Pinup Tales

What happened at What Katie Did

2009-11-03T21:54:00.003-05:00

A while back, I was on a visit to London and paid a visit to the brick-and-mortar shop of What Katie Did. Nestled in a little corner of a shopping concourse off Portobello Road, I was surprised at the size of the shop in relation to the range of their items online. So many corsets and frills, and so little time...

But what really surprised was an exchange one of the sales clerk had with another woman who came in to the store enquiring about a cincher. The shop was about to close for the day, but this woman was adamant about getting her cincher right away, so the sales clerk hastily picked a black satin number off a rack and started fitting it her over clothes (no time to fit properly in a dressing room, apparently). The client asked some questions which led me to suspect that she had not done her research either in corset care or wearing, such as, "Can't I just unsnap it from the front?" and "But I want one tighter than this," despite the fact that she stated this would be her first foray into lacing at all.

The sales lady explained that no, you have to loosen the corset from the back first or you'll warp the boning, and that corsets shouldn't really go much tighter than 4 inches less than your natural waist. The customer was nonetheless quite pleased with her appearance, and asked the sales woman if she could wear it every day. "No, absolutely not," she replied. "You'll hurt yourself."

I typically am a fairly quiet person, and don't gravitate towards conflict of any kind. But this, I could not abide, and told both of them that I have been wearing a corset nearly every day for about three years.

"Well, you shouldn't; you'll get a hernia," said the sales lady, as the client's face lit up at my announcement.

"I don't know," I said. "I haven't had any problems. You just have to ease into it." And then, sensing some tension and still wishing to make a purchase of my own with minimal awkwardness, I added, "But my every day corset isn't nearly as nice as that one." Which is true. The satin cincher, though pretty, would not hold up to regular lacing. But my boring, beige, cotton twill corset has served me quite well, since it was built with durability in mind over elegance. Nothing more was said on the subject until my man and I left the shop, and he said, "What was that back there? That was awesome!"

What happened was that I felt personally insulted by the sales lady, and by her spreading of misinformation to someone who was enthusiastic about corsets and needed some level-headed guidance. Threatening a hernia doesn't much help. Like anything else, tightlacing is perfectly fine as long as it done properly. You don't go from never having worn a corset at all to suddenly wearing one every day at a 4-inch reduction. You work up to it, over a few or several weeks, and I bristled at the statement that, categorically, regular tightlacing will give you health problems. I visit my doctor regularly, who specializes in internal medicine, and he has never commented that I am unhealthy in any way at all related to tightlacing.

I feel that misinformation such as what was offered by the sales lady does a disservice to all corset enthusiasts, both spectators and lacers. We're not freaks. We're not putting our lives on the line, if we're being smart. All I know is that when I wake up in the morning, I want my body to be shaped in a way that no amount of exercise will achieve, and as far as I know, you only live once.

Back in the saddle

2009-08-09T18:28:00.007-04:00

About 15 years ago, I had a bad accident while biking home from a friend's house. As I was riding along, my bike ran over what I swear was at least a pebble and hit it the wrong way so that the front tire stopped. I didn't, though, and flew over the handlebars, landed on my jaw, and skidded on it halfway into the street. Thankfully, there was no traffic, and although I was in bad shape my bike was fine. I was halfway between my friend's house and my house, so I decided to continue on home. Cars flew past me, and I saw people looking at me, then wincing when they saw the blood and scraping on the side of my face. No one stopped to help. My mom thought I had been in a fight until I explained otherwise. She took me to the emergency room, and somehow my jaw had not been broken, but lodged out of place. Because of the accident, my jaw still doesn't align quite right; the doctors said I have TMJ. However, it's not quite bad enough to warrant surgery, and they gave me a retainer to try to get my mouth fit back together properly. It helped and I do still wear the retainer, but sometimes the pain returns. Advil does the trick. (For those who are wondering, I was wearing a helmet.)

The real lasting damage is that I have never since ridden a bicycle, and have never been motivated to get back on, until now. New York is beautiful when seen from a bike, but it can also be a dangerous place for cyclists. Like any other city, there are plenty of idiot drivers, and a person on a bike is considered by most people to be not quite a pedestrian (and so does not have automatic right of way) but not quite traffic either (so they're expected to yield at all times to all things). Despite all of this, a bike is a great way to travel, providing freedom to travel without buying a subway card or a tank of gas, and it's good exercise besides. My sister just completed two triathlons, and since my man and I moved to a building closer to the park, he's been riding his bike more often. For these reasons and more, I decided it was time to get back in the saddle, and today was the day.

We went to Ride Brooklyn and rented a bike for me to ride for the day. It actually felt good to be back on a bike, and after practicing a little in a nearby schoolyard, we left to meet up with my sister and another friend to go to Red Hook and check out the food vendors. It was a great ride. I gradually got more comfortable, and I had never seen so much of the Red Hook waterfront as I did today. Since Ikea and Fairway landed in Red Hook, the area has gone through some major renovations, but remains largely inaccessible by subway. We rode past boutiques, cafes, art galleries and garden centers that I never knew existed and thought I might like to visit again. There was not much car traffic where we were, so I could relax and remember what it feels to tool around on a bike. I had a great quesadilla from one of the food vendors, and thought about how much easier it would be to come do this if I owned my own bike. All things considered, it was great, and I realized how much I'd been missing by not getting back on a bike.

The ride from there on out was different. We went down Clinton Street, where there are parked cars on one side of the bike lane and traffic whizzing by on the other. I started to feel claustrophobic and spooked about my abilities to maintain balance, then began imagining what would happen if someone opened a car door or tried to leave their parking spot, leaving me with no place to go but headlong into traffic. I got anxious and had to stop a few times. I biked on the sidewalk and that was easier, but obviously there are still plenty of obstacles like strollers, pedestrians, gates, etc. When we returned the bike, I was definitely done for the day.

For all of that, however, I do still want to keep riding. (There's a pink Electra cruiser which caught my heart and eye at the shop, plus it's on sale.) One of the central tenets for me of being a pinup is that you only live once. Just as there's no reason not to look and feel your best every day, there's no reason to let one experience, however tragic, hold you back from exploring. I figured that if I'm brave enough to look the way I want to look, and to be going after my dream of performing burlesque, then surely I'm brave enough to conquer my fear of a bicycle.

As I was practicing in the schoolyard, my man was working with me to get me in a comfortable place. A man and his son were there too, playing with a soccer ball. The son couldn't have been more than 4, and was in his own little world. I tried to stay out of his way, and the father tried to get him to do the same, saying, "She's practicing...bicycling." But, eventually, they left. The father went to say a few words to my man, who explained to him that I had been in a very bad accident and that this was my first time on a bike in many years. My man told me later that the father said he too had a bad biking accident and hadn't ridden since. He said that I was an inspiration to him.

Hats on. Way on.

2009-07-29T19:38:00.006-04:00

Ever heard the phrase, "You only have one head"? If you did, it was probably an admonishment for not wearing a helmet during a bike ride. And there's truth to that statement; yes, you do only have one head. But the good news is, there are plenty of hats.

Hats may be my favorite accessory. They can completely change the way your face looks, add instant allure, and dress up any outfit. Simple black dress? Put on a hat, and bam! You belong on a runway. I have a very large straw hat that I wear pretty much whenever the sun is out. Not only does it protect my fair complexion and hair color, but it turns heads whenever I wear it. It seems even to make other people happy, or maybe they just think it's silly. Either way, the big straw hat is a summer staple.

And in talking about hats, let's not forget fascinators. For the uninformed, a fascinator is essentially a very large barrette. Usually there's some height to fascinators, created with feathers or netting. Some are big enough that they really do resemble little hats, and one of the great things about fascinators is that they're great for gals on a budget. Millinery is a serious art, and as such, beautiful hats can cost some serious money. Which they should. And this is not to say that people who make fascinators are less artistic or talented than people who make hats, but as a general rule, fascinators are simpler to construct, and require less materials.

There are some truly wonderful hat stores, and indeed, an afternoon spent trying on hats is one I dream about often. One of my favorite shops is one which I rarely visit--only because my willpower is that weak when it comes to hats. I know that, should I cross the threshold of The Hat Shop at 120 Thompson Street in Manhattan, my credit card is as good as maxed. So it's the window for me.

Which is why Etsy is another one of my favorite places to shop for hats. Although I love Etsy and try to do as much of my shopping there as possible, I hate the search function. At this moment, 66,751 results are found when I search for "hat" in "handmade"; a search for "cocktail hat" in the same category yields 769 hits, and the first ones that show up are all headbands. But through many hours of searching and making wish lists, I have found a few stores that I love, among them Noxenlux Chapeaux, Rocking Retro, Bethany Lorelle and Topsy Turvy Design. (I know there must be many, many others...please share your favorites!)

So go. Get a hat. Be it functional or shocking, may it resemble a pancake or a Richard Serra sculpture, find yourself a hat!

been a bad, bad girl

2009-07-16T09:02:00.002-04:00

I know, I know...what good are apologies for my constant disappearances when they seem to keep happening? So, this time I won't offer one, but I did want to pop back up and let you know that everything is okay over here. This blog is still on. Thanks for your comments of concern.

The reasons for the absence may be of little consolation, but they include major home renovations and a move, and a one-month sentence to grand jury duty which has caused innumerable frustrations and many long days. All the while, I'm trying to keep up with the job that pays me, after spending 8-9 hours in a Brooklyn courtroom listening to the horrible things people do to each other. Then there's my volunteer work, and my laptop seems to work only when it feels like it. I am, however, pleased to report that in true pinup-lover form, my man presented a gift to me yesterday of a trip to Mario Badescu for a facial, to help calm me down and do something for myself after the stress of the last month (or two?).

I'm running late, so I have to move on...but I hope to be back in full force soon.

A Sorry and (Part One Of) A Story

2009-04-27T21:39:00.005-04:00

So, you may have noticed that it's been a while since I've written here...I have lots of reasons, like massive layoffs at work (I was spared, but now have more responsibility), illness, travel and writer's block that probably happened as a result of all of those things. It also happens that I've been a bit remiss in responding to a couple of questions, which sucks because I really like it when you ask me stuff. Please consider this my make-up post, an attempt at an apology for having stayed away too long, and I will now finally give you the attention you deserve.

Q: Do you have any idea where to find a pair of retro lacey gloves? I have this killer outfit, and I *need* gloves to finish the look. --from "Elizabeth"

A: One of the best sites I've found for gloves is GreatGlovesOnline.com. Yes, they have lacey gloves, but they also have dyeables, opera length, fishnet, leather, crochet, silk and pearl gloves, plus lots more. No matter what your budget is, you should be able to find at least one thing here that will work. They also have a million (or so) colors. I've ordered from them, and have been quite happy. And no, they're not paying me to recommend them! You can also take a trip back in time and read my post in June 2008 about gloves here.

Q: I was wondering if, one of these days, you might expound on your own entry into tight-lacing, perhaps including some of the mistakes you made along the way and how you got started? You mentioned false starts - were they a poor choice in the corset you began with? I'm not planning to make a go of it until the summer is over - it's already in the 90s here, so I'm sure it's going to be a hot one. I would really enjoy seeing someone else's journey as they entered this world. --from a private email

A: I remember very well when I announced to my man that I was going to start tight-lacing. I was wearing a backless dress, figuring that my time in them was limited if I'd soon be wearing a corset 24/7, and we were out to a very nice dinner. I swear he almost choked, but I'm pretty sure it was from excitement. Not long after that, we went down to our favorite fetish shop in Chelsea, and I tried on some styles. I had already been in a few, but never with the idea that I would actually wear one out of the dressing room, and it is a totally different mindset. This time, I paid more attention to what kind of shape I wanted--did I like a gentle curve, or a sharp wasp waist? If I was planning to wear it every day, did I really want one with the most exotic colors that would make it difficult to wear under light-colored clothing? Plus, overbusts were out of the picture, since underbusts are best suited to tightlacing, as I had read. I also had to make my tightlacing intentions clear to the salesperson, since not every corset is designed to withstand hours and hours of wear, day after day. (It should be mentioned that there is a great section on tightlacing in William and Gloria Brame's book, Different Loving. Even if you're not interested in corsets, it's a must-read if you want to learn more about the psychology of BDSM in its various forms.)

I decided on a blush-pink corset by a man named Shane Aaron, who used to work at the shop but had since relocated to Las Vegas and was filling custom orders from his studio there. I fell in love with a very light, silky fabric, had my measurements taken, and off went my order. A couple of months later, my corset arrived, and I was elated. I wore it out of the shop, my man's hand in mine, very proud. But then a few days later, the fabric appeared to be thinning. I brought it back to the shop, and it turned out I had confirmed Shane's fear that the corset material was too light for tightlacing. It couldn't stand 23 hours of wear, and couldn't hold up to the friction caused by rubbing against my clothes. The corset was sent back, and in a couple of months I had the exact same model in a more durable pink fabric.

For the first few weeks, I slept in my corset, as I understood this to be the true definition of tightlacing and if I was going to tightlace, then by God I was really going to do it. Eventually, though, I questioned whether sleeping in the corset was really making much of an impact on my shape, and I felt my skin needed some time to breathe. In addition, I thought it might also be good for the corset to rest. Even though the fabric was more durable than what the first corset was made of, it was still fairly light, and I reasoned that rolling around in bed probably wasn't good for the garment. Ultimately I think that sleeping in the corset helped me get used to wearing it, but then the need for that passed, and I felt quite comfortable while laced. (Rather, let's say reasonably comfortable. I don't care what anyone says. Corsets are not 'comfortable' in the strictest sense of the word, no matter how long you've been wearing them.)

More or less, that was Season One. The weather got too warm, and I sweated through the corset so I had to take a break. The perspiration was neither good for my skin or for the corset, as over time, sweat will basically eat the fabric, especially material that is on the delicate side. Which led to my decision for Season Two's corset, but that is another post.

Balle, balle!

2009-04-03T14:50:00.004-04:00

Every week for a few months, I've gotten my ass kicked doing Masala Bhangra. You may have heard of it, but in case not, it's a cardio workout based on folk dance in Punjab, India. Recently, a woman named Sarina Jain developed a cardio workout, combining traditional bhangra with Bollywood dance moves, and the result is Masala (spicy) Bhangra. My gym has a class in Masala Bhangra taught by one of Sarina's students, and believe me when I say it is a tough workout. This class is known throughout the gym as "the one that makes you sweat"--my classmates report that the other aerobic dance classes are more like a brisk warmup compared to this.

One of the things that has been very interesting to me about bhangra is that, according to my teacher, the dance was developed for men and not women. As such, it's really not at all graceful like ballet, and it's not sexy like salsa; in fact, we are encouraged to keep our hips as straight as possible. There's lots of hopping and clapping, but there is also a great emphasis on shoulders. I've found this especially great because I carry all my stress in my shoulders, but rarely give them much attention, and it's been helpful to me in developing my burlesque routine (which will be another post entirely).

The most challenging thing for me, besides working up a vat of sweat, has been the importance of right and left. I know, I know…knowing your right from left is important for any dance, not to mention life, but for someone who still makes an 'L' with her hands to figure it out, it's hard. I've never been a dancer, and I guess I never really had to focus on it. But with Masala Bhangra, everything is moving so fast, and you can’t do most of the workout without a strong sense of direction which I have never had. Over the weeks, though, I think it might be coming to me. Every one of us, from the veterans to the newbies, makes mistakes in class, but finally, I'm not the one making the most anymore. Now my challenge is when first-timers try to join in the middle of the class, or even ten minutes after we've started. They're hopelessly lost, and it throws off the rest of the class. Masala Bhangra is a bit like line dancing, where you partly take your cues from the rest of the group--so when someone suddenly stops or turns the wrong way, it can really throw you off.

Because it is a man's dance, Masala Bhangra might seem a little odd to recommend to pin-up fans. But it works wonders for your calves, among other things, and if anything you become more aware of your sensuality in regular life once you've spent some time bottling it up. It's also worth noting that we've only ever had two men try and join the class. Only one has made it to the end of the class, but he hasn't returned since.

Pinup Wakeup

2009-03-13T12:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, people are surprised to learn that I haven't been super-feminine my whole life. Usually this comes up when someone sees me wearing jeans for the first time. Although I do own a couple of pairs of pants, they rarely come out of the dresser, emerging only for things like moving days or an extremely long flight (I hate flying, and tend to contort myself to try and get comfortable, which is difficult in a skirt and a tiny space). But the truth is that I used to wear pants almost exclusively. I've always loved getting dressed up, but pants were my first choice when it came to workaday clothes.

