Retro Top Shop: Your One Stop Retro Top Shop

Shopping for quality pinup fashion at a reasonable price can prove to be a challenge, and on this blog, I am on a mission to help women from all walks embrace their inner pinup girl and I know that not every woman can (or wants...) spend 100+ dollars on one shirt. So I did a little research and found a shop called Handmaderetroshoptop it's a shop that sells affordable pinup/rockabilly style clothing, mainly tops.

I spoke with the owner, Charlene Andersen to get to know more about her and amazing shop,

Here's how it went;

Why did you start hand-making tops?

''I’ve always been a creative person, and a number of years ago, I had a feeling inside of needing to create, but I didn’t know exactly what to create. My mom didn’t teach me to sew, but she taught me to mend. I grew up teaching myself how to sew. This was all done by hand, not by machine.

Around 2014 (after my boys were old enough I could pursue something creative), I started deconstructing and reconstructing clothing. Retro and vintage, ultra-feminine styles always appealed to me, so most recreating involved making a piece of clothing look more streamline, more feminine and more youthful. ''

I soon had a desire to go back to the Rockabilly days (back in the late 1990s) when I dressed 1940s and 1950s every single day. So, my pursuit was to revamp my own wardrobe with my own creations. In August 2015, I finally bought a sewing machine and I hit the ground running. The learning curve was straight up!''

Why did you want to make them pinup style?

''The World War II era had a strong influence on me when I was very young. When I was a little girl, my grandparents would take me to a restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, the 100th Bomb Group, which we all called “The Bomber”. It was filled with WWII memorabilia (parts from planes, the music of the era, vintage photographs, letters from servicemen, advertisements of the day, and pinup art). The food was superb, but I loved every aspect of what I saw and heard even more.

Back in 1995, I was exposed first-hand to the Rockabilly world. Not only did I meet and instantly fall in love with my husband, Joe (the upright bass player in a Rockabilly band playing the wedding reception that evening), one amazing December night in 1995, but I fell in love with the music, and especially the fashion and style of the whole Retro and Rockabilly world.

In 2015, when I started making clothes from scratch instead of reconstructing, I found myself drawn to sewing patterns mainly from the 1950s.

I love the simple, feminine clothing from the World War II and Mid Century Modern era, so it made sense to learn the techniques and styles. From there, I changed little details until it was my own creation, based heavily on authentic retro patterns. By nature, these creations resemble the pinup look that embodies femininity and simplicity. Joe (a fine artist himself) always has a big part in helping me design each style!''

How did you get into pinup fashion?

''After I met Joe, we visited every second-hand store and antique shop in our area. My wardrobe slowly became nothing but retro/pinup style clothing.

With having children and moving, the retro clothes were given away or donated. So, when I had the opportunity to pursue creating “something” I easily fell back into the desire to revisit the pinup style clothing. Little did I know, I’d be designing, creating and selling my creations for many to enjoy!

Basically, everything I sell comes about from my pursuit of something I want for my own wardrobe - halters, blouses, playsuits, shorts, skirts, dresses, jackets, capris, and even hats and purses. I design it, make it, assess it and re-design it when needed. When everything feels as perfect as it can be, I then list it as a new design in my stores. So, there are always new designs in the works!''

In your opinion what's your best design?

My favorite is my best-selling design, the Ava Halter Top, aptly named after beautiful Ava Gardner. I love this style because it is simple, flattering and “free size”, fitting many sizes and shapes (it fits bra size 30A up to 34/36DDD). It also has a very strong nod to the 1940s (the flap detail) and 1950s (cropped, bra top style) summer halter tops.

Which pin-up style top do you recommend first time buyers to buy the most?

"Because the Ava Halter Top is so free size, comfortable and hands-down flattering for women, this is the top I recommend. I’ve had many, many satisfied customers."

Click here To start shopping at Retro Top Shop and use the code: THANKS10 to get ten percent off your order!

How To Dress Like Pinup Girl Everyday

Pinup fashion is gaining popularity again. More people are embracing the classic but sensual look, you’ve probably even seen one of your favorite celebs rockin' pinup style clothing such as Cardi B, Beyonce, and Nicki Minaj (As seen in the picture to the left) or maybe you've seen some pinup Instagrammers rocking the look, but when you go to these sites that sell pin-up style clothing and sneak a look at the price you realize that a regula' smegula' gal' such as yourself isn't cut out for such a look. So here you are reading this article thinking it's pointless. You'll never be as glamorous as these women unless you sell an arm and a leg and your first born child. These women are celebrities for Pete sakes! Keyword, celebrities. Yes, they may have money and the connections to the worlds best stylist, fanbases that accept them whether they're wearing a trash bag or the latest Eves Saint Laurent dress. But it really doesn't take that. Pinup fashion and lifestyle is all about not being perfect, being your own person, and most importantly having fun! It's your imperfections that make the look.

It's the fun you're having that adds the sensuality to it and the carefree attitude that pulls the look all together. Yes, of course, the clothes are an important part of the look as well, but when you're done reading this article you'll realize that really is the least complicated part. Being a full-time pinup girl takes a certain kind of women - No, I don't mean you have to look a certain way, I mean you have to have the personality - Thick skin, adventurous, A rebel of sorts. That's what I mean when I say "Find your inner pinup girl" Not finding a tight curve-hugging dress and putting on some red lipstick. I mean finding your confidence. Finding the courage within yourself to be yourself and make no apologies for it. Imagine this, you buy a pinup style dress put on your red lipstick, wing your eyeliner perfectly. For god sakes, you even put on a petticoat! You step out your house and into the city, only to get stared at. Now there you are, all awkward wondering what they're thinking and assuming they're thinking the worst. And after that experience, you never wear pinup style fashion again. This is where your mindset comes into play, are you going to fold under pressure? or are you going to be yourself no matter what?

