Pastel Princess

I'm lucky to live in Queensland where we don't get much of a winter. Most of the time, I can add a pair of tights and a cardigan to a summer dress and be warm enough. On the worst days, I add a coat and sometimes a long sleeved shirt underneath.

With spring just around the corner, a few days ago I 'autumised' one of my favourite Hell Bunny dresses with white tights and a light blue cardigan. I'm still getting the hang of this OOTD photo thing and have failed to include my shoes, but let me assure you, they were just the same boring brown oxfords I always wear when I'm running errands. 

I never seem to pair any outfit the same way twice, but I'm definitely making note of this one for the next time the weather gets cold (which probably won't be until next year now). 

Outfit details:

Dress: Hellbunny 'Karen' in lavender from Ursalady Creations (sold out, you may be able to find one on ebay)

Cardigan:  Kmart Australia

White tights: We Love Colors

A dress does not an outfit make - part two: selfie your way to success

One thing that really helped me see when my outfits were working and when they weren't was taking selfies. I’d never really been a selfie sort of person until I read an article on XOJane called ‘Dope or Nope? Why Photographing Your Outfit Every Day Will Make You Way More Stylish.’ It talked about how taking a picture of your outfits every day would give you a catalogue of what you’d worn and give you a chance to evaluate what works and what doesn’t (in your own opinion). You can scroll back through your own pictures and discover a long lost necklace, or find inspiration much like I do from the girls in my last post, except this is FROM YOURSELF!

The article ended with an invitation to join in and post a picture of every outfit for a month on Instagram using the hashtag #xostyletrial. I took a deep breath, and started posting. All of the pictures in this post are from the style trial.

I didn’t think it would make much of a difference, but it really did. It was around the time where I was just starting to buy more vintage clothes, so it was the perfect time to work out how to style. It encouraged me to pre-plan my outfits the night before and I found knowing I had to take a selfie before I went to work encouraged me to finish my outfit before I left (rather than grab a dress and a cardigan and run out the door). I learned to be bolder and braver, what worked and what didn’t. And because they knew what I was doing, I got lots of great comments from people who’d read the article.

I can’t remember now if I participated in the challenge for the entire month, but I did trawl the tag on my Instagram just now and could see the improvement in my outfits (and being that it was around the same time of year so the weather’s the same, I also saw a bunch of things that I’m going to dig out this week)! It didn’t matter that I likely dropped out halfway through, the experiment worked on my end.

I know from my stats there’s enough of you reading to participate in a challenge, but because most of you seem to be shy, I’m not sure if there’d be any interest if I started a hashtag month of outfits challenge! I’m keen to do something if you would like to join in, so perhaps add me on Instagram and let me know by a comment here or email to miss_mickey@outlook.com if you would participate if I organised. If you prefer to just silently creep observe from afar, then I’m working on my camera setup at home so that I can give you some #OOTD posts both here and on Instagram.

So, you want to be a pinup girl (or just change your style)...

I've been asked to share a few hints and tips about dressing and being a pinup for girls who are just getting started! I'm starting by making some updates to a few of my articles which featured in Red Lipstick Pinups magazine.

This is a piece I wrote about getting started as a pinup, with a focus on things you can do with your wardrobe.

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So, you want to be a pinup girl.

Pinup is a term that can mean a lot of different things to different people. Some girls consider pinup to be a way of dressing, or a style. For others, it is a complete lifestyle, not just a way of dressing. Some girls aspire to become pinup models with portfolios and pictures published in magazines and others do pageants, or dance, or take photos…

For me, it started with changing my wardrobe so I felt more confident and comfortable. Then I tried a photo shoot, then I decided to try my luck at getting into a pageant, and it just went from there.

This was a very early start to dressing retro

Not matter your reason, it's valid! Chances are, once you’re involved you’ll discover more things you’d like to get involved in than you ever imagined. But the best place to get started, is with your wardrobe.

Here are five tips for overhauling your wardrobe so you can get that pinup look you love:

Research: Buy magazines, search the web and start following vintage/pinup/rockabilly girls. Most of them will have Facebook and Instagram and many of them have blogs. It’s a big supportive community, so when a girl finds a product or a shop they like, chances are they’ll share their favourites which will help you discover the best places to shop. Following other girls will also give you a good idea of how to put together an outfit, how to pose (if you’re heading down the photo route) and where the must-do events are.

Incorporate vintage and pinup touches in your everyday outfits: This is a good way of giving yourself a different look without having to purchase a new wardrobe in one hit. Buy a cute vintage bag, or style your hair with victory rolls. Add a brooch at your lapel, a flower in your hair and you’ll instantly transform your wardrobe. You can also look for some vintage-style staples at department stores; go for knee-length skirts, pretty blouses and cute shoes that you can mix and match as you expand your pinup wardrobe. I will elaborate on this point in a few weeks too, so keep an eye out!!

Stock up on staples: Look for things like neutral coloured tops, skirts, shoes and stockings This is especially important if you’re going to buy bright, out there vintage prints. You’ll need to have staples to mix and match to create different looks out of a few pieces.

Practice: If you’re also changing the way you style your hair and do your makeup, this is going to take some practice. It helps to watch tutorials on YouTube and then try and replicate a style and find out which techniques work best for you. You can also take a vintage styling workshop where you’ll learn basic hair and makeup.

It took a lot of experimenting to be able to do this! 

Go to events: If you’re completely overhauling your look, it might feel a bit weird at first to start wearing giant petticoats or looping your hair ten centimetres off your head in everyday life. A good way to ease yourself into the style (or to ease those around you into your style change) is to head to rockabilly and vintage events in your area where more people will be dressed up than not. But once you’re comfortable with your style, you should be able to rock your look wherever you go!

Events are also great because once you've been to a few, you’ll start meeting new people and become a part of the vintage community. And that’s when the real fun starts to happen!

Being in a pageant was a great way of meeting people!

If you've got any questions, or aspects of this post you'd like me to elaborate on, make sure you get in touch by clicking here! I love hearing what you want to hear.