Thatpinup - Find Your Inner Pin-up Girl

In a recent article of mine, I interviewedKasumi Yoshino - The owner of a popular vintage-inspired clothing store located in Tokyo Japan, where she mentioned the judgment she faced in her native country because of the way she dressed. I decided to speak to Alice, a makeup artist and alternative model from Taiwan who frequently models for Kasumi's shop about her experiences as a pin-up girl and the advice she had for dealing with such judgment.
Q: When, how, and why did you start dressing in pinup fashion?  A: “I remember seeing pin-up girls on old war posters when I was little. The classic vibrant colors drew me in immediately -  as did their bouncy hair and bold outfits. As much as I loved it, I never thought I could actually dress that way or pull off that look. That all changed when I met my husband, Larry. He encouraged me to pursue my interest in it and soon enough, I was totally sold on pin-up! There was no looking back!” Q: How did you first develop your style? A: “I've lo…

There are many handbags out there that seemingly match every possible style you could think of - that is, except for pin-up style. For some reason, it's hard to find modern bags that still have a rockabilly/pinup style flair to them. I spoke to Randi Hudek - A designer that combines modern luxury with the fun creative styles from the '50s.

Q: You started designing because your everyday handbag started to fall apart; Can you elaborate a little bit more about your life and how it led you to start designing?
A: “I went to school for fashion though I had no intention of starting a handbag line, I always thought I would be making clothing or have a little shop (I studied design and merchandising). I was designing and sewing for years before I started making handbags, I've been making and altering my own clothes since I learned how to sew, I used to even have sewing parties with friends where I would alter their hoodies and t-shirts for them – this was when slim-cut clothing was …

Women who tend to prefer more classic style fashion usually have a hard time finding evening or wedding wear to suit their taste. Even though there are a few designers who create vintage inspired collections but they hardly constantly incorporate vintage elements into their designs. I spoke to Gill Harvey, an award-winning designer who took notice of that and decided to do something about it.


Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your life and how it lead you to design? A: "I grew up in Swansea, South Wales and came to London when I was eighteen years old to study first at Central St. Martins, and then The Royal College of Art for my MA in Fashion. Fashion was in my family and I would be the third generation to work in this field. My mother told me that “Eliza Jane Howell“ was established in 1890.
My maternal Grandmother started her eponymous business which was described as “Wool Merchant and stockings knitted to order” with her aunt. They used hand knitting machines from home whic…

France has been known as the fashion capital of the world; It was the first country to realize that fashion could become a real money maker. With the invention of Haute Couture (when you fit clothing to each individual client) and Coco Chanel shunning uncomfortable garments such as the corset, defying gender roles popularizing trousers as women's wear in the '20s. You could say thatFashion is to France what the mines of Peru are to Spain. So you could assume you'd fit right in if you were a pin-up. I spoke to Marion Berrou-Drand - A French pin-up model that goes by the name of DollyKitten to find out what it's really like to be a pin-up in France.


Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your life and how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “I’ve been a French Vintage Model for American companies since 2011. I live in Lyon, a lovely city in the center of France that’s full of amazing architecture. I was a receptionist in American and I was lucky because my job …

When talking about Latina Pin-ups the first woman that comes into mind is Rita Hayworth. Even though she's from Spain, and is still technically white, she had Hispanic features. Which was frond upon in the '40s and '50s. She didn't really rise to fame until she had a complete ethnic makeover; They dyed her long jet black hair to a reddish brunette, bleached her skin, pushed her hairline back through surgery (which is very painful.) They even changed her name from Margarita Carmen Cansino to Rita Hayworth because it was too ethnic sounding. It worked, she went from only staring in a few minor roles to being one of the most sought after actresses in the world.
I wanted to see if the pin-up community still has this European beauty standard or if it really has changed into to accepting all types of beauty. I spoke to Ruby Champagne - An award-winning burlesque dancer who was named Miss Vivia Las Vagas back in 2010 and has gone on to win many more awards throughout her care…

Pin-up style clothing was first popularized in the US throughout the '40s and '60s. Women first started rebelling against societies very strick standers for woman's fashion in the '20s - Women started wearing shortening their hemlines and wearing much bolder makeup. It really took off in the '40s during WW2, when women like Marylin Monroe and Rita Hayworth starred in movies with their alluring figures and bold choices of clothing for the time. Rita's famous for her blood red cat nails that she dawned in a movie she starred in - Which made thousands of women ditch their boring clear or plain nails for something that was considered too daring at the time. Soldiers would often sneak off to see them in movies and have their pictures pinned up on a wall in their room. Hence the term: "Pin-up girl." The style still lives on to this day and is now celebrated all over the world.
I spoke to Kasumi Yoshino - A designer who owns a shop called Psycho Apparel that&…