I think a lot of this has to do with my mother's influence. My mom has always been heavy, and her long, nondescript denim or twill skirts are her way of hiding her legs. She owns very little makeup, has kept her hair the same way for as long as I've been alive, and doesn't care for manicures, pedicures or facials. All of her clothing is functional, practical. Growing up, she was my example, and like most parents, tended to dress me and my sisters the same way she dressed herself, usually with very little in the way of frills or accessories. When I wanted to pick out my own clothes to wear and sought guidance about how to know what colors go with each other, she directed me to my older sister. She hedged when I wanted to learn how to shave my legs, and finally taught me only when I came home from camp one summer, having been mercilessly teased for being the only girl there who didn't shave. Not to be too cliché, but my parents never told me I was pretty or complimented anything about my appearance--a habit I may have picked up, with my man now pointing out to me that I never say anything about how he looks.

My resources became magazines like Seventeen, my older sister, my friends and people I saw on the street. To this day, I look at other women for the purpose of picking up style ideas and inspiration. However, let's be honest; I grew up in the Midwestern suburbs where Abercrombie & Fitch and Express were considered high fashion. By the time I graduated high school, I had learned enough about myself to know what looked good on me and what didn't. I was handy with makeup though I didn't wear much of it. My style then was kind of punky, which worked at eighteen. I went to college, studied theatre and joined a sorority, so I had my foot in the doors of both creativity and plastic preppiness, but I was still living in the middle of a prairie so clothes weren't too adventurous. In terms of style, neither were the people. My look grew up, but wasn't anything special.

Then, I moved to New York for graduate school, right after finishing college, and a floodgate was opened. In New York, it's somewhat easy to be anonymous, so if you try something and it doesn't work, no one will remember or notice it. Besides, there's probably someone walking ten steps behind you who is wearing something stranger. Nobody in New York had any ideas or preconceptions about who I was, so I could reinvent myself entirely if I wanted. Being a graduate student, I didn't have a lot of many to spend on clothes, but the freedom itself was exhilarating.

I met my man about six months after I moved to the city. He looked at me with fresh eyes, and could see someone who liked to play with clothes and makeup, but whose girliness remained closeted. He constantly made me feel like the most beautiful person in the room no matter what I was wearing, which gave me the confidence to branch out and adopt the nostalgic pin-up style I had always admired. I learned that being a woman is great, and it's okay to have fun with it. Looking my best suddenly equated with adding beauty to the world, a noble endeavor not only for the people around me but also for myself.

So here I am now, with no holds barred on dressing the way I want. When I was young, I was taught that Elvgren- and Vargas-type paintings were porn, but inside I always loved them and thought they were much more. Finally, I'm having as much fun as the woman with the wind up her skirt, proud to give us a glimpse at what's underneath.

All that glitters

2009-03-05T20:13:00.004-05:00

Some of you may have read my post over a year ago about my secret desire to be a pinup model. Well, I've taken the plunge and am moving towards doing the thing I've really always wanted to do--burlesque.

The New York School of Burlesque is the place to go for New York's aspiring ecdysiasts, or for people who just want to try something fun. The school's headmistress is Jo 'Boobs' Weldon, who has been dancing for almost as long as I've been alive. She genuinely loves teaching, looks fabulous, and is insanely smart about burlesque and its history. Jo works her butt off performing all over the world, just came out with a DVD, runs Burlesque Daily and has a book coming out in the fall. Truly, she's dedicated.

In our first class we learned some classic burlesque moves--the bump, grind, shimmy and a few more--and then we went on to tassel twirling. I have never seen my breasts do what they did with those pasties on, and I adore the fact that I can walk around knowing how to whip things with my tits. To be honest, the actual twirling was not something I totally loved, but I do love that I know how to do it. I think I just like watching it more. Some of the girls in my class seemed to really have a knack for it, but I just don't think it's quite my strong suit.

Speaking of the other girls in my class, there could hardly be a greater variety of women. We are all different shapes, sizes, colors and ages, and we're probably all taking the class for our own unique reasons as well. For me, I figure I live once, and I'd really hate to be at the end of my life regretting things I didn't do when I had the chance. If I were to go and perform with any regularity, and if my day job found out, I could probably be fired for some ethics violation. Losing a job is serious business, perhaps especially these days, but really...there are other things in life and everything happens for a reason. We've all got to live our lives in a way that we can be proud of, and for me, that happens to include taking my clothes off under hot lights and glitter. At least once.

Favorite Things Roundup

2009-02-25T13:04:00.004-05:00

1. Oscar Favorites

The best part of the Oscars for me is the fashion. I find the handing out of awards to be extremely arbitrary, but the choice of what dress to wear is very deliberate. There were not any dresses this year that absolutely blew me away, but still, there were a few I liked. Sarah Jessica Parker's dress was one I liked, primarily for the color, the beading and the belting. It looked to me like a fairy princess dress I might have wanted to pull out from my dress-up trunk as a child, and that was just plain fun to me. Marisa Tomei's dress also caught my eye--those pleats were incredible, especially on the train. I could have done without the one-shoulder, though. The rest of the dress was already playing with assymetrical lines, and for me, the lone shoulder strap pushed that balance over the edge. I was pleasantly surprised by Miley Cyrus' dress as well. I loved the scallopped petals on the skirt and the belt, and it was a very appropriate choice for a young lady (unlike last year, she's too young for red). It wasn't too sexy or flashy, nor was it frumpy, just...classy.

2. Chocolate

I've always had a sweet tooth, but for some reason it has been especially active this month. In my mind, there is no better to start and end the day than with something sweet. Everybody knows chocolate is sexy, and perfect for pinups. My favorite kind of chocolate is white, but I succumb to the marketing gods at Marie Belle and will eat any kind of chocolate if it's packaged like this.

3. Kerastase products

Going to the salon to get my hair done is one of my favorite things, and one of the reasons I love it so much is for how my hair feels and looks afterward. They use Kerastase products almost exclusively, and with good reason. Their mousse is light and effective, their hair spray holds all day but is touchable, and their shine serum leaves your hair silky but not greasy. My only issue with Kerastase is that they are not at all economical. But if you want something special, Kerastase is what ought to be in your bag of tricks for perfect pinup hair.

Not So Peachy in Georgia

2009-02-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

I was sitting on the couch this morning, undoing my pin curls, when a disturbing piece of news came up on CNN: State lawmakers in Georgia are protesting the teaching of queer theory and other courses in sexuality at George State University. (Here's the clip that CNN showed today.) The whole thing started when state Representative Calvin Hill asked his constituents to review courses being taught at public universities, in an effort to cut courses due to a tight budget. When some constituents came to him saying the university taught classes in oral sex, male prostitution and queer theory, Hill denounced queer theory and GSU professors had to defend their work before the state's House Higher Education Committee. His counterpart, state Representative Charlice Byrd, also belittled the teaching of courses in sexuality.

I'm a firm believer that professors and their methods should never be ignored; when administrators turn a blind eye to a poor teacher, the students suffer. And I understand that because the university is publicly funded, perhaps legislators felt that they should also be included in this review process. However, I wonder about how often math teachers are reviewed by the state of Georgia, or perhaps they leave that to the people who have been hired to head the math department. I see this as a double-standard, and it irritates me, but what really made me furious was the questioning of sex-related courses in higher education.

As one of the professors says in the clip, the definition of sex has been in flux ever since Monicagate. As is also mentioned, examining the role of homosexuals in literature is no less worthy a subject than examining the role of heterosexual men in literature. Now, referring to yourself in an expert guide as an expert on male prostitution may not be the best way to market yourself as a serious academic, but I do happen to think there is value in gaining a better understanding of why people sell themselves for sex and its effect on our culture. And Hill saying that queer theory is not a worthwhile area of study? Congratulations on slamming the work of (at minimum) hundreds of academics, sociologists, psychologists, authors and artists.
I know I may be biased here, as someone who has gone deeply into debt for my education and who prides it above all else. Some day, my looks will go, my body will sag, but nobody can take away what I learned in my twenty years of formal schooling. When I hear someone say a subject is not worthy of study, or claim that it is a universal waste of time, what I really hear is someone who is afraid to learn. Rep. Hill and Rep. Byrd would do better to open their minds and speak with the professors and students who take these courses, and to educate themselves on what comes of these studies, before they decide whether or not it is worth taxpayer money.

2009-02-15T14:56:00.004-05:00

Valentine's Day has never been a particularly big deal for me, perhaps because I didn't usually have a date. Now that I do have a constant date, though, it still isn't that big a deal, and we have never made a big deal of it. I think Valentine's Day is a reason for people to spend time together and celebrate love--which is not something most people take time to really cherish. It's easy to take partners for granted.

However, this year we decided to go out to dinner. In years past we've cooked a nice dinner at home, but a few months back we discovered a tasty, creative restaurant in the neighborhood and were looking for an excuse to return to it. Valentine's Day seemed like a good one, plus my man leaves today for a business trip.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was a disappointment. Whereas before, my man and I had dined on foods we never would have tried, and sauces made with ingredients we would never have thought to combine, the Valentine's Day menu was just dull. For the entrees, they offered a standard fish dish, a roast chicken dish, and a steak. There was no option for dessert either, so you either took what they had or nothing at all.

Still, the evening was far from a bust. We made each other Valentine's day cards, me using my sewing skills, and he using his drawing skills. The conversation over a disappointing meal was lovely as always, and undisturbed by the cares of dining at home--there were no loud neighbors, no animals pestering us for attention, and no dishes to do at the end. And after dinner we of course had great sex. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. Expectations for a special night can be high, but as long as you have one key ingredient--a pair of people deeply in love--you really can't go wrong.

My bed of nails

2009-02-06T16:28:00.003-05:00

I am hopelessly devoted to S., my manicurist, because of her amazing talent and charm. She's the best, and everyone in my neighborhood knows it, as is evident by the women who will wait for hours to see her, refusing to see any other manicurist at her salon who happens to be available. For a long time, I was afraid of nail extensions because I didn't want deal with them breaking, chipping, splitting--I refused to be someone who lived in constant fear of whining about broken nails. But with S., I have suffered a broken nail only once over the course of three years, and we're talking three years of typing, bulb-planting, cooking, baking, dishwashing, knitting, cleaning, sewing and general clumsiness. So, it's been with surprise that over the past few weeks my nails seem to be having a hard time staying put.

I saw S. this week, and immediately I knew something was wrong. As she was preparing to do the fill, she brought my hands up close to her face and said, "Oh, that's not good." Worse words could have come only from my tattoo artist. She explained that I had a weak nail bed. What? Me, a weak nail bed?

She went on to explain that over time, the chemicals in acrylic nails can weaken the natural nail upon which the acrylic nails are set, making them thin as paper. When that happens, the acrylic has a harder time adhering to the nail, and the nail cannot support the weight of the acrylic, which is relatively heavy. Every time water gets around my nails, like when I wash my hands, the water gets in the space between the acrylic and the actual nail where the nail can't hold on to the acrylic. That little bit of water takes its own sweet time to dry, meanwhile effectively rotting my nail. There doesn't appear to be any infection or anything like that, but the nail ceases to be anything more substantial than a Kleenex.

No part of that sounds sexy to me, so I asked her what I should do. S. told me that most of the white girls she works with have this problem with acrylic, and in fact I am her only white client who has managed to have long acrylic nails for such a long time. Her other white clients use a silk wrap, which is much lighter, though more time-consuming to apply and slightly less durable. She says my nails are still not so weak that I have to resort exclusively to the silk wrap route, but that keeping the nails shorter will do a lot to help ease the weight and pressure of the acrylic on my natural nail.

I tell this as a tale of caution. Long nails are beautiful, but long and unkempt nails are not; you have to find the middle ground that's right for you. Be careful not to go overboard, because you can't keep it up forever. My man is not happy at all that my talons are trimmed, but as I tell him almost every day, he's just been spoiled for the last few years.

Me too.

Favorite Things Roundup: January 2009

2009-01-30T14:41:00.006-05:00

Corset liners by Amy Crowder (Wasp Creations)

Any regular tightlacer knows how important corset liners are. They're often overlooked, partially because they're completely unglamorous and not meant to be seen, but they can't be ignored. Corset liners help protect your skin against chafing and absorb some of your perspiration and natural body oils that can damage the corset itself and shorten its lifespan. (And there's no getting around the fact that you do have to fork over the dough for specialized corset liners, as anyone who has ever tried to use a thin tank top as a corset liner will tell you.) However, important though they are, I have found exactly one corset liner that I like, made by Amy Crowder at Wasp Creations. For a while, I only had one of her corset liners and wore it constantly, and went into denial when it eventually failed to serve its purpose. So you can imagine my joy when my guy put two of the liners in my Christmas stocking!

Like many other corset liners, hers are custom-made with your measurements, but my favorite thing about them is that they are long. Some corset liners are cut to cover just the section of skin under your corset, but this isn't enough. Over the course of a day, corset liners have a tendency to move around a little, inching their way up to your waistline, and that sucks. Amy's don't do that because there is length to spare, but also because of the ribbing she puts around the top and bottom of her liners which help them stay put. She also adds some red stitching to the side of the corset that is meant to be worn on the inside touching your skin. Really, it doesn't get easier than that. (For the record, her corsets are pretty incredible too, and among my favorites.)

2. Pin curls

I won't claim to have mastered them yet, but I've certainly improved with the help of my pin curl book and duckbill clips. One of the secrets is to have the patience to wind hair in appropriately small sections; it's tempting to take too much hair for one curl. The other secret is the aforementioned duckbill clip. Bobby pins make unsightly creases in the curls, but duckbills lie flat across your hair. Plus, they're easier to remove than bobby pins, since they're bigger. The look that comes out with proper pin curling is one that looks natural and holds better than any set of rollers I've ever used, be they foam, plastic or velcro hot rollers. Yes, it's a bit of extra work, but trust me--it's worth it!

3. Aretha Franklin's hat

I may be going out on a limb with this one, but I have to say I liked it. She's gotten some teasing about it, but on the flip side there has been a rush of orders to the milliner who made it. I think it was at once both bold yet appropriate for the occassion. Opting for a blue-grey color was subdued enough for the inauguration, and I love that the hat was not much more than a pillbox with an oversized bow, and a border of rhinestones to catch the afternoon sun. Being Aretha Franklin, she could have shown up wearing a giant-brimmed rainbow job teeming with feathers and pulled it off, because after all, the inauguration was a joyful event well worth celebrating. She toned it down from what she might usually wear onstage, but stayed true to herself and kept some of her bravado in style, all while evoking the big-hat style found in many black congregations--for this was a holy occassion in many ways. And may I say that standing on the Mall listening to her sing, I felt there could be no compromising of her style regardless of her clothing.

4. Puppy Bowl

Okay, I know it's not at all related to pin-ups, and technically it takes place in February this year, but Puppy Bowl has to be added to this list. Watching puppies roll around and play in a playpen tricked out like a football stadium is so much more enjoyable to me than football. And then they have the kitty half-time show, and the parrot singing the National Anthem to open the whole thing, and I'm gone. As in, I'm trying to convince my man that we need to adopt more puppies and kittens immediately. Watching it makes me happy, which is more than I can say for most things on TV.

And the winner is...

2009-01-22T15:23:00.001-05:00

First off, thanks to everyone who participated in our very first giveaway. The winner, who will receive one free pair of frilly knickers, is wanderingblueeyes!

Last day for Pandora's Choice Giveaway!

2009-01-21T10:53:00.003-05:00

Remember...today is the LAST DAY to enter in the Pandora's Choice giveaway! Visit the site and comment back here by midnight tonight(EST) to be in the drawing for one free pair of frilly knickers! See my post below for more info.

(And, share the lingerie love by linking to them on your own site or blog!)

Pandora's Choice Giveaway!

2009-01-13T08:16:00.005-05:00

As you know, I don't endorse things here that I don't genuinely adore. I'm not paid to endorse anything, and there are no ads on this blog. So when I tell you that Pandora's Choice is every pinup's one-stop shop for vintage lingerie, I mean it. To prove it to you, I have arranged with the lovely people at Pandora's Choice to give away frilly knickers to one lucky Pin-up Tales reader!

Here's what you do: Go to the Pandora's Choice website. Browse around, then comment back here and tell me about a couple of your favorite items on the site. This shouldn't be too hard, given that the shop has everything from stockings by What Katie Did (my personal favorites), to corsets, girdles, bullet bras, bustles, petticoats, makeup, gloves and more. Next Thursday, the names of everyone who commented will be put into a hat, and one lucky pinup will win a pair of frilly knickers! For the guys out there, these make a great gift, and Valentine's Day is coming...