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👌🏾 #pinup #vintage #memes

A post shared by Señora de la vendimia 💋 (@thatpinup) on Aug 13, 2018 at 6:47pm PDT

Once you've got your mindset in check it's time for the fun part the Look! Your style also determines what type of pinup girl you are. Here's an article I wrote explaining five types of pinup girls that most people fall into: Which pinup girl are you? but this article will focus mainly on adding elements of pinup fashion to your look.

1. Pinup Makeup

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🙆🏾.... . . . #pinup #makeup #pinupmakeup #pinupgirl

A post shared by Señora de la vendimia 💋 (@thatpinup) on Jun 21, 2018 at 2:02pm PDT

Classic pin-up style makeup usually consists of winged eyeliner, rouge, and red lipstick. Just put in those three items and you'll be set. You don't need to put on a full face of makeup every day to be a pinup girl. If you don't want to bother to perfectly wing your eyeliner everyday wear some cat-eye sunglasses.

2. Pinup Hair

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👠💄 #pinup #bff #bffgoals

A post shared by Señora de la vendimia 💋 (@thatpinup) on Jun 10, 2018 at 8:36pm PDT

Pinup hairstyles can seem a bit intimidating at first. All the hot rollers and hairspray.

and not to mention the complicated scarf hairstyles! You'll never be able to spend that much time on your hair every day. Well, for those days where you in a rush try tieing up your hair in a scarf and just doing your bangs.

3. Pinup Outfit

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😂 #pinup #meme #retro

A post shared by Señora de la vendimia 💋 (@thatpinup) on May 30, 2018 at 10:28am PDT

This depends on the season, your outfit can consist of mink coats to curve-hugging summer dresses. But I'll focus mainly on pin-up style fashion for warmer weather. For those days when you're in a rush just wear a peasant top and some jeans. Roll your jeans up so it looks more pinup style and put on some mary janes to complete the look.

Mischief Made Me: Mischief Never Looked So Good

Pin-up girls were known for their rebellious and mischiefs ways back in the day that actually helped shape the modern day women, So when I came across a store Mischief Made Me a shop that was inspired by that I wanted to speak to the owner Yuri to get to know more about it.

How and why did you start Mischief Made?

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Before starting Mischief Made I had many experiences working as a salesperson, designer and pattern maker in Japan. I started drawing about 7 years ago and after moving to LA, I started to make vintage inspired t-shirts.

How'd you come up with your shop's name?

Click picture to buy.

I wanted to give my brand a name that started with the letter M. There were many mischievous images in 1950's designs and I liked drawing similar images so I decided to name the brand Mischief Made.

What's Your Favorite design so far and why?

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My favorite design is my new Halloween design!

It’s so much fun to make holiday designs.

Do you wear your designs yourself?

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Yes, I do, quite often.

How do you want people to feel when they wear your clothing?

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I hope they can enjoy themselves!!

Do you wear pin-up style fashion in real life?

Yes, sometimes.

Fall’s coming soon any new designs or collections we can look forward to?

Click picture to buy.

The new Halloween design tee is coming soon!

The House Of Adornments: Adorn Yourself With Modern Vintage Classics

Ah, jewelry one of the most important parts of a pin-up girl’s look. But real authentic jewelry vintage can be a bit costly. And on this blog where I encourage normal everyday women to find their inner pin-up girl, I know most of us don't have the money to just spend 200 dollars on a hairpin. So I did a little research and found a shop called House of adornments. It's a shop that sells modern pin-up vintage style accessories for half the price. I talked to the shop's owner Leslie Homan to get to know more about her amazing shop.
Here's how it went:

How and why did you start House Of Adornments?

I have always made my own jewelry, accessories, and clothing. I have been designing sterling silver jewelry for 18 years now under my brand Femme Metale  www.femmemetale.com. Since my vintage and handmade pieces didn't' actually fit in with my sterling silver I found Etsy to be a great place to share these items with the world.
You can shop at Leslie's store Here

I love your shop's name, How'd you come up with it?

I just love how special and fancy it sounds. People have been adorning themselves since the dawn of time so I thought it fitting.

What's Your Favorite design so far and why?

I am really obsessed with my deconstructed Rosaries especially the ones with pinup girls. They are odd yet beautiful.

Do you wear your designs yourself?

Yes, every day! It feels weird to wear other people's designs, the goal is to sell my pieces. What better way than to wear them and start a conversation.

How do you want people to feel when they wear your accessories?

Special. Each piece of OOAK jewelry comes from my love of art, pop culture and the odd.

Do you wear pin-up style fashion in real life?

Sometimes, I am more of a chameleon, I dress for my mood.

Falls coming soon any new designs we can look forward to?

I will be soon launching some super fun new pieces, not sure what they will be but I have tons of inspiration waiting for me to jump in.a
You can shop at Leslie's shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HouseOfAdornments?ref=l2-shopheader-name