it?I've only started slowly adding vintage style elements into my outfits over the past few years, but I'm loving it more and more! I've been trying to add more vintage-style basics to my wardrobe so that I can combine my modern pieces in more vintage looking ways. Wearing 50's inspired outfits makes me feel good, because I know it looks good. Somehow putting on a 50's inspired outfit instantly makes you look more put together. Whenever I do wear vintage style fashion, I get so many compliments. I feel like many people would love to wear that type of clothing as well but don't dare to, which is a shame because it doesn't take that much more effort than putting on jeans and a t-shirt, and the reactions I've gotten have always been positive!

You also have a series called “The Pin curl Dairies” where you try to get the perfect pin curls. All in all is this a hairstyle that you would wear often? And do you plan on making a series where you try to recreate other difficult pinup style hairstyles?

I'm still a pin curl newbie, hence the video series where I try to learn how to do pin curls and brush outs properly. At this point, it takes me a lot of time to get a good pin curl set, which is partially due to the fact that I don't have the right haircut for the authentic 40's/50's style. That does mean I don't wear pin curls very often. If I'm being completely honest, in my day to day life I tend to be really lazy with my hair and just wear it down in its natural texture most of the time. I would love to start doing them more frequently though. I don't have any pinup series planned as of yet, but I'm always looking for nice historical hairstyles to recreate on my channel so there'll certainly be a few up in the future!

Meet The Designer Adding Her Own Modern Twist To Vintage Classics

If you're looking to get into the pinup lifestyle, you're going to have a circle skirt or two in your wardrobe. But some mainstream pinup fashion designers and be quite expensive and the quality of fabric can often be less-then.  I found a shop that's affordable and the owner hand makes the skirts herself! I spoke to Dawn. The owner of Rock Chic Fabric, who spends most of her time with her husband, her three adult children, and her two grandchildren. But when she's not enjoying her time with them, she's off in her sewing room into the wee hours of the night; adding her own unique and modern twist to her favorite Fashion classics.

Can you tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to start designing? What inspired me to start designing...that's a good question. I think the first time I felt inspired to sew was on a visit to my grandmother's house when I was very young. We lived a long way away, so I didn't get to see her often but remember quite vividly one visit. She showed me a dolls house that she had made. It was full of furniture, in particular, I remember a bucket chair covered in mustard fabric. She explained to me that it had been made out of a washing up bottle. Then I noticed that the dolls were all beautifully turned out in clothes she had made. I was fascinated. I remember thinking how could someone know how to make all these beautiful things and I wanted to be able to do it too.

Shot by @terrymcphotography Model @vivalafrankie

Although I have often felt inspired to sew  I have never really thought of myself as a designer. To me, a designer is someone who comes up with something new, fresh and exciting. My work is inspired by what has already been designed. The circle skirt is not a new fashion. The floor length circle skirt was probably made back in the 1890s, the poodle skirt is attributed to Charlot and designed in 1947 and some of my favorite vintage designs come from the fashion house of Dior, but I think for all that I have no less of a place in the pinup world. Those of us who are inspired by the great designers are preservers if you like. Keeping a beautiful tradition alive in the minds and hearts of those that see our modern twists on absolute classics.

How did you start designing? My earliest memories of sewing myself were for my Sindy dolls. I used to try to copy the clothes I saw in old films. I had well-dressed dolls don't you know! Most of them had pretty poor hair though as I fancied myself as a bit of a hairdresser too and frazzled their hair with the hairdryer!!

Shot by @terrymcphotography model @gaelicgirl_

When I was in my 20s I booked a course of 6 sewing lessons and from then on I was hooked on sewing. My first sewing victim was my daughter Sophie. She can't stand frills now thanks to my early efforts!! At first, my sewing skills weren't really very good. I remember trying to make my daughter a vintage red coat, which ended up in the bin due to my frustration! Once I had improved though I loved the fact that I was able to make clothes that were unique and different for my daughter and she loved putting in her requests!

I very quickly became aware of the lack of pattern matching in 'off the peg clothes'. I felt that if I made it myself I could spend time making sure that seams were properly matched wherever possible. Even now my circle skirts are fully seam matched, something I don't seem to be able to stop doing despite the extra work and fabric involved.

How did you get into pinup fashion? I would love to be able to say that ever since I was a child I knew I wanted to make Pinup style fashion, but for me, it was a gradual realization. Growing up I always loved old films. Saturday afternoons were spent watching them in our house. I loved 50s films in particular. There was something absolutely captivating about the structure and shape of the clothes and how they made women look and walk. I mean just look at Grace Kelly's wardrobe in Rear Window!! I watch that film over and over even now just to drool over the designs! Those films stuck with me and looking back many of the clothes I made for my daughter were 1950s inspired.

Shot by @terrymcphotography
Models @vivalafrankie and @gaelicgirl_

Initially, I made children's clothes and sold these online, but the final piece of the puzzle fitted in to place when my daughter showed an interest in the 1950s style too. I made both dresses and skirts for her and I discovered that I absolutely loved making this style. They were always statemented pieces as my daughter has an eye for unusual fabrics. She assured me that a curtain fabric she had found would make a wonderful dress and despite my misgivings, I made the dress only to find that she was indeed correct!! It taught me to explore fabrics myself.

I discovered that I too gravitate towards unusual fabrics rather than traditional florals. Being creative for me has been like a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis because I never realized I was creative. When I was a child at school if you couldn't draw you weren't considered creative, but creativity takes so many different forms and I am happy to see that this is being encouraged more in society today. Before long I was making skirts for friends and friends of friends. I got asked once 'are you the lady who makes the sticky outskirts?!! Famous!!

Shot by @terrymcphotography model: @gaelicgirl_

Which skirt do you recommend buying the most? My most popular skirts are tartan/plaid. Tartan is a classic and I think it always will be. Anything with pockets too. Pockets sell skirts! I have some new designs coming up too so watch this space!

Shot by @terrymcphotography model @vivalafrankie

Of all the things you could design, Why did you choose skirts? I have a number of reasons for this, but at first, my decision was based on my own shopping experience. I find separates a better option for me as I am two different sizes top and bottom. I was sure that there were lots of other girls out there that were the same. Later when I research the 50s I found that skirts were extremely popular at the time. I still like to make them in a more traditional way with a side zip and button as they would have been in the 50s.

Shot by @terrymcphotography Model @vivalafrankie

Do you wear pinup up style fashion often? Yes, initially I was scared to wear the pinup style as I don't have a model figure, but with encouragement from my daughter, I tried it. I have to say from the moment I put on my first circle skirt I felt gorgeous and completely confident. I couldn't believe it, my walk even changed! I have since converted several friends who have also experienced this same phenomenon. Many women think that they are too big, too old, or the wrong shape for pinup and it's just not the case.  A circle skirt is one of the most flattering styles you can wear. Nearly everyone looks good in them, if you have no waist it gives you a waist. If you have curves even better!

Shot by @terrymcphotography Model @vivalafrankie

Do you wear your own designs? I do! I have several in my wardrobe. Probably my favorite one has sewing machines all over it with 'born to sew' and other sewing related captions. I have numerous pairs of Rubyshoos to go with them too, lots of red in there as I love red! I haven't quite figured out what to do with my hair though, so if there is anyone out there who can give advice on pinup styles for thin hair that is stubbornly straight I am all ears!!

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