And that's it! Get your soon-to-be-frilly-knickered rear in gear, browse the beautiful site and comment back here no later than midnight on Wednesday, January 21. Please spread the word about the giveaway on your own blog or website, and be sure to link to Pandora's Choice as well. If this goes well, we may be able to do it again!

Under My Tree

2009-01-09T16:02:00.003-05:00

Happy new year, readers! Apologies for taking some time to post this week. It's taken some time to get back to life sans holiday plans…holiday life was fun while it lasted.

It lives on, though, in the amazing gifts I had from Santa under my tree. The big present from my guy this year was a pair of shoes by Natacha Marro. If you're not familiar with her, you should be. She's a French shoe designer living and working in London, all of her shoes are custom-made (my guy slyly traced my foot months ago), and they can often be found gracing catwalks and red carpets all over the world. Mine are the Tango in black patent, and the heel is a perfect six inches tall. Especially smart is the metal end she places on the bottom of the stiletto--ever notice how that plastic piece on your heel wears down so quickly? Plus, the insides are super-padded, so these vertigo-inducing shoes are actually quite comfy to wear.

Another favorite gift is a hat from Noxenlux Chapeaux. Like all great hats, it is a piece of sculptural art in itself, and makes a statement that is at once simple, bold and elegant. I wore it on a recent day out, and several smiles appeared as I noticed eyes drifting upwards at my head. Of course I get pleasure from wearing it, but it's especially fun when others get some sort of pleasure from seeing it.

Finally, in my stocking I got a gift that keeps on giving in a book called "1940s Hairstyles." It is my understanding that this book is no longer printed, making it very difficult to find and purchase. Having seen pages of it here and there online, it is one I have long coveted, and now it is mine. Perfect pin curls, pageboys, finger waves, bumper bangs and many other assorted hair styles are covered, giving you what you need to know in order to make yourself pinup perfect the same way ladies did it over 50 years ago. With the book I got a set of pin curl clips. Together with the book, I've been practicing my pin curls, sometimes with much frustration. I'll get it right eventually. Practice makes perfect, and some of these styles are a lot harder than they may look.

And when I say it is a gift that keeps on giving, I mean it: I am giving it to you. "1940s Hairstyles" exists as a PDF file, which is shared for free from folks in the know (copyright be damned). So go ahead--click here, practice, and enjoy. I hope it brings you joy and beauty through 2009 and beyond.

Coming soon: The First Pin-up Tales Giveaway! Check back here on Tuesday, January 13!

Favorite Things Roundup: December

2008-12-23T12:37:00.002-05:00

I've given this some thought, but the truth is that there is only one thing I could possibly put on a list for December:

1) Christmas

I am a complete nerd when it comes to Christmas. My man had to practically hold me down to keep me from putting up the tree early--I don't see anything wrong about a Christmas tree mingled with jack-o-lanterns, do you?--and I was happily able to put up some more decorations this year since we are home for the holiday.

I realize there are lots of haters out there when it comes to Christmas. Yes, it's completely commercialized, yes, it can be a major source of stress, and yes, it can be really expensive. But I love the warmth in winter, the lights, the colors, and the anticipation (which might be my favorite part). My heart still leaps a little when I see presents under the tree on Christmas morning, and not because I got more stuff. My family says I'm impossible to shop for, and generally buy straight off my list or buy gift cards, so there actually aren't many surprises. (It should be noted here that my man is an exceptional gift-giver. His are ALWAYS surprises.) I get excited because somewhere in me there is still a little girl who thinks Santa or a Santa-like entity still exists who wants to give us one day when being thoughtful is celebrated. I love giving presents; my man has to hold me back on that as well. If he didn't, we'd be totally broke. I love the eating, I love the holiday specials and I love the carols.

For the Scrooges out there, I feel badly that Christmas has been lost for them. Christmases for me have been great, but I know that's not the case for everyone, and some people have a long list of reasons why they personally have learned to dislike Christmas. I think that ultimately each of us have our own definition of Christmas, or whatever winter holiday we choose to celebrate. As for me, love and magic are at the core of my Christmas, and I wish you both this year.

(So get off the computer! Go be with people! I'm only online because I'm stuck at work.)

The Corset Cover-up

2008-12-19T14:12:00.003-05:00

One of the perks to my new job is a very steep discount on membership to a health club. I myself have never really been one for working out, the problem being that I don't like to sweat (I'm always worried it will cause me to break out, even though my skin has been under control). I like Pilates because it makes me feel strong, but it's expensive and I get bored doing the same workout all the time. So, I decided to start out with a one-week trial membership and see how things went.

I slipped into my tennis shoes and imagined them waking from an age-old slumber, much like the cartoon bullets that spring to life in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? when Detective Eddie Valiant enlists their help in Toon Town after many years of disuse. These are the same gym shoes I got when I started working my very first retail job in high school, and tennis shoes were a required part of our uniform. I washed my face, filled up my water bottle and went up one floor to the cardio room.

It took some time for me to reacquaint myself with this land of nefarious contraptions designed to inflict non-sexual pain. First, I forgot to be mindful of which treadmill I chose, and didn't take into account what channel was playing on the TV, so I wound up watching ESPN meatheads digest the Sunday football game. I was too embarrassed to move, though, and stuck with it. The first half-mile was hard, not least because I was in front of a mirror and saw how awful I looked as I ran. After a mile, I switched to another machine, and then headed up to the weight room for part two of my workout.

Back in the day, I used to be very enthusiastic about weight lifting. I got a weight bench for my birthday one year, and even brought my barbells with me on family vacations. I credit the weightlifting I did in my years of early puberty as the reason why it's not very difficult for me to get my arms back into shape. But recently, my man was sitting next to me on the couch and said, "You look great in that dress, but you would be devastating with toned arms." At first I was offended, then felt sad because he was right. I had allowed my once-beautiful arms to lose their muscle tone, and was now determined to restore it. This I knew I could do, and was doing some curls on the weight bench when a large man came over to me and asked me if I was okay. I told him I was fine. He asked me again, and I told him I thought I was doing fine, but it seemed like he thought otherwise, so tell me what I'm doing wrong. He showed me the proper way to curl (how could I forget?!?) and then demonstrated to me how some of the machines worked.

Ever since that day, I have been in pain, but the pain feels good. My thighs scream at me when I sit down, and my calves share the sentiment. I went back two days later, and though I'm still sore, I like that I'm getting strong. I can already see a difference.

The thing I realized is that I had let myself go because, in a corset, I look great. I'm not fat, but I have gotten soft, which is not something I see when I'm laced and looking in a mirror. In a corset, my waist looks great and my tummy is flat. The shape of my legs doesn't matter much because my skirts generally fall below the knee, so I don't notice so much if they expand or contract. And I gave up on my butt a long time ago. However, none of this is any excuse for not taking care of my body. Even if I look good, that doesn't mean I have a healthy heart. Flexibility is important, and working out helps me feel less guilty if I eat poorly one meal.

My father was just diagnosed with diabetes, himself having once been a star athlete who later let himself go with the various stresses of life. Now he can't eat the way he'd like to because he's spent the last few years eating whatever he wants with no regard for his health. It's hard on him now having to make sudden, big changes, and it's hard on my mom as well. My corsets are great and I won't stop wearing them, but I also can't let them trick me into thinking I am healthier than I am.

R.I.P., Bettie Page

2008-12-12T14:17:00.003-05:00

Today we mourn the death of Bettie Page, unquestionably the queen of pin-ups. In her obituary in today's New York Times, Bettie is quoted as saying, "I want to be remembered as a woman who changed people's perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form."

I think she did. One of the great things about Bettie is how natural she looks--no implants, no tanning. Her trademark hairstyle is often a little frizzy, and her locks are never ramrod straight. I imagine she rolled out of bed, showered, and let her hair air-dry as she drove to a shoot. She doesn't wear lots of make-up, and generally isn't dripping in jewels and rhinestones. More or less, she's wearing underwear that happens to match.

Another thing I take from her referring to "nudity in its natural form" is her SM photography, although I am sure that is not what she meant. Nudity inspires different feelings and thoughts for everyone, many of which stem from a culture that treats nudity as taboo. Her work helped to make it okay for people to have their dirty thoughts, partially because she herself was so clean and tasteful. One thing that can be very difficult about enjoying SM play is that most people go through various stages of denial, in much the same way that I imagine gay men and women do as they come to realize their homosexuality. It's hard to admit that you enjoy being spanked or tied up, or to confront an innate desire to inflict pain on someone you love. Bettie helped make SM public, and it became part of the sexual revolution she inadvertently helped launch.

It's my belief that there is still an awful lot of prejudice and misunderstanding about SM and the people who practice it. I myself am extremely private about it, whereas my man is not, because I am very sensitive to the criticism I anticipate from others. But the message Bettie sends has helped me be at ease with my own desires. Sex is fun, and it's fun in a lot of different ways; there's really no right or wrong way to enjoy it and assumptions to the contrary are thrown out when you look at the scope of Bettie's photos. Like Bettie, you can be a good girl in soft lace some of the time and still be the bad girl in leather at other times. Because come on, admit it--you are a little bit of both.

On My Naughty List

2008-11-29T13:49:00.004-05:00

Instead of doing a Favorite Things post for November, I'd like to share with you just a few things on my naughty Christmas list. Please, Santa baby...I've been extra bad!

1. The SaSi

I love vibrators, and as far as I can tell the SaSi may be the cream of the crop (pun intended). What sets the SaSi apart is its use of Sensual Intelligence technology. As you use the SaSi, you tell it what levels and types of stimulation you like best, and can skip over the ones that just don't do it for you. SaSi remembers, and returns to your favorites, and, based on those, throws in some educated guesses about something new for you to try. It's silicone, so it's easy to clean, and it's rechargeable, so you don't have to keep buying batteries. Of course it can't bring you flowers or feed you soup when you're sick, but otherwise, the SaSi might be the ideal partner--does what you like, throws a few curveballs, and isn't offended if you don't like what it's doing. At $175, it's not exactly recession-friendly, but a girl can dream.

2. Fifi and Francoise

I would be happy with just about anything from Agent Provocateur under my tree, but these are a couple of my favorites. I love the lace overlays, and the pink and black combination runs throughout my favorite pieces at home. The bras give my breasts a flattering bullet-shape, and may I point out the Francoise French Thong in particular? Let's also take note of the Fifi slip. That's a gift for me and my man.

3. The Lace-up Girdle from Lace Embrace

Of course I love lacing up in my corset, but there are some days when I want something a little gentler. Maybe I'm cramping, maybe my hips are sore, or maybe I'm just bored wearing the same pair of utility corsets I have, but this girdle would be a great alternative. Not only is it sexy on its own, but it keeps everything smooth, tight and shapely, even if it's not as extreme as a corset. The smoothness in particular is a big draw, since I get very self-conscious about my corset being visible under my clothes. I've also had very pleasant dealings with Lace Embrace in the past, and would be happy to continue supporting their business.

Musings on the Mutter

2008-11-24T12:17:00.004-05:00

This past weekend I was in Philadelphia, and visited one of the oddest places in my recent memory: The Mutter Museum. It is part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and is a collection of medical artifacts both historical and strange. There is an ovarian cyst that weighed in at 74 pounds, there is a piece of John Wilkes Booth's brain, a colon that contained forty pounds of feces and the twins joined at the head which are pictured here. Believe me when I say that these examples are just scratching the surface of strangeness in this fascinating place.

However, I keep thinking about one piece in particular, which is a turn-of-the-century skeleton of a tightlacer. Her ribcage has been brought in so small that her floating ribs nearly meet in front, and the museum estimates that at the time of her death, her waist measured in the 13-14 inch range. Listening to the audio tour, I learned that one thing scientists can discern from the skeleton is that she was wealthy enough to have a servant that could lace her that tightly, and that her corsets probably used grommets, which also helped her to lace tighter. I never would have thought about grommets as an innovation, but it makes perfect sense.

The audio piece also gives a shout-out to Cathie Jung as a modern tightlacer, notes that tightlacers are rare, and that tightlacing can cause serious damage to your body. This last part annoyed me. It's true that tightlacing can create significant health problems, however, it also worth noting that there are variations to the degree of lacing. I can sustain being laced to 22.5 inches for a day, which is a reduction of 5 or 6 inches. I've been lacing for years, and my doctors have never once expressed concern for my health. People wonder how I can breathe, my father in particular wonders about my organs being displaced, and others are amazed that I can eat in a corset.

The answer? Practice. I didn't always lace so tightly. I started out gradually in the early days of my training, and worked my way down to this size which is both flattering and realistic for me. I could lace tighter, but I wouldn't be able to stay laced so tightly for an extended period of time. Without taking the appropriate amount of time to work down to a smaller size, I would do damage to myself. There is a right way and a wrong way to do anything. A thirteen inch waist is not visually appealing to me, but Cathie seems to be doing just fine, so good for her. And, as for the skeleton, no cause of death was mentioned--not even from tightlacing.

Free to be me?

2008-11-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

Some big news for me: I got a new (day) job last week. This is a good thing, as there is no job security in my current position--I'm often surprised I even still have a job. Though I won't divulge the name of either company involved, I will say that I am moving from a group that is very blue-collared to another which is stark white. One reason I like the blue-collar workplace is because it is so much more laid back--I can flaunt my seamed stockings, drop-dead red lipstick, jet black hair and tiny waist with no problem. Where I'm going, you can't even wear jeans on Fridays.

I have a habit of worrying, and my worry now is that I will walk in on my first day of work and someone will decide that I need to dress more conservatively. I've heard of girls being told to lengthen their hems and raise their necklines in offices, and even though I'm not violating any dress code with a knee-length skirt, I wonder how my style will be received. I think it's classy, but others may just find it obnoxious. If I'm asked to change the way I dress, I'll be embarassed and annoyed.

With this in the back of my head, I went yesterday to a theory sample sale. I figure I could probably use a nice suit, and had read good things about theirs. Looking through the racks, I couldn't find anything that felt like myself. Sure, there were some cute blazers that I liked, but the disappointment came when I looked for skirts. Awful! I found high waisted pencil skirts with pleats that seemed strategically placed to add pounds to my appearance, or else run-of-the-mill skirts that bored me to tears just to look at. Even if I added personality to the suit with accessories or a tastefully bold shirt, the bottom part of me would still be a mess.

When I decide that I really can spend the money on a decent suit, I'm sure I'll buy one that is vintage, and I know that there are plenty out there which are both fashion forward and appropriate for a conservative office. That's not the point. But even among the racks of blue, gray and black plainness, I stood out like a sore thumb. It occurred to me that my new office will also be decked in blue, gray and black plainness. When I walk through the door, my new colleagues will have no idea what hit them.

A Second Skin You Don't Need

2008-11-16T10:04:00.007-05:00

Ah, winter. Holidays, hot chocolate, snuggling by the fire--and fur.

This last is possibly my least favorite part of winter. I am anti-fur, and this can be a problem for someone who a) works in an office located in Manhattan's fur district, and b) rides a train to work that originates in Brighton Beach, a predominately Russian neighborhood where fur is part of the culture. I get great pleasure in both cases walking around with my "no fur" button. The best is when I sit myself down next to a lady covered head to toe in fur with my button front and center. It's worth it to watch her squirm, and to see the looks on the other passenger's faces.

But, being anti-fur can be difficult for a pin-up. Fur is incredibly soft and silky, and associated with sex and luxury, but it is also totally inhumane. My friend at work loves her furs, and the first time she saw me with my no-fur button last winter she asked why I was against fur.

"The animals are dead already," she said.

"Yes," I answered, "because they've been slaughtered, in some cases skinned alive, just to make a coat."

"Really?" she said, her eyes wide as saucers. "I thought they used animals that were already dead."

I further explained to her that no, her coat was not made from roadkill picked up off the highway, and also that there is no reason for wearing fur, as there are plenty of synthetic fabrics available that very closely mimic the look and feel of fur without any of the cruelty. Animals on fur farms are killed using some of the same brutal methods that Michael Vick employed to kill dogs at his Bad Newz Kennelz, including electrocution, drowning and strangulation. No living creature deserves to be treated this way for the sake of a fancy coat. Fundamentally, it's just disrespect for life.

The good news is that the no-fur movement continues to gain ground. Last month, luxury retailer Henri Bendel announced it would no longer sell fur products in its stores, joining fur-free companies like Polo Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, Ann Taylor and others. The celebrity movement against fur is also huge and includes names like Sarah Jessica Parker, Pamela Anderson, Eva Mendes, Christy Turlington and Gisele Bundchen. Each of these women are examples that being a pin-up does not have to include cruelty. (One name I wish I could add to this list is Dita von Teese, who continues to wear furs. I wish she would stop.) If you've got to have the look, go faux. I myself do not, because I believe that faux fur continues to propagate the image of fur as sexy, but I still support faux, as it is still far preferable to the alternative.

There are other materials that are also cited for their cruelty to animals, like leather and some wools. I confess here that I do own and wear both leather and wool garments, but it is a practice I am working to stop for myself. I love feathers, although I don't own any, but was recently pleasantly surprised when I contacted a feather retailer who told me that (at least in the case of peacocks), the feathers are harvested after molting and not forcibly ripped from the bird. I pick on fur because I find it unexcusable. Synthetic leather has never held up for me like real leather, and I am only now finding out about cruel wool practices, but we live, we learn, and we each have the power to change. Be responsible, and check up on the stores where you frequently shop. When shopping for makeup, find out if testing is conducted on animals. Time consuming? Yes. Worth it? Definitely.

Here are some other resources to help quell a habit of animal cruelty products:

PETA's Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing
PETA Mall
Choose Cruelty Free--a listing of companies tat don't test on animals
Request PETA's free wallet-sized Cruelty Free Pocket Shopping Guide

Please feel free to share other cruelty free resources with me and everyone else here--then have fun shopping like a sexy and socially conscientious pin-up!

Favorite Things Roundup: October

2008-10-29T15:56:00.006-04:00

Look at me, getting my Favorite Things post in on time! Here we go:

1. Voting
If you're American (I know not all of you are) and you're registered to vote (you better be) then you absolutely must vote on November 4. Besides the fact that this is a historic election of incredible importance, it's your civic right--and one that we take for granted far too often. The picture here is an aerial shot of voters in the first democratic election held in post-apartheid South Africa in 1994. Most of these people are voting for the very first time, and you and I have had the right to vote without batting an eye. And for all you ladies--know that plenty of women went through 72 years of hell to get us the right to vote, and we throw it back in all of their faces when we don't use it. So go. Vote.

2. Neil at Bloomingdale's.

I imagine that the average shoe salesperson at Bloomingdale's fits an Imelda Marcos-sized closet worth of shoes while on the job, and so I was particularly pleased with myself when I got a compliment on my skills. At my man's insistence, I tried on a pair of very tall L.A.M.B. boots (alas, no picture to be found online!). The stiletto on them was an easy five inches, and it was a skinny one too. I walked around the area, came back and told Neil I couldn't do it today. As he was putting the shoes back in the box, he remarked on how impressed he was with how well I walked in such high heels, and said he doesn't often see women who can pull that off. Which made me, and my man, very happy. By the by: I didn't get the shoes. They were not worth $725, and made my ankles look fat.

3. Betty's dress in the first scene of the season finale of Mad Men.

Every time I watch the show, I identify with Betty's wardrobe--not that I have it, but more that I want it. Her dress in this opening scene is so delicious. She looks like she's floating on the doctor's table, with the skirt so full and perfectly pleated, classy cut and fantastic color. Although, what I really want is for the Mad Men costume designers to start making replicas of the dresses and sell them, so that I too can be a Betty. When can that happen?

4. The Magic Wand

I know it's been featured here before, but seriously, it's awesome. If you don't have one, go get one.

Pin-up Palin at your peril

2008-10-24T14:27:00.005-04:00

I never intended this to be a place for political rhetoric, but given that a) sex/iness has injected itself into the presidential campaign, and b) I'll be furious if I have to keep paying taxes to a Bush-esque administration, all those intentions are out the window. Ever since John McCain picked her as his running mate, Sarah Palin has been the object of ridicule and/or adoration in America. Love her or hate her, the consensus seems to be that she's newsworthy--and also that she's hot. Fellow pin-ups, this is where I draw the line.

I don't care how cute her face is when she wrinkles her nose, or what you imagine she's thinking when she winks at you while debating foreign policy with an opponent who has 36 years of experience in the United States Senate compared to her 20 months in the Alaska statehouse as governor. I don't care about who made her glasses, or how she does her hair, or what color lipstick a pitbull wears. It has nothing to do with who she is, but unfortunately, the fact that she's pretty almost seems to be bigger news that anything she might do in the White House. And the more people hold her up as a thing of beauty, the sicker it makes me.

How can a woman who, at the very least, supported a local policy that women to pay for their own rape kits be considered beautiful? When a woman's body has been the scene of a crime, she should be able to turn to governing powers to help solve that crime, instead of making it as difficult as possible to even report it. Field dressing a moose is not attractive. Aerial hunting is hideous. Blaming the media for daring to ask her such mind-boggling questions as, "What are some magazines you read?" is an act of cowardice unbecoming of a lady, not to mention a leader. Maligning the community organizers who have made this country great by thinking globally and acting locally is plain ignorant, and the use of her office to pursue a personal vendetta is childish.

Tina Fey? Pin-up. Sarah Palin? Absolutely not. I refuse to accept the perpetuation of a myth that beauty and brains are unrelated or that they cannot coexist. Molding her as an object of sex is nothing but a distraction, and she is only reaffirming the same stereotypes that made it so hard for women to break into national politics in the first place. She has been given every chance to show us her abilities as a politician, but instead all we've seen is a scripted talking head. I understand many people consider having a woman on the Republican ticket to be a step forward. In this case, however, it is a giant leap back.

Defining the pin-up

2008-10-17T12:17:00.001-04:00

As I write here, one thing that question that often comes to me is, "What is a pin-up?" I think that it's easy to define a pin-up as just a pretty girl, and not take it any further than that, but in reality there's so much more.

I'm not looking to be a pin-up on paper (though I wouldn't turn down the offer), but my main goal instead is to be a pin-up in real life. However, it's not enough just to be pretty. My favorite pin-up artist is Gil Elvgren, and one reason I like him is because his girls have so much character. Of course they convey that sense of playful innocence we all love, but when I imagine meeting one of them in person, I think the Elvgren girl would be just as much fun to spend time with as she is to look at. She's well-mannered and treats others the way she wants to be treated. She dresses modestly, with class, but won't shy away from the happy accidents that allow her to show off those gams. She has a range of interests that stretch beyond fashion and domesticity; in fact, part of her power lies in the fact that when you look at her, you might initially write her off. Quickly, though, she proves you wrong--she's witty, interested in art, is an avid reader and also incredibly curious about everyone and everything around her. Even after she greaduated from college, she never stopped learning.

Back in the day when Elvgren was painting, it may not have been socially acceptable for most women to get involved in politics, but I imagine that his ladies are citizens of the world. They take seriously the ongoing fight for women's rights at home and abroad, and don't take for granted the sacrifices others have made before them. They're compassionate with others less fortunate than themselves, and play a role in their community that goes further than local gossip. They vote. They volunteer for charity.

I know perfectly well that back in the America of the 1940s and 1950s, when most of my favorite classic pinup girls were created, things were much different for women. They had a very different relationship with the world than we do, and what was pushing a boundary back then (like going out without a hat and gloves) is not given any thought these days. Relative to their era, I imagine that classic pin-ups were a little rebellious. I imagine a man might have been taken by surprise when he learned that there was so much more to the girl next door than just a pretty face and sense of style. I think it's incredibly important for any aspiring pin-up to remember that, for as much as she might fuss over her outward appearance, a girl's most compelling feature is always her character.

Favorite Things Roundup: September

2008-10-04T11:34:00.007-04:00

My apologies that these posts seem to creeping in a little late. Working three jobs is hard! Luckily, I have little things listed below that have helped make my life a little easier...

Repro Depot

Remember those old oilcloth tablecloths that your grandma used to have? In my memory, the least likable thing about them was the pattern, which was invariably hideous. But they were great for Grandma when she had her three granddaughters in town to visit, because she could wipe up our messes from the oilcloth and be done--the alternative being constantly washing her fabric tablecloths.

Between my pets (who get on the table even though they know they shouldn't) and my man (who virtually needs a blast shield when eating), my tablecloths are a mess. However, I need them to protect our antique dining room table and to maintain my sense of personal pride at keeping a pretty table for my little family and our guests--but other oilcloths I've seen are hideous. I was thrilled, then, to find Repro Depot's selection of oilcloths and vinyls. I have the strawberry pattern for the summer and spring, and just got the apple one for the fall. They're backed with flannel so they're easy on my table, and in the case of these two patterns, wide enough that all I need to do is order two yards and put it on the table. There's no sewing required because the edges of the fabrics are already finished and won't fray. With shipping, they run just under $20, and they're far more unique than what you'd find for that price in most other places. And Repro Depot has lots of other fun fabrics out there for all your other pinup projects, so be sure to check out the rest of the inventory.

2. Cooler Weather

As I posted earlier this month, the cooler weather has been fabulous for lacing, and oh, how it blows up my skirts! But, it's so wonderful for other reasons, like that I get to start wearing stockings again. I can also indulge my deep and abiding love for coats and hats, both in the wearing of what I have and in drooling at the shop windows displaying them. As for my makeup, I am back to wearing loose powder, which never survived my perspiration in the summer. With all of these elements, plus the lack of mosquitoes and sweat, cold weather is my favorite. Yet there's one other part that deserves a section all its own...

3. Apples

Ever since I was just a little Kitty, I loved apples. Granny Smiths have always been my favorite, but at the moment I'm a Gala girl. I love their crunch, their sweetness, their juiciness, and I don't have to feel guilty for loving them because they're good for me too. I love apple ciders, apple juice, apple pie, apple crisp, apples in caramel or in peanut butter--okay, now we're starting to get away from the 'good for me' part, but the point is that this is the time for my favorite fruit. An added bonus is that, done correctly, you can look pretty damn foxy eating an apple (as with Ms. Gyllenhaal here). Keep the bites small, and channel the idea that you're eating something that has been frequently associated with sin. Fortunately for pinups, it's our kind of sin.

Back in business

2008-09-26T10:08:00.004-04:00

With the fall in full swing, corset time is back! I am once again cinched up. Just another reason why I love the cooler weather. But with the return comes the return of some of my lacing anxieties--namely, corset care and visibility.

When I took off my corset for the warmer weather, I mentioned that my corsets would be spending their summer in rehab. Stays had popped through casings, and the friction of my clothes against my corsets was taking its toll. What I discovered was that my new best friend is extra-wide grosgrain ribbon. For any of you with corsets needing repairs, this is your quick fix. Grosgrain, also used sometimes as a seam binding, can be folded over the edge of the corset where the stays are coming out, and once carefully stitched into place, it's an effective patch.

Of course I'd rather get a new corset. Okay, I'd really rather get several new corsets. One of my biggest concerns as a tightlacer is people seeing the lines of my corset, and the extra layer of the grosgrain, though slight, doesn't help alleviate my concerns. I hope nobody looks at me and thinks that if they just do enough situps they, too, can achieve a 22.5 inch waist. They'd get frustrated, so I would really prefer if people could put it together and figure it out. But just as I don't want any other pieces of my underwear to show, I don't want my corset to show. And even with new corsets, it can be difficult to find one that is both effective and invisible.

My solution is to wear clothes that already have some weight to them, and that aren't skin tight. Of course I love my pencil skirts and pencil dresses, but I don't like feeling self-conscious either. It's an ongoing battle, which usually means that I end up trying to replace my wardrobe with clothes that I feel are better for keeping my secret.

In the meantime, it's not going to stop me from lacing. My man says it probably doesn't occur to anyone that I would be wearing a full corset, because most people don't think of them as options for everyday wear. I hope so. In the meantime, secret or no, it's great to be me again--laces and all.

A Pretty Pauper

2008-09-18T15:11:00.003-04:00

Unless you've been living under a rock this week, you've heard about the continuing devastation in the financial markets. Since I work at a bank, this week has been particularly difficult. I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I still have a job, but as someone whose father was frequently between jobs, I have a great deal of sympathy for the vast numbers of people who have found themselves unemployed. There is no question that we are living in difficult times.

However, when you're down, it's important to try to keep yourself out of a funk. If you're going to find another job you have to project an image of confidence and strength. Even if you have to fake it at first, you might find that paying a little special attention to your appearance will have you on the road to the type of positive thinking that can get results. You might be asking yourself, "How do I do that on a budget?" Well, I've been on a budget all my life, so I've learned a thing or two about beauty on the cheap. Here are some of my favorite tips, and you should also check out my DIY post, which is also about budget-friendly style. Please feel free to share your tips--I'd like to do many more posts on budget beauty!

1. Double up in the shower

Until recently, I would only use shower gel/lotion/whatever as a backup for shaving cream when I was extremely desperate. Shower gel never got foamy enough, and I always felt as though I was shaving bare legs, which hurt. But, as I said, times are tough, so when I was out of both shaving cream and shower gel at the same time I decided to go the double-duty route and tried Aveeno Positively Smooth Shower & Shave Cream. It works well, and I know I saved money buying one thing as opposed to buying two different products. But, the best part came when my man suggested I use his shaving brush to mix up a lather in the palm of my hand. Using a quarter-sized amount, the brush whips up enough soapiness for all my shaving. I used to use that much just to do one leg, so not only did I save money in the first place but I'm also extending the life of the product. The shaving brush trick would probably work wonders with just about any shower gel, so no matter what you've got in your shower right now, it's worth a shot.

2. Maintain your smile

You could have radiant skin, a sharp figure and a gorgeous head of hair, but if your teeth are crooked and rotting, then you might as well forget the rest. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are no Vargas or Elvgren pinups with sub-par smiles. I know quite well that dental procedures can be costly, and if you're one of the growing numbers of people without health insurance, then it might not even be an option. The best thing to do is take care of what you've got, and minimize damage which will cost you later. Floss your teeth every day; I mean it. I know you're tired from being so pretty all day, but you are not allowed to be lazy and go to bed without brushing your teeth. People (read: my man) make fun of me because I still wear my retainers to bed a few times a week, but I have seen too many veterans of braces who now have crooked teeth as adults. I will never listen to them--and not have to pay to have my teeth realigned.
And while you're at it, use that smile! It will make you feel better, and just might inspire others to do the same.

3. Use palettes

When you've run out of your old stuff and it's time for new makeup, look for palettes and sets. Not only do they save space in your makeup bag, they save money in your wallet. Check out the combination sets available online at sephora.com--many of them are all you need for eyes, face and lips. Those of you who have been reading here for a while should know that my favorite brand of cosmetics is Besame, and it should come as no surprise that my favorite product of theirs (ok, it's tied with the red velvet lipstick is their Vanity Case. It (and my lipstick) is all I use, every day, plus a liquid liner and mascara which doesn't set me back too much. However, they have ignored my plea to keep the Vanity Case and it is now discontinued; they claim they have something else coming, but until I see it I'm not convinced it's better. Until October 31, Besame is having a close-out sale of what's left, and selling each case for only $12. They used to be $90. I don't know about you, but I'm stocking up.

4. Minimize your hair products

I'm a hair product junkie. Even though I know better, I fall for every hair ad I see, and honestly believe that (product name here) is the thing that will give me soft and defined curls, smooth flyaways, add shine, save the whales, whatever. You may know about my man's policy for shoes, and the same holds true for hair products. As far as I'm concerned, there are only three things you absolutely need: a decent hair gel or mousse, decent hairspray, and something for shine. I like Fructis Curl Scrunch Gel, Sebastian Shaper Plus Hair Spray, and MOP Styling Tonic. If you're after straight hair, I like Bumble and bumble Straight. It's a little pricey, but it lasts a while and it beats buying ten other things that don't work.
As far as shampoo and conditioner goes--I've never been a major devotee to any particular product, though I do really like the Neutrogena Triple Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. Beyond that, try not washing your hair every day. My hair is actually easier to manage when it's a little dirty, and it's easier on my color to wash it only every other day. And, you'll use less of the product, ultimately saving money for the things that really matter--like shoes.

Movie to Watch

2008-09-07T10:12:00.004-04:00

With my man out last night at a bachelor party, I got to do one of my favorite things: Order Chinese food, watch an old movie, and knit with a kitty in my lap, all with the house to myself. TCM On Demand had The Gay Divorcee to offer, and I made it my choice...and loved it. I have to admit that I haven't seen as many Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers collaborations as I should have. This one is their second, and it doesn't disappoint. Both are in fantastic form, and Rogers has some fantastic dresses and equally fantastic hats. Plus, when watching her feet, you get the dual pleasure of admiring her dancing and admiring her shoes. The Continental number at the end of the movie is representative of the old super-tight dance numbers with probably about a hundred dancers, all in beautiful black and white.

As a bonus, you get to see a young, pre-famous Betty Grable. Robert Osborne explains after the film that her rise to stardom directly coincided with the birth of color cinema, and here she is essentially still working in the trenches as a chorus girl--look for her listed at the very bottom of the intro acting credits, when just a few years later she'd be headlining major films and the most popular World War II pinup.

Favorite Things Roundup: August

2008-09-03T16:19:00.002-04:00

Sorry this is late! Computer meltdown and a desire to experience some summer R&R (I keep hearing about it, but haven't had much of it) has prolonged this post. Perhaps more disappointing, I can only come up with one thing worthy this month of going into the Roundup...

Mad Men

I had heard plenty about Mad Men before Season 2 started. It's rare that really good television actually gets made, and even rarer when all the critics seem to agree that the show in question is, in fact, fantastic. I'm here to tell you that it's true, Mad Men is great. If you haven't started watching it yet, get to it. The writing is quick, sharp and subtle, the characters are mesmerizing, and the fashion--well, the fashion is inspiring. It's inspired Michael Kors's fall 2008 line, and I'm expecting more designers to follow suit. Watch this show for ideas about hair, accessories, makeup, and be sure to read the weekly fashion blog written by Fashionista founder Faran Krentcil. Do yourself a favor, however, and ignore the naysayer comments in her every post alleging historical inaccuracies...just enjoy. Drool. Wipe. Repeat.

Sweating out the dog days

2008-08-19T18:12:00.004-04:00

It could start cooling down any time now, and I would be happy for it. I don't know about you all, but it's really cramping my pinup style. I don't even bother wearing rollers any more, because my hair frizzes out the second I step outside. And I can't wear corsets in the heat, so I'm not cutting the figure I want. I can't wear powder, because it clogs my pores when combined with massive perspiration. I adore winter coats, which are useless right now.

What's truly dangerous is how the sun threatens my complexion. One man the other day yelled at me from across the train platform, "You're pasty white! You look sick! Go get some sun, you don't look healthy!" I replied, "I am healthy! I don't have melanoma!" To which he said, "Healthy my ass! You look sick!" All this while the guy is smoking a cigarette, digging through trash and grasping a bag of potato chips. But, in an effort to be a lady, I decided not to further exacerbate the situation. Although, it should also be noted that the heat makes me quite cranky. I consider it a small miracle that anyone bothers to try speaking with me when it's over 85 degrees.

I do what I can to make up for the pinup elements that suffer in heat. I've been experimenting with new ways to put up my hair, I work the pencil skirts and I still sport the red lipstick, unless it's likely to melt down my chin. Heels are always in season, and this is perhaps my saving grace.

I wonder if you all are a little tired in the heat as well. I received only one beauty tip in response to my previous post, a gift from the lovely Rapunzel for which I am very grateful. I will leave you now with her insider tip, and the hope that the heat is breaking, wherever you are.

****

Darn! I knew there was something else I wanted to do in NYC this past weekend! *pout* The Burlesque will have to wait for another time..sigh..

As far as beauty tips, the one day I got to be a pin-up gal I had lots of help from this fabulous lady and her staff:

http://www.myspace.com/do_gal

She made me look gorgeous with liberal use of hairspray, bobby pins, and one perfectly-placed hair net. All day I found myself taking a peek in the mirror, and at my daughters, inquring why we couldn't look like that *every day*? I continue to ask myself that question..sigh...

I look forward to tips & tricks from you & your wise readers.

Soliciting

2008-08-10T13:59:00.004-04:00

Last night I went to probably the best burlesque show in New York City, This is Burlesque. I'd seen the performers many times before, not to mention most of the routines they did, but I still had a wonderful time.

The reason I bring up having gone at all is because when I went to the bathroom before the show, I got a slight peek into the dressing room. I saw Angie Pontani chatting with someone while getting ready, Murray Hill joking around pre-polyester, and Melody Sweets popped out of a door too. I didn't bother them, as I don't think they were really wanting to be seen at that point, but what I really wanted to ask them (with the exception of Murray Hill--sorry, buddy) was for beauty tips. Even the house kitten, Little Miss Licks, had enviably perfect hair, and she wasn't performing. I have no idea how burlesque stars manage to get their victory rolls to stay put while twirling or tapping around on a stage, how their curls are so perfect and non-frizzy, or how they manage to do some of the fantastic up-dos they create. I know some of it is done with wigs, but I know some of it is also natural. I suppose that I am now admitting a weakness, which is that I cannot always do my hair as perfectly as I'd like. However, as I was wishing I could have the chance to ask the Pontani Sisters and the rest of the cast for their secrets, I realized I could also just ask you--my readers.

I would like to know your beauty secrets, from hair styling to makeup to skin care and pretty much anything else that helps you turn heads. Send me your tips and tricks, and I'll consolidate them to be shared with everyone else reading Pinup Tales. Don't let me down...it's all for the good cause of helping all women embrace their inner pinup!

Check out my guest post

2008-08-07T15:33:00.003-04:00

This is just a quick note to let you all know that I have written a guest post on my man's blog. It's the inside scoop.

On Judgment

2008-08-03T21:44:00.004-04:00

As I consider this to be primarily a place for discussions around vintage pin-up fashion, I don't often sit down at my computer compared to write a heart-to-heart about my relationship. Obviously pin-ups are a favorite topic for me, but, as the walrus said, the time has come to talk of other things.

My man and I are in a dominant/submissive relationship, whereby he is the top and I am the bottom. It's something that has taken us years to work out in all of its particulars, and every day we continue to work on it and make new discoveries together. We can only do this with a great degree of honesty, openness and communication, and at this point we've been at it for over four years so I have to believe we're doing something right. I enjoy taking direction. Not only do I find it freeing, but it also helps me to grow as a person and explore my world and my identity. There are many different types of food that I would not have tried were it not for my man's instructions, and countless erotic scenes and experiences have been enjoyed because of his orchestrations. I do my very best to take an attitude of, "I'll try anything once," and he does his very best to keep talking to me and staying aware of my limits and desires. I enjoy things like spanking, whipping, being tied up and more that others might find appalling. All in all, I happen think that what we have is a beautiful thing.

We do have some friends, however, who are at best a little distracted by some of what they see. One mutual friend once asked my man (in my absence) why it is that he makes me wear corsets. On other occasions, my man has made a decision for me and someone else might say, "Let her make up her own mind." In both of these examples, the outside party is jumping to conclusions in a major way, although in some way they're doing it out of love for both of us. What confounds me is when other people fail to consider that perhaps I wear a corset every day because I want to. It's true I didn't wear them before I met my man, but that doesn't mean I never thought about it. In many ways, he just gave me permission to indulge a curiosity and then I decided how far I would take it. I like it when he makes decisions for me, or when he orders for me at a restaurant, or when I become interested in something because of his suggestion.

One of the interesting things is that none of the people who make these criticisms have the balls to speak with me about it. They assume I am being oppressed or made a puppet, when in fact there is nothing of the kind going on. I've changed since I met my man, but in my opinion, everyone changes when they enter into a serious relationship. When we moved in together, we each had to make compromises of our previous living habits so that we could inhabit the same space. I care about things I didn't used to, and many of his interests have shifted as well. In the end, we're both different people in some ways, but in many others we're each exactly who we've wanted to be for a long time.

The moral of the story here is to think first before judging other relationships. What works for your friend may not be the same thing that works for you. What makes you cringe might make your friend cream. Unless you're looking at a truly abusive situation--and believe me, you'll know it when you see it--stand back and love the fact that two people who want the same thing have actually found one another. It really is a miracle.

Favorite Things Roundup for July

2008-07-26T10:24:00.007-04:00

1. FCC: 0; Janet Jackson's Nipple: 1

It pleased me greatly to read that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out the $550,000 fine levied upon CBS by the FCC after the most famous wardrobe malfunction of all time. I'm not happy it took 4 years for the case to finally be closed, and though I'm not a lawyer, I imagine an appeal will be coming soon given the impact of the ruling on the credibility of the FCC. I thought the media storm following the incident was entirely ridiculous, though not surprising. Seriously--a nipple is inappropriate for children? That argument fails the second you consider how infants are fed. CBS should have been warned about the pending explicit nudity? Justin Timberlake's line just before the malfunction was "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song". I'm only half-kidding, but this sounds like a warning to me. In my mind, the lyric is certainly more explicit than showing a nipple on network TV for nine-sixteenths of a second . A song about sex is totally kosher for kids, but heaven forbid they actually see anything having to do with it! And how dare parents be faced with the responsibility of discussing media and sex with their children? Absurd.

2. Peacock Feathers

I'm completely anti-fur, and I extend this to feathers. Let's say that right up front. However, I have been spending a lot of time this month in adoration of peacock feathers and the birds that own them. During my travels in May I saw my first wild peacock--really, I heard it first, and asked my man if we were near a zoo--and it was incredible. Perched in a tree, the peacock's feathers tinged with blue, gold, green, violet and black hung below it like a majestic robe, and it has stuck in my mind ever since. I did some research on the peacock and learned that its meaning changes markedly depending on where in the world you happen to be (click here for some examples). Whether they're eyes of protection or eyes of evil, peacock feathers are beautiful, and I find myself especially wowed by them this month.

3. My Magic Wand

I suppose it's appropriate that someone who loves all things vintage should favor the most retro vibrator: the Hitachi Magic Wand. It's billed sometimes as a "massager" that "relieves tension," and boy, they aren't lying. When my man was out of town for a bachelor party, the wand was my comfort as I lay by myself in our bed. Although it can't ultimately satisfy me the way my man can, it's a decent substitution. My favorite way to use it, though, is with him, as a buildup to the final thrill of penetration. To boot, it's less expensive than most other vibrators of its size on the market, making it even easier to add to your naughty drawer. In short, if you don't have one, get one. Now.

4. Corsets by Miss Katie

This London designer makes some of the most exquisite corsets I have seen. Fitting for the stage or evening wear, a Miss Katie corset will be top of my list when it comes time for me to buy a new one (once the temperature drops). If any of them were to turn up on my doorstep I wouldn't turn it down, but my favorites are the Parisian corset and the collar corset. Be still, my lace-loving heart!

A Mannered Performance

2008-07-06T18:49:00.003-04:00

It seems to me that somewhere along the line, women forgot how to be ladies. As a New Yorker, I see women every day who would be otherwise beautiful were it not for their piss-poor manners. I grew up in the Midwest, and was raised by the kinds of parents who pretended not to hear me if I a) spoke a sentence using less-than-perfect grammar, or b) dared to ask for or accept anything without saying please or thank you. My impression after several years of living in New York is that one must choose between being a lady or a New Yorker. I choose to be a lady, but there are few of us here.

The standards of etiquette were laid down most famously back in 1922 by Emily Post, pictured here, and the Emily Post Institut e has ensured that those standards evolve with time to include manners with regards to mobile phones, online friending, skiing and more. It may seem silly to spend time researching etiquette, but I assure you it is not and I myself intend to devote more web time to refreshing my memory. In my definition, a proper pinup acts like a lady and commands that respect, but this is difficult to do if she appears to have been raised by wolves.

For starters, you should always use "please," "thank you," "you're welcome," and "excuse me." None of these words are difficult to utter, and unless they are spoken with great sarcasm, I cannot think of a situation where they are hurtful. People here are constantly rushing and busting by others, but a simple "excuse me" at least demonstrates a small amount of consideration for other people. I don't think it's fair to take waitstaff and salespeople for granted, or to treat them any differently than you would a dear friend. I spent many years waiting tables and working retail, and was happy to oblige even the most outrageous request if it was clear to me that the other party considered me to be a human being and not a slave.

Be nice at the table. We all get sloppy, including myself, but proper table manners are key in your personal and professional life. It's worth it to watch your language and generally be on good behavior, even though it's difficult sometimes. My man, wonderful as he is, is sometimes lacking in the table manners department, eating off of his knife or performing stunts like pretending to snort his cutlery up his nose. I don't have a problem with it when we're at home--one of the things I love about him is his goofy sense of humor--but when we're in a restaurant I have to say something. There's a time and place for everything.

I could go on, but won't for fear of exhausting you and sounding like too much of a priss. It all really comes down to treating others in a way that you yourself would like to be treated. For example, I don't want to have to listen to your cell phone conversation any more than you want to have to listen to mine, so put the phone away at the table, on a train or in a bus. (I recently spent a weekend with someone who could not stop herself from texting on her phone, no matter where we were or what we were doing. I love her to death but found it rude and annoying nonetheless.)

I'll leave you with this poem, "Time Tested Beauty Tips," often attributed to Audrey Hepburn but in fact written by Sam Levenson for his grandchild. It was, however, one of Audrey's favorite poems, and read at her funeral. I think it does a good job of summing up the importance of manners in beauty:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Carrie, Closets and Curmudgeons

2008-06-26T14:16:00.002-04:00

I was reading my New Yorker this morning, and had a bit of a revelation while reading, of all things, a letter to the editor. It was regarding Anthony Lane's recent review of the Sex and the City movie, and the part that got me was when the writer responded to Lane's disgust that women should react so strongly to the part when Big builds Carrie a closet from heaven. The letter's writer, Annabeth Bondor-Stone, says, "Am I an unrepentant materialist if I smiled when Carrie got a big closet? Can't I harmlessly indulge in fantasies of traditional femininity while the predominantly male audience next door drools over candy-colored cars?"

Exactly! The thing that wears me down during a lot of discussions about Sex and the City is that people seem to take it so seriously, when really it's like an action movie for women. Every woman I know will readily admit to an awareness that the movie is pure fantasy, and not possible for the vast majority of women in New York or elsewhere--those of us who live here and pay ridiculous rent for a shoebox knows firsthand that there's no way Carrie can live alone in that apartment on a freelance writer's salary, never mind maintain a closet full of Manolo Blahniks and Christian Dior. At the same time, however, I don't know of any men (smart ones, anyway) who walk out of a movie like The Fast and The Furious and fully believe that the lifestyle of drag-racing with scantily-clad lustful women could or should be theirs. I feel pretty comfortable when I say that most action movies are not scrutinized for their cinematic value nearly as closely as Sex and the City has been, even though in many ways they live on two sides of the same coin.

Over the last few weeks, my man and I have spoken often of Sex and the City. He didn't come with me to see the movie, and hasn't even seen one full episode of the show. He's pretty sure that he's seen all he needs to see to get it, a statement with which I disagree. In many ways, it's not his fault. He's not a woman, so he can never truly understand what happens in female friendships either in a group or on a one-on-one basis. It's also not his fault that the show is in lots of ways mistitled, as it isn't really about sex.

It's about friendship, support and growth shared between women--and yes, it makes you want to max out your credit cards so that you can have as much fun getting dressed in the morning as each one of the girls does. But can you blame us? Clothes and fashion are forms of self-expression, shaping how we are presented to and received by the people in our world. Most people don't want to be dull and boring, but it so happens that the pieces which are the most exciting also cost the most money. Patricia Field is an incredibly talented designer, but of all her successes perhaps her greatest is that she makes it all look so fun and playful. That sense of lightheartedness is refreshing in life and in any other escapist movie. The next time I hear someone coming down on Sex and the City as though it were trying to be the next Lawrence of Arabia, I intend to ask firmly but politely that they remove the stick up their ass.

2008-06-19T10:36:00.002-04:00

Two great news items popped up today, both in the New York Times:

The first is that the July issue of Italian Vogue will use exclusively black models, all photographed by the venerable Stephen Meisel. This makes me very excited. If I haven't written much here about racial diversity in pinup art of the 1940s and 1950s, it's because there isn't much to write about. In all my browsing of Vargas, Frahm and Elvgren, I don't recall having ever seen a woman who was anything but white (the exception is that you can find some suggesting the women are from or visiting Mexico or South America). I can't blame the artists; their editors wanted them to make money and probably didn't think black pinups would sell very well. PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong on this, but meanwhile, here's to more diversity in contemporary mainstream pinup icons and inspirations.

The second is a short post by Elizabeth Spiridakis on her blog with the Times regarding this photo released of Amy Winehouse cleaning house, beehive and all. Winehouse is commended for maintaining her look even while performing mundane tasks, and this is probably something I should try to do myself. She's fortunate--or smart?--that her look isn't polished; it's bedraggled and messy, so it's not terribly difficult to conjure during a drug bust or a late-night romp through London. My problem is that my look is fairly polished, but I'm inherently lazy and can't muster the energy to put on makeup and dress nicely if I'm just hanging around the house. I'm sure my man would appreciate it if I did more. Perhaps that will be my resolution...starting next week.

Favorite Things Roundup for June

2008-06-18T09:02:00.006-04:00

Starting now, I'm going to try devoting one post every month to things I like. A lot of times I find myself admiring something, and I want to write about it but it's just not enough for an entire post. And, I would hate to subject you to endless and sporadic endorsements for products that I enjoy (but, I repeat, am NOT getting paid to plug), and so this way you can easily avoid them if you like.

Now, let's get started:

1. The print ads for Weeds and Secret Diary of a Call Girl

There aren't many ads that I actually want to look at, but this duo does it. I've even positioned myself near them on the subway platform so I can look more closely at them, and wonder why they're not up in the subway stations I use most frequently. It should be noted that I have never seen one episode of either show. I don't have Showtime, and my Netflix queue is too long as it is. But, I can still admire the polka dot bathing suit on Mary-Louise Parker and her lovely (if out of place) sequined green heels. I'm not as familiar with the other actress and don't care for the dress she wears in the martini glass, but the overall effect is still good enough for me. This is also a good time for me to recommend this very fun blog for more adventures in pin-up advertising.

2. D'finer D'liner by Benefit

I got this because they discontinued the color liner that I usually wore, but didn't have especially high hopes because I was pissed about my favorite liner being newly extinct. It's a nude liner so it doesn't do much for adding depth to your lip color, but wow--my lipstick does last longer and stay in place better. Another plus is that since it's nude, you can wear it with any lip color you have. For a girl on a budget like me, versatility is key.

3. Re-mix Vintage Shoes

Beautiful shoes. Elegant styles. Go.

4. Parasols

I've mentioned before that one of the best things you can do for your skin is stay out of the sun. A pretty parasol probably won't make the difference between skin that is sunburned and blistery versus skin that is soft and smooth, but it adds an element of style that suntan lotion cannot. Plus, suntan lotion doesn't protect your hair color, which fades faster with increased sun exposure. Perhaps equally eye-catching and just as effective for sun protection is a hat with an extra-wide brim. However, the laws of desire being what they are, I already have such a hat, and so it doesn't make the list this month.

Maybe next time.

A Tribute to the Million Dollar Mermaid

2008-06-10T15:49:00.005-04:00

The first time I heard of Esther Williams was in Pretty Woman, when Kit tells a rival, turf-crossing prostitute on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to go back "...down to Esther Williams, where you belong!" It was not the best introduction for me.

A far better introduction was in Ziegfeld Follies, when I saw Esther perform one of her water ballets for which she was so famous back in the 1940s and 1950s. Her hair was perfect, her makeup was perfect, even when wet! Whenever I go swimming, my mascara runs down my cheeks and my hair is a tangle of knots. I had to learn more about this lady.

As I said, she was most famous for her water ballets, and the 'aqua musical' subgenre created for her by MGM remains her legacy. She was not the most talented actress, but she was still fun to watch with her light heart, bright smile and statuesque poise. Were it not for her talents as a swimmer, her beauty and her charm, she would have been a one-hit wonder. Instead she had over ten years in the movie business, then finally retired in the 1960s after trying some dramatic roles which were largely unacclaimed. She is the original bathing beauty pin-up, not only because she looked good in a bathing suit, but because she demonstrated the free spirit, athleticism and confidence that makes any beach bunny attractive. There is a large group of women (and men) in the history of show business whose careers have hinged upon their looks. To say that Esther Williams is not one of them is not to insult her appearance, but to praise her work and talents.

I'm still working on watching more of her movies. She made quite a few, so it will probably take me at least the better part of the summer. Meanwhile, in addition to seeing her water ballets and admiring her winning pin-up style which I hope to emulate in daily life, I'm looking forward to spending some more time in my Esther Williams bathing suit. That's right--she now designs bathing suits, all with the vintage flair I so adore. I've gotten more compliments and comments on my one-piece from her than I have on any bikini, and can't recommend her suits highly enough. The next time you're poolside or at the beach, do a favor for yourself and the folks around you by channelling the spirit of the Million Dollar Mermaid.

With Gloves On

2008-06-02T15:59:00.006-04:00

One accessory that almost always gets pushed to the back of the closet in warmer weather is the glove. Sure, they hide your manicure and any rings you might be wearing, but they add a touch of classic elegance to any aspiring pin-up.

Once upon a mandate, gloves were a mandate of ladies etiquette. Take a look at the ladies in just about any Hitchcock movie (for example, Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief) and you'll probably find that each of them wear gloves at some point in the film--and not because it's cold. According to Barbara Leaming's biography of Marilyn Monroe, when announcing her divorce to Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn fretted over whether to hold her gloves in her hand or to wear them. Nowadays, many brides still wear gloves as part of their ensemble, and I need not mention that gloves are still a part of many burlesque acts.

I find gloves alluring because they cover a part of my body that almost anyone can touch. We come into contact with other people's hands so often that putting a barrier between them makes us sit up to take notice. Gloves communicate untouchability, modesty and innocence, which is part of what makes them so sexy. Even if the gloves in question are sheer or lacey, there's still a thin veil stretched over your hands, and that's enticing for exactly the same reason that sheer and lacey lingerie can be so hard to resist.

They aren't generally practical in the summer--although they can help dry up a sweaty palm and offer mild protection from germs--but that's not a good enough reason to take off the gloves. Like so many other elements of fashion, gloves aren't always about utility (though these are an exception). They're about adding style and beauty to the world.

And, another piece of good news is that gloves need not be a terribly expensive accessory. Those that are pricey are surely wonderful--such as these, which I received as a holiday gift from my sweetheart--but you can almost always find perfectly suitable gloves at your local thrift or vintage store, and I hope you don't require me to tell you about the bottomless well that is ebay. In short, you've got no excuse for going gloveless, so get out there and pretty your paws for your public.

End of the Armor (for now)

2008-05-30T16:27:00.001-04:00

I knew it would happen. It was inevitable, and in fact has happened before.

Corset season has ended.

As you may know from previous posts, I don't lace every day of the year. It gets too hot in New York, and the perspiration is good for neither my true skin nor my second skin, and so from about May to September I let it all hang out and give the corsets a break. They need it, too--my two solid standbys will be spending the summer in rehab, as I reinforce their casings which have been worn down by friction.

This time of the year is always bittersweet for me. Although I love lacing, there's a part of my personality that is inherently lazy and doesn't mind not having to perform another step while dressing and choosing an outfit. It's also nice to be able to eat what I want without regard for the constriction of the corset. I don't mean that these months are spent eating fast food every day; there are some foods that are fairly healthy but still make me uncomfortable if I eat them while laced. Sushi is a good example, as is most soup, since both tend to be high in sodium. And then there are times when I'm cramped, and the corset just increases my unease. Don't get me wrong, I understand quite well that discomfort is a big part of lacing, but that's not the reason why I do it.

I do it for the hourglass shape, for the discipline of sitting up straight and eating smarter. It always takes some time for me to get used to how I look when I'm not wearing a corset--it's a little like getting your braces removed in that they were foreign and unnatural at first, but then they became a part of you and something seemed off kilter without all that metal in your mouth.

I also do it because my man really enjoys it, and the end of corset season is hard for him too. He misses the shape, and does his best to understand--since he doesn't wear one himself, and never has worn one, he can't really know the full toils and joys that are involved, but he gets that all the sweating is a bad thing. He does his best to be patient for the weather to cool off again, but in the meantime, my exposed flesh is subject to extra tickling.

I've tried to find a way to wear a corset in heat over about 75 degrees, but nothing has worked. My "summer corset" is made with fabric with breathes, but the liner I wear between my skin and the corset is decidedly hot on its own and so nullifies the benefits of wearing a light corset. I've tried drinking lots of water, lacing a bit more loosely, staying in air conditioning as much as possible...but there's no getting around the fact that seasons change, time marches on, and this, too, will pass.

Having an Audience

2008-05-26T16:59:00.006-04:00

One thing that can be a little disconcerting about living as a pinup is all the attention one gets. I know what some would say to this--that they wish they got so many looks, or perhaps that this is conceit and vanity on my part--but I'm here to tell you that in any case, it's not easy having a constant audience.

I started modeling my everyday style after 1950s pinups about two or three years ago. At first when people were staring at me, it felt awkward. It feels like a cross between flattery and espionage, and often times I wondered if something hanging from my nose was the reason for the attention. By now, though, I've gotten fairly used to it. Little boys and little girls sometimes snicker at me on the subway, older women lean in and whisper together with their eyes locked on my face, and men's eyes travel me up and down. I imagine that some people like the look, some think it's exhibitionist, and at its worst maybe they think I'm a freak of some kind. Perhaps still others wonder if they're walking by a celebrity--after all, big sunglasses and hats are common props for disguise, and famous people are always so polished, right?

Here I am making guesses at what may be going through the
minds of the onlookers, because only a fraction of them actually say something. When they do, it's often to compliment the look as a whole or in pieces, and there have been some humorous ones too. I was standing on an escalator one day when a woman ran up it with great urgency to tell me that my seamed stockings were crooked. It was as though she thought I should stop right there, hitch up my skirt and adjust my garter among the other morning commuters. Another time, a woman asked me if I just came from one of the theaters, because do I know that I'm dressed entirely in vintage?

Unfortunately, yes, some of the comments are not welcome, but these are few and far between. I think this has to do with the fact that I dress like a lady, and my look commands that I be treated like one. No one has ever said anything so inappropriate to me that I started screaming at them on the street, no one has rubbed up against me or grabbed me. Generally I'm thanking someone who kindly told me that I look nice, or I'm spelling out the name of the website where I got my dress/stockings/makeup for someone scribbling on a piece of paper they dug out of their bag. Oddly enough, the reason I never pursued acting was because I didn't like being watched. Like I said, I'm better with it than I used to be, enjoy it sometimes and tire of it at other times. In the end, I hope that I'm one of many to inspire others to make classic beauty a part of their daily life. You only live once, and there's no reason not to look your best doing it.

Catnap

2008-03-31T14:56:00.002-04:00

All kitties need to take long naps, and this Kitty is no exception.

I've been bad about posting lately. Managing my digital life has become increasingly difficult, as my real life becomes more and more overwhelming. Things have gotten to the point where taking some time out to write about pin-up living is less and less possible, as other more important things campaign for my time. I'm not going to delete Pinup Tales, because I think (hope) that it remains a worthwhile resource of archived articles and links to other folks, but I'll be taking some time off from writing new posts, until the writing can once again feel like an outlet instead of an obligation.

Blowing several kisses in the meantime,

KdV.

Doing it DIY

2008-03-10T14:57:00.005-04:00

I adore luxury. I love pedicures, manicures, facials, getting my hair done and wearing nice clothes. But sometimes, it's true: If you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. I'm on a budget. I don't make lots of money, but that's no reason why I (or anyone else) can't look like a million bucks.

1. Know what you want.
Look for pictures of people whose style you admire, then try to emulate its essence. For example, let's take Grace Kelly. The Princess of Monaco was always elegant, wearing clothes that were tasteful and tailored, often favoring full skirts, fitted tops and flattering drapery. She mostly didn't wear large patterns, her skirts hit at about the knee or lower, and she wasn't spilling out over plunging necklines. So when you go shopping, stick to this criteria and look for clothes that are conservatively but flatteringly cut, choose solid colors or dainty patterns, look for things that are or can be belted--but don't forget the gloves and headscarf. Which brings me to my next point:

2. Accessorize.

You can get a lot of mileage out of a simple, solid dress with the proper accessories, and you'll notice that's what many women in the 40s and 50s did. You won't find sequined shirts, rhinestone-studded skirts or busy prints, but you'll see solid prints in simple lines with bold jewelry, gloves and hats. It makes all the difference. Let's look at Audrey Hepburn in her iconic look from the beginning of Breakfast at Tiffany's as she eyes the pieces in the window. Her dress by Givenchy is beautiful in itself in solid black with clean lines, but what everyone really remembers is the assortment of pearls at her neck, the sunglasses and the gloves. If you can, spend a little more on your accessories, because they are the first thing to make you look cheap (which is different from being on a budget). And besides, you're better of if you...

3. Learn to sew.

When you can sew, you can take almost anything and make it look great. Add trim to a tired skirt, have some fun with buttons, or make the easiest pattern you can find in a crisp, richly-colored fabric. Perhaps most importantly, you should learn to tailor your own clothes so they fit just right. Of course you can take them in to a professional tailor, but that costs money. Still, the tailor will probably cost less than if you shop at a high-end store for the shirt that fits like a glove while you're still in the dressing room.

4. Prioritize.

This is key to any budget. Think about the things that are most important to you and the look you're trying to achieve. How much is it worth to have someone else dye your hair versus doing it yourself? Do you find all mascaras to be pretty much equal, but you're picky about your eyeshadow? Put your money where it matters.

5. Remember that practice makes perfect.

The first time you paint your own nails, they may not be exactly right, but they'll be better the next time, and the time after that, until they're virtually indistinguishable from the manicure you'd get at a spa. The same goes for dying your own hair, maintaining your eyebrows, styling an updo or whatever else you choose to do for yourself. Don't forget that YouTube is not just for stupid cat videos; you can also find some really great tutorials.

Now, off with you! You don't have to wait until you can afford a team of experts to create your perfect look. It'll take some work doing it all on your own, but it's worth it to feel good and take time out for yourself.

How Not To Pay Homage

2008-03-05T21:24:00.003-05:00

I wasn't going to write about this--so many others have--but now that the parodies are coming out, it must be done.

For those of you who may have been living under a rock, Lindsay Lohan recently recreated Marilyn Monroe's final photo shoot, known as The Last Sitting, for New York Magazine. She was photographed by Bert Stern, who did the original shoot with Monroe back in 1962, six weeks before she overdosed on barbiturates. The shoot has been gaining a lot of attention--some claiming that it encourages a kind of necrophilia, others wondering why Lohan would do a nude photo shoot just after her third stint in rehab, but for myself, I wonder: Why do it at all?

Let it be known that I am incredibly conservative when it comes to icons. When Natalie Portman wore Audrey Hepburn's dress on the cover of Bazaar, I cringed. Even if it was somehow an improvement on the original, I would never enjoy watching a remake of a classic like Casablanca or Gone With the Wind. In my opinion, there's a conceit in trying to recreate icons which compromises their impact on the pop culture of their time. If that's the point, fine, but I don't believe that Lindsay Lohan or Natalie Portman were trying to imply that Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn weren't all that important. I think they were trying to pay homage to two incredible women who inspired them, but copying an icon is not enough to constitute an homage.

In my opinion, you need to take it further. You need to show me something new about what this person, this ideal means to us decades after he/she/it peaked, and only then is the icon status affirmed. When I saw Anna Kournikova channel, but not precisely copy Marilyn Monroe over a grate in The Seven Year Itch, then I considered how our perceptions of sexuality have changed since my parents were my age, how images can be reappropriated to sell something, and personally I had to consider the fact that I recognized what was being recreated without having ever seen the original creation. For me, that made me imagine what it might have been like that day when Marilyn's skirt blew up around her waist over the Lexington Avenue subway line.

I think the Lindsay Lohan photos are beautiful, but still they irritate me. If she wanted to do a nude photo shoot, why couldn't she just do one of her own? Why did she have to hide behind the auspices 0f homage? And over forty years later, can't Bert Stern be a little more creative about contextualizing troubled tabloid actresses of the past and present? One can only blame Lindsay Lohan so much for jumping at the chance to play a personal hero. Really, it's the folks at New York Magazine and Bert Stern who need to dig a little deeper.

Dispatch from the Recovery Room

2008-02-27T12:53:00.001-05:00

If you live in New York, chances are good that you've gotten sick recently. If you haven't, count yourself lucky so far and look out. I don't usually get really sick more often than once a year, but in the last two weeks I've been knocked off my gartered ass into oblivion, first by my first-ever case of food poisoning (suffered simultaneously by my man) and then by an extremely nasty cold, the dregs of which I am still fighting. It's not even March and I've already used up half my sick days. This does not bode well for a year where 100% of my vacation time has to go to my wedding and honeymoon.

Whenever I'm sick, I find it really hard to be a pinup. All I have to do is wear little or no makeup to work, and suddenly people are telling me how awful I look and that I should just go home and get some rest. I use this trick sometimes when I'm leading up to playing sick for a day, but when I actually am on my deathbed, it pains me to think that the sight of my face inspires pity. Like mercury rising in a thermometer, my health can often be surmised by the shade of my lips. Nude to pale pink means I'm struggling, but red means I'm back in business.

Today I'm wearing heels for the first time in a few days, hoping that by looking better I will feel better. It seems to be working a little, as the phlegm in my throat is intimidated to the point of moving on. More importantly, perhaps, I feel like myself again. Being removed is one of the hardest things about being sick, and coming back, though difficult, is your reward. Although days of camping out by a humidifier with my faithful pets, a hot pot of tea and old movies is a welcome respite from the grind of my day job, I eventually find myself in a state of depression at being a total waste of space. My man is happy to take up the slack around the house when I'm sidelined, but it doesn't take long before my innate sense of guilt takes over and I'm beating myself up for being an invalid slacker.

Slowly but surely, the pinup awakens from her slumber.

Tighten Up, Part III

2008-02-18T20:57:00.003-05:00

I have been extremely remiss in not being a better blogger lately, and to atone for my sins I'm finally going to do something I've been meaning to do for a long time and answer the following question left by a reader in response to a post:

Elizabeth said... I just came across your blog while I was searching the net for info on tight-lacing.

I really want to start wearing corsets. But I don't want them to be completely noticeable through my clothing. What type of clothes are appropriate to wear under corsets? Do the laces show through your back?

This is a perfectly valid question. Once you've got the right cincher, of course you want to wear it out and show off your curves. And you should. A corseted figure is simply too good to keep to one's self.

In my years of tightlacing, I have found that nothing works as well as a dress. When you wear something in two pieces, it's very easy for the waistband of your skirt to get caught in the bottom of your corset, making your clothes bunch up in back. You also risk the possibility that someone would see your corset peeking out from the bottom of your shirt when this happens. Yet, with a dress...no such worry. That said, I do love my pencil skirts. When I'm not wearing a dress, I'm sure to wear a long camisole that I can tuck into the bottom of my corset, both to hide it and prevent it from any damage that may result from being constantly rubbed by a waistband.

I write this with the understanding that some people don't mind it being brazenly obvious that they're wearing a corset under their clothes. I am not one of those people. I like to have my secrets. And you'll be surprised how few people realize straight off that you must be wearing a corset to have that waspy waist. I've had people make comments about my 22.5 inch waist, and they are almost always surprised when I tell them that it's not natural and I'm wearing a corset. I think perhaps most people don't realize that there are still people who wear them on a regular basis, and so they don't expect that I'm anything but a lucky girl with an enviably small natural waist. Whether or not you'll tell people outright that you're wearing a corset is up to you. I'll say something if I sense the person is genuinely interested in knowing about my waist--is it natural? what kind of crunches do you do to get that?--but otherwise I find a simple thank-you is sufficient.

To best show off your waist, look for items that are belted. Empire waistlines can be quite flattering, but you just can't see the waspish hourglass you've perfected. I personally prefer dresses with a small bodice and a full swing skirt, but again pencil skirts are great, as is anything A-line. It really depends on your figure, the occasion for which you're dressing, and your own personal style. However it's worth noting that we tightlacers are in luck. After years of designers claiming that the cinched, waist-accentuated look will return to the streets, it might actually be true (click here for an example of some favorite looks from NY's Fashion Week). The high-waisted pencil skirt can now be found even at Express, and super wide belts certainly call corsets to mind.

If you have other specific topics or questions that you'd like me to address, please do let me know. I promise I'll get to answering them faster.

Perfecting the Pucker

2008-02-05T12:26:00.000-05:00

Makeup is key when it comes to recreating classic pinup style, and knowing how to get glamour girl lips will take you far. Wearing red lipstick is certainly more maintenance than wearing a barely-there lip color, but the feeling of confidence you get with a perfect pout is well worth a few more peeks in a mirror. (Note: I'll be recommending several products in this post, but I'm not paid in any way to do this. No kickbacks for me.)

Before you get started, you should have smooth lips. I have a terrible habit of biting my lips, especially in cold weather when they get chapped, but I've recently started using Lipscription from Benefit. They give you one tube of lip buff which takes off all the dead skin, and another of lip balm. I use both right before I go to bed a few nights a week, and the result is like a ribbon of satin on your mouth.

Next, you need to pick a color. I'm not very adept at seeing two colors and determining which one has more blue undertones and which has more brown overtones; I just know what I like. I'm quite pale, and when I was looking for my perfect red lipstick I found that the right red can make the difference between looking healthy and looking like a crypt-keeper. If you're like me, pay special attention that your red lips don't wash out the rest of your face. As I've mentioned in a previous post, my favorite lipstick is by Besame Cosmetics, due in part to their color selection. Their shades in Red Velvet and Cherry Red seem to be universally flattering. I tend to wear Red Velvet to work, and Cherry Red for the evening, as the Red Velvet is just a little more muted. Another thing to note in choosing a lip color is the texture. Classic pinup lips tend to have more matte than shine. If you want a bit of shine, smooth just a bit of gloss over your matte color, but in general you'll want to stay away from any all-over lip color with a Vaseline sheen.

Once you've found the right shade, you need a liner. A lip liner will define your lips and help your lipstick stay in place. I choose a relatively neutral red, as I find the neutral to be the most versatile. Another thing you can do to achieve a distinct line is bled your foundation just around the edges of your lips before you line them.

Your final task is to pick the shape you want to draw. In the 20s, a heart-shaped style was fashionable, with the cleft of your upper lip rounded just like...a heart. You can even ignore the corners of your mouth for a mouth that's more bee-sting--see silent film star Clara Bow (top left). She was famous for popularizing this style, and the lip-cleft was once even known as a Clara Bow though now it's more commonly called the Cupid's Bow.

In the 30s, lips were flattened. The slope of the upper lip was drawn gentler than when drawing a heart-shape, with the lines elongated and flared outside the bow. This is sometimes called a rosebud shape...see Joan Crawford (up left) or Bette Davis (up right) as examples of this shape. Moving on to the 40s, the lip shape stayed closer to the natural shape of the lip--in my observation, the edges of the bow were a little sharper. The difference from the 30s to the 40s wasn't quite as drastic as the change from the 20s to 30s. Take a look at Hedy Lamarr (below left) for inspiration. Tip: To achieve a sharp bow line, draw an X at the center of your bow.

I hope this is helpful--if nothing else it should help you skip right to the best part of Valentine's Day!

(One very helpful source for this post was the 20-to-40 Style Makeup Guide.)

A Shoe for a Shoe

2008-01-23T20:26:00.000-05:00

There used to be a rule in my house, imposed by my fella: If I bring home a pair of shoes, I have to get rid of a pair I already have. This has been a point of controversy among my friends, all of whom shudder with fear at the thought of throwing out shoes. I defend my man, like any good girl--his reasoning was sound, being that I have so many pairs of shoes I never wear or that he dislikes. And if he doesn't like them, it's not worth his bellyaching for me to put them on, and those shoes tend not to be my favorites either.

It was quite an upheaval, then, when he came home the other day to discover that I had brought home two new pairs of shoes from an unbelievable sale at the Steven store near my workplace. First he insisted that I didn't tell him about the purchases, which I insisted with equal vehemence that I did (I did!), and when I reminded him that he can't even remember what movie we watched two nights ago he kind of gave that one up. But next he pulled out all of my shoes from my closet, and asked which ones I was going to kick to the curb outside our building for someone else to take.

We went back and forth on this for a while, and the gist was ultimately that I felt that I shouldn't have to throw out any more shoes because both of us like all the shoes I currently own in addition to the ones I just purchased, I wear all of them with some degree of regularity, I pay for them with money that I earn, and they reside in my closet instead of his. He came back with a moving monologue about how much he hates accumulating random things into ever-expanding piles of stuff, and I got so frustrated I almost started crying. "But why does it have to be the shoes?" I pleaded. "Can't I get rid of something else instead? And what about your five kinds of mustard and salsa in the refrigerator?"

In the end, the argument was resolved when I said that I would clear out all of my spring dresses I don't really like, all of my underwear that expired ages ago, and all of the t-shirts that haven't seen the light of day since the college bar crawl for which they were created. For his part, he agreed to lay off the shoes and that, before going grocery shopping, he would seriously evaluate whether another condiment was needed.

I bore you with my relationship details only because there is moral to this story, which is: Keep your closet fresh. Often times, we hold onto things because we have attached some sentimental value to them, or because we hate throwing things out, or because we don't want to spend the money to replace things, or because we delude ourselves into believing that all things last forever. To all of those thoughts I say: It's only a t-shirt, get over it, sell your old clothes, and they don't. If you have things you don't wear anymore, give them to someone else who will wear them as lovingly as if they if they were brand new. Get crafty and use the material to make something new, anything as long as it means you're re-evaluating your look and your own sense of style. Vintage, classic pieces are always in fashion, but not if they don't keep up with you as a person.

Leave the fear, take the compliment.

2008-01-16T19:24:00.000-05:00

As usual, I was way overdressed. Casual by my standards is what most other people call cocktail attire, and cocktail attire for me is black tie to anyone else. That evening I was wearing a tea-length dress, corseted and wearing my crinoline with contrast-seam stockings and five-inch cherry red heels. I was getting a lot looks, but only one made me uncomfortable enough to prompt a glare that read, "Seriously?" After all, it was a charity event for one of my non-profits, and the sad truth is that we need money so we have to be nice to everyone.

As people were leaving and we were cleaning up, one guy found himself standing next to me and was kinda looking at me while I shuffled some papers. Caught in his cross-hairs but not knowing what to say, I resorted to the old stand-by of every polite hostess.

ME. Thanks for coming, have a good night.
HIM. Oh yeah, we had fun.
ME. Oh good, glad to hear it.
HIM. You know, you have a whole delicious thing going on.
ME. Oh--thank you.
HIM. Yeah, I kinda wanna steal you and carry you off.
ME. Well, I think my fiance might have a problem with that.
HIM. Oh no, nothing by it--girlfriend's right here. I'm just saying you look nice.

At which point my face turned as red as my shoes. Here I was, dressed up and prepared for people to look at me, and then I feel threatened when someone actually says something. What's up with that? What is so hard about just taking a compliment?

The thing is that I've been deep-conditioned to put up a big red stop sign whenever someone says something to me that might have even the slightest potential to escalate to harassment. In that way I suppose I'm not so different from lots of other women who grew up with sex ed classes as part of Girl Scouts or who were taught basic self-defense moves in high school gym class. Instead of being taught that I have the power to decide what's okay, I've been taught to anticipate the attack with such zeal that I don't even recognize when the situation isn't dangerous. Of course I have to take responsibility for my own anxieties, and it isn't fair to just blame what I was taught. I haven't really taken the initiative to un-learn what I don't want to know anymore, and that's nobody's fault but mine.

Walking to a bar later, I caught a man's eye in a restaurant. I did nothing but hold eye contact for perhaps a few seconds. My man picked up on him looking at me, but not on the fact that I may have provoked it a little, and threw up his hands at the guy as if to say, "I'm right here, man."

ME. What are you doing? What happened?
MY MAN. That guy was looking at you like he was going to lick your thighs off.
ME. Really?
MY MAN. Yeah, with me right next to you.
ME. Ohhh...I may have done that on purpose.
MY MAN. Why? Why would you do that?
ME. Because it's fun, and I can.
MY MAN. ...Awesome.

Nude and Tattooed

2008-01-10T18:47:00.000-05:00

One thing I've noticed about the modern pinup girl is that she is often tattooed. And I'm not talking about some little butterfly on her inner ankle, I mean large and colorful art from her shoulder to her elbow. This is in stark contrast to what I've seen of pinups in the fifties, whose skin was left blank but for its natural beauty.

I view tattooing as a form of tagging. It's one of the many ways a person can make their body truly unique. I myself have a couple of tattoos, and I love seeing someone else's back and thinking how in that same spot on my own body, I chose to mark myself with symbols that mean something to me. Tattoos (and piercings, for that matter, of which I also have several) are a way of expressing your individuality. In the case of a pinup, you're quite literally branding yourself--for example, Peekaboo Pointe could put on whatever wig or mask she wanted, and I would know it was her from twenty feet away because of her gorgeous tattoos. Whereas with Dita Von Teese, part of her image is 1940s glamor, which just doesn't include body art.

I love the new burlesque movement in part because of the way it clashes the old with the new. At the Crazy Horse in Paris, the women couldn't have anything that distinguished them from any other girl on stage. The vision of a line of identical and beautiful naked women dancing before you was part of the magic, and fostered the aesthetic distance that remains necessary for people to be whisked away into fantasy. Burlesque has always been a form of expression, but watching how it has grown and developed somewhat signals a change in what we now perceive as attractive. Even Crazy Horse evolved, allowing Dita the privilege of being their first showcased performer since they opened their doors in 1951.

Masuimi Max's tattoos are hot. Every time I see Angie Pontani perform, I want to run off to the tattoo parlor and have my arm done. Maybe some of the change has to do with the way tattoos in general are viewed now--they're not just for sailors anymore!--but to me it seems they have been reappropriated by burlesque dancers as part of the act.

Anonymous

2008-01-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

Over the break, I had some fun with a couple of friends back home. My best friend from high school and I got dressed up in our best knickers and took a series of racy pictures in her apartment with the help of her former roommate as photographer. I tied my pal up in Christmas lights, used her as a step stool while I hung some decorations, and watched as she blew significantly sexier smoke rings than I could ever hope to produce. There were many ironies to our little photo shoot, one of the best being that I'd rather submit than dominate any day of the week, but more to the point was that we spent an entire day playing around and being ourselves--but we can't share the results.

In my real life, I work in a totally lame corporate office that does nothing to stimulate me in any way. It's not great, but it pays the bills and means I can go to the doctor without having to promise my firstborn child to pay for the visit. The situation is miserable, sure, but what would be even more miserable would be if I were unemployed. I've worked harder and been paid less, so what I have now is downright luxurious in many ways.

One of the many downsides to the day job is that I have to remain anonymous as a wannabe pin-up. I can't use my real name when I write here, and I can't post any of the pictures I took with my friend. There is a meetup group called New York Pin-Up Photography that I'd love to take part in, but how fair is it to the photographers to tell them that they couldn't do anything with their shots of me, lest the racy photos be discovered by the corporate titans?

I love being in front of a camera--it's the exhibitionist in me, and I get enough encouragement to wonder sometimes if I could make a living at modeling. At an S&M play party many years ago, a fellow party-goer wanted to set me up as a model with a photographer friend of hers, but at the time I was too shy to take her up on it. I went to a wedding last November, and one of the guests who works for Ralph Lauren singled me out from the crowd and commented to the groom that I had just the kind of classic beauty they look for in a Ralph Lauren model. My face is being used as the basis for the main character in an upcoming graphic novel. This I'm okay with, since I can't figure how that would be offensive to the corporation--as opposed to sultry and teasing pinup-style photos.

I'm not sure I could really commit to a full career as a model. I just wish I could do it sometimes, for fun. It would be great to lift the veil I have to wear for the sake of propriety and do all the things I want to do, if only it wouldn't come at such a cost.

Stockings by the Fire

2007-12-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

It seems the perfect time of year to write about stockings. For most of my readers, it's starting to get chilly, plus there is the added allusion of stockings with Christmas. I'm sure that as in years past my mom will give me another few pairs of shitty socks which will make better cat toys than anything else, but if she were paying closer attention she'd know that what I really want are more stockings. Seamed or not, stockings are essential to completing the look of a classic pin-up, and they don't have to cost a fortune. Keep an eye out for 2-for-1 deals, and take care of them once you've worn them--I store mine in plastic bags so they don't get snagged or stretched by other items in my drawer, and I also wash them by hand. It's a bit of maintenance, but it's well worth it. A good pair of stockings can be almost as transformative as a great pair of shoes. For the uninitiated, here is a glossary of vintage stocking terms. (Note: Since stockings advertised as "stay-ups" rarely do in fact stay up, and because they are bad for circulation, I only wear and recommend stockings that require garters. Garters are another post entirely.)

There are about three different places I patronize when I require new pieces of hosiery, and each has their pros and cons. I can be found most frequently wearing thigh highs by What Katie Did. My favorite thing about stockings by What Katie Did is that they wear like iron. Occasionally they get a little run in the foot or the ankle, where there is the most friction, but I've never had that run extend so far past the foot as to render the stocking unwearable. I'm extremely clumsy, forever tripping over things and getting snagged on something or other, but these stockings are strong to withstand even my best inadvertent slapstick routine. In fact, the only reason I ever have to discard these stockings is because they're odorous and discolored by my shoes after many wearings. The downside of strong stockings is that the material seems to hold everything, and no amount of washing seems to really clean them.

I also buy stockings from time to time at Agent Provocateur. They have a fabulous range of colors and styles so you can find ones suitable for work, evenings and play time. They're also thinner than the stockings from What Katie Did, even when they're the same denier, so if you're not looking for warmth and iron wear, these are great. I tend to reserve these for special occasions when I can be more playful than at the office, in part because they are so fun, but also because they don't wear as well and I'd rather not wear them for 12 hours at a stretch, which I sometimes have to do during the week. They also make that wonderful raspy sound when you rub your legs together--a nice touch when you're crossing your legs in attentive company.

As far as feel is concerned, the best stockings I've worn come from Secrets in Lace. These are so incredibly soft, and when I wear them I feel as though my legs are being kissed in silk (even if the stockings are not actually made from silk). These are the height of luxury, if not durability. They're also made with a keyhole in back, just like in the good old days. While these are definitely not stockings I can wear every day, I love them for big nights.

Now, as much as I might wish that I'll have the time to post again before I'm on the road for Christmas, the reality is that I probably won't. I wish all of you a very happy holiday, and as my gift to you, I'll end with some of my favorite pinups featuring stockings.

At the Table

2007-12-10T20:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I took my first trip ever to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. I had heard a lot about this piece on view called The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, and as I headed to the fifth floor to check it out I discovered it was part of a larger exhibit being done by the Museum on feminist art. While some of it I particularly didn't care for, there was a film by Australian Tracey Moffatt that really took me in. In a haunting montage of (mostly) classic Hollywood movies including Breakfast at Tiffany's, Butterfield 8, The Lion in Winter, Sunset Boulevard and others, she shows how women are often portrayed in film: swooning when in love, penitent and fragile when abused both physically and verbally, then driven to the edge of madness and rage. I found her film to be as much a commentary on portrayal of women in media as it is a summation of perhaps too many romances, and I'm really not doing it justice here except to say that it left a mark on me (more on this later). The highlight of the exhibit was the aforementioned Dinner Party, which was in some ways an abstract of pivotal women from prehistory until the 1970s. I learned a lot, was reminded of a lot, and started to wonder about where I myself would fall in the exhibit--or if I'd even be included.

I don't often speak about it, but something that I struggle with on an almost daily basis is my identity as someone with a deep reverie for the past who at once embraces the stereotypes of women before the sexual revolution while also loving the opportunities afforded to me as a woman today that weren't available to my mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and beyond. I've been criticized by my mom for wearing a corset--as she points out, women took forever trying to get out of them, and in her view I've taken a step backwards by putting myself back into one.

My struggle is further compounded when I consider my sexual identity as a submissive to my fiance. We play at BDSM--I do enjoy a good spanking, some rope work and a number of other things. As I watched the film by Tracey Moffatt and saw women so easily tolerate being beaten up by their lovers, I wondered, and not for the first time, if maybe I'd taken it too far. My man has a hard time with this, as he fears that I don't really enjoy our play together. This is partly rooted in a bad experience he had a few years ago, but also in the fact that I have a very difficult time identifying myself as someone who enjoys and even needs to be put down and lose all sense of control. As such, I rarely talk about my proclivities, and he takes this sometimes as a sign that I'm faking an enjoyment of our activities even though my body responds in due fashion. I find it oddly freeing when I surrender myself to it, but I'm also quite sensitive with a healthy guilt complex, so it doesn't take too much for me to start hearing critical voices in my head demanding how dare I allow myself to be debased, where are my decisions, don't let any man boss you around, etc.

It's a difficult debate, and one that I know won't give up any time soon--nor do I think it should. I think it's my responsibility to continue to question who and what I am as a means of constant reassessment, but it's frustrating for my man. He worries that I won't be at peace with this part of myself, and I wish I had some kind of definitive answer for him besides that I don't know if that kind of peace is really my goal. My sexual identity is an ongoing dialogue with myself and with him, and I kind of like it that way. My desires and instincts aren't going anywhere, but I enjoy trying to figure them out even if it puts me in a difficult headspace now and then. In the meantime, I believe I'm honoring my heritage because the choices such as how I'll dress, how I'll earn a living or who I'll be with are choices that I make on my own instead of ones that have been made for me by broader societal strictures. I'm not sure if all the women Judy Chicago invited to dinner would agree, but I hope that in my way I still bring something worthwhile to the table.

Function and Form

2007-12-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

Occasionally, I get really hung up on shopping for something. Sometimes all I need to do is find the thing, confirm that what I want actually exists, and then I can leave it alone as a fantasy instead of caving with a purchase (as with this bag I adore but haven't bought). Right now, I'm fixated on finding a bathrobe. Having come to the decision that I require more boudoir-wear, I'm looking for something that is both functional and beautiful. My current bathrobe, a pink terry cloth job, has been with me since college and has seen better days. It's got hair dye around the collar, makeup on the cuffs--I've treated it like a towel because that's exactly what it is. It's not an item of luxury deserving of tender care, but instead it's the sort of thing I threw on when I was hungover and the nice warm blanket on the couch was taken.

Even though I live with my man, and have lived with him for quite some time, I still want to impress him and look nice for him, so strolling through the apartment in a gorgeous plush robe is desirable. For myself, I enjoy feeling sexy and glamorous even when he's not there, so some beautiful lounge wear is always in order. However, I am stuck because everything I see is so full of purpose and lacking of beauty. The fleece and terry ones feel fairly comfy but are terribly plain and ugly. On the other end, I've seen a lot of pretty satin and silk ones but they just aren't very warm, and I'm generally prone to a chill no matter where I am.

The thing about the bathrobe hunt is that it's gotten me thinking about design that's merely functional. Why can't something be practical and beautiful at the same time? Take shoes, for example--why does it have to be so hard to find high-heeled shoes that are comfortable? One would think that with all of the feats of modern engineering and science, someone would have designed a six-inch stiletto that doesn't make my feet bleed after ten blocks. By no means is a painless pump as important as a cure for cancer, but since there's surely plenty of money to be made in designing such a heavenly shoe, it's a wonder we don't have it yet.

With that, I would like to open this up to all of you who may be reading this. If you have found something that is full of beauty, glamor and even an ounce of practicality, I want to hear about it. If we all put our heads together, surely we can come up with an incredible wish list, and just in time for the holidays.

The Mother

2007-11-29T12:12:00.000-05:00

Apologies to you, dear reader, for having gone so long without posting. I have been on the road making the annual holiday visit with my man's family, and while on the road came down with bronchitis. I write to you now from my cave of recovery--toast, hot tea, old movies, and knitting projects that should have been completed long ago.

During our visit last week with his mother, she asked if we could help her pick out a dress to wear to a wedding she'll be attending in the spring. The wedding takes place a few hours away from where we live, and she wasn't sure what to expect from weddings in our neck of the country (which is vastly different from hers). My man and I stationed ourselves in her living room, and she brought out a few candidates, nearly all of them intact with yellowing price tags. The first was a sleeveless white tunic with a pattern of pastel flowers in velour. "Maybe something warmer," I said. "It's still a little chilly in ----- during the spring. Plan for weather like what you'd have in March." I didn't even mention the first cardinal rule of dressing for a wedding, which is that NOBODY wears white (or any shade of white) except the bride.

The next was a long black taffeta dress with one shoulder and white ruffles at the top. "It's lovely," I grimaced, "but it sounds like a small country wedding. Perhaps if it was in the city." Her face dropped a little as she said, "Oh--so probably not this one either?" She flourished a hanger with a fire-engine red knee-length dress, also made of taffeta, also one shouldered. I looked at it and thought of little Havana, not an airy northern retreat at the edge of a forest. "No," I answered, "probably not." It would have been funny if she weren't so serious.

She finally pulled out a long black skirt tastefully adorned with tiny white flowers, and a simple long-sleeved white blouse that tied on the side.

"Perfect," said my man.

"Perfect," I said. "That will be great for the weather, and it's not too formal."

"Great," she smiled. "And for shoes, I have these teeny little black strappy sandals!"

The thing that struck me so much about this exchange was what I saw she was trying to prove. Here she was trying to show us she can be beautiful and glamorous, when really she was demonstrating how thoroughly clueless she is when it comes to dressing herself. As I saw from pictures of her in her younger years, she was once a great living pinup herself, but now she wears all the signs of a woman who has let herself go and is now trying desperately to paint over it. You don't have to look too closely to see that she's simply trying too hard, but so many years of personal neglect require more help than what can be purchased in the cosmetics aisle of a drugstore. There is nothing classic in her level of artificiality because it stinks with a lack of confidence and a refusal to look oneself squarely in the mirror. It's one thing to recapture the glamor of yesterday, but quite another to recapture the person you used to be. The first can be done, but the second shouldn't even be attempted.

Tighten Up, Part II: Your First Corset

2007-11-15T21:34:00.000-05:00

It's important for every pinup to feel confident and sexy, and achieving a perfectly hourglass-shaped silhouette just isn't possible for most of us without at least a little help. This is where your corset comes in, and while buying your first one can be a little intimidating, if you do your homework, you're in for a load of fun.

The first question you should ask yourself is, what do you want from this contraption? You have to know this, since the decisions surrounding your first corset should have mostly to do with the kind of tightlacing you plan on doing. When I made the decision to purchase a corset, it was made with the intention of wearing the corset for 23 hours a day and seven days a week--meaning the only time I took it off was when I showered, and so 23 hours a day is generous. I wore it all day every day and even slept in it (though I did loosen it a bit for bedtime). With this in mind, I purchased a light pink satin underbust corset from Shane Aaron, figuring I could wear the light-colored garment under my light-colored clothing. There were two issues with my first corset, with the first being that satin is not the most durable fabric. Since your corset rubs against your clothing with every move you make, you need a fabric that will withstand the friction which, over time, can cause considerable damage to the corset. Once I figured this out, I decided to wear my corset only under clothes that fit fairly loosely so as to minimize damage to the garment.

The second thing to keep in mind is the kind of look and
styling you want. Underbust designs are generally recommended for every day wear as they'll cinch your waist but they allow a little more movement in your upper body than an overbust design. There are also varying lengths of corsets, from what looks like a very wide belt (often referred to simply as a waist cincher) to full-length dresses that run from your shoulder to your knees. And there's everything in between--low hip, high hip, long busk, short busk...there are just about as many corset types as there are body types. The length and shape you choose all depends on what fits you and your needs. Just as there are many corset shapes, corsets also come in a plethora of materials, including satin, silk, cotton, wool, leather, latex and more. Whatever kind of fabric you choose, however, you should wear a corset liner between your corset and your skin. This will help protect your skin from chafing, and will help extend the life of the corset by shielding it from sweat and body oils.

When buying a corset, you also need to pay close attention to who made it. Make no mistake that corsetieres are artists. As such, every corset designer makes his or her corsets a little differently, so it's important to try on one of their corsets before you take the step of buying one. If you buy a custom job, try one on from the rack first. I've ordered corsets online with success (try Lace Embrace) but I wouldn't recommend an online purchase for your first corset. Most shops that sell corsets can also submit custom orders for you. Stop in, try on a bunch of different things, and have them take the necessary measurements. Some corsetieres may even make a muslin mock-up first for you to try on before they craft the real thing.

Another thing to note for when you first try on corsets is that the given size of the corset is the size the corset makes your waist when the corset is closed. You don't want your corset to close entirely--there should be a little gap. Measure your natural waist, then look for a corset that, when closed, is about four inches smaller than your natural waist. For example: My natural waist is about 26 inches. Most of my corsets are 22 inches when closed, and my corseted waist is 22.5 inches.

Eventually, you'll own a variety of corsets which you'll use in a variety of situations. My favorite daily corset is entirely lacking in glamour. It's a nude-colored twill underbust model made by Amy Crowder of Wasp Creations, but the beauty of it is that I can wear it under anything. With exception to the shape it provides, it's entirely unattractive only because it's so heavily worn and it wasn't constructed to be aesthetically pleasing in and of itself. It's useful, but it isn't what I wear if I want to make an impression on my man. In that case, I wear something in a more tantalizing brocade, maybe with some more elaborate detailing or in an offbeat design (I have one that looks like a tuxedo jacket). I tend to save the creative pieces when I know they will be appreciated, but I still certainly wear them as my own little secret whenever I can.

Ideally you can own at least one utility corset and another for "special occasions." It will take you some time to collect a respectable collection of corsets, since after all they are expensive (expect to pay between $250-350 for a basic corset). Not to get too mushy, but just remember that all things worth doing take some time. Whether you call it waist training, corset training, staylacing, tightlacing or anything else, taking the time and making the effort to cut the figure you want is absolutely worth it.

Tighten Up, Part I

2007-11-05T18:54:00.001-05:00

Without a doubt, the part of my physical appearance that draws the most attention is my corset. Sometimes the attention is positive, sometimes it isn't--comments run the gamut of, "Why on earth would you do that to yourself?", to "That's incredible. Sign me up." (Or something roughly equivalent.)

I've been lacing now for about three years. There were a couple of false starts due to corset craftsmanship, but once I got going, I was hooked. From the first time I stood in the fetish shop dressing room with my man looking on as I saw my body swathed in brocade and boning, I knew this was for me. Finally, I could cut the figure I always wanted, but which no number of sit-ups could achieve. I did my research--as a bookworm, I can't do anything without first consulting the written word--but no amount of reading could have prepared me for what lay ahead in my future of living corseted.

The first thing I learned was that as long as I was laced, I could not continue to eat the way I had been eating for years. As a member of the Clean Plate Club since childhood, my worst habit carried into adulthood has been my propensity to eat everything put in front of me, but since wearing a corset I've learned the art of moderation. I can still eat whatever I want, I just can't finish the mammoth bowl of tortellini placed in front of me at an Italian restaurant. I can't have too much salt (even sushi is too much), and I can't have too much beer, nor can I down too many beloved champagne cocktails. It's all about portions, really, and tightlacing taught me how to do it.

(Perhaps this would be a good time to point out to anyone who may be considering tightlacing that a corset is NOT a weight loss tool. When you take off the corset, your waistline will go back to being whatever size it was before you tied your laces. I can't stress enough how important it is to understand that one should not start tightlacing for the sole purpose of losing weight.)

Tightlacing has also taught me proper posture. My mother spent years trying to get me to sit up straight, but the corset has proved a far better teacher. I walk tall, with confidence, and like any proper lady I don't bend at the waist but instead fold at the knees if I need to reach the ground.

Wearing a corset also completely changed my wardrobe. I don't wear pants, as 1) they don't work with corsets, 2) I don't know any woman who looks better in pants than she does in a skirt or dress. My clothes fit smoothly on my body, giving the appearance in some outfits that my clothes have been tailored to me when in fact they've been purchased off the rack.

The benefits and complexities of tightlacing can scarcely be summed up in one post--I haven't even touched on the satisfaction of discipline and restraint enjoyed by both myself and my man--nor is one writing sufficient to discuss the reactions to my waist from my family, my coworkers, my friends, or random people on the street, not to mention my responses to their reactions. The issues of tightlacing in a modern world are many, especially in a world where corsets are widely perceived as devices of torture created ultimately for the viewing pleasure of the male public.

Know, though, that I will return to this subject. I've only barely pierced the surface of an abyss of satins, silks and stays.

A Bid for Halloween Every Day (with taste)

2007-11-01T18:54:00.000-04:00

It's an unfortunate thing that I work in a mall. More precisely, my office is located in a mall, and although there are many reasons why this is such a bad thing, one of them happens to be the state of the mall at this time of year. I imagine it's the same for most shopping malls now, where almost every teen clothing store sections off a part of their shop to outfit young ladies for Sluts on Parade--I mean, Halloween.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about costumes. It's fun to get dressed up, and be someone else for a bit. By the end of it, you've usually learned something new about yourself, and so it can be a truly enriching experience. What fascinates me about Halloween is how so many girls choose to dress as something sexy. When given the chance to be anyone for one night, when given the chance to be held even a little unaccountable for your actions because you were playing a part, most women gravitate towards an overt expression of super-charged sexuality. Factor in that the typical male Halloween costume centers on juvenile humor or gore (or both), and it's an interesting way to guess at who we wish we could be in a world with no consequences.

What's wrong with being sexy on a regular basis? Most of the girls I see on Halloween don't even wear their sexiness well, as they seem to have little idea of how to maximize their assets and dress for their shape. (See ass-baring jeans, tummy rolls breaking out of midriff shirts, birth canals made visible by mini-skirts.) I wonder if this idea that sexy = maximum skin display has something to do with a lack of practice, and perhaps that is why so many women come off looking more like a foal learning to walk instead of a confident tigress who knows what she wants.

(Another great post on Halloween and sex can be found on Chelsea Girl's blog, linked from my naughty drawer. Check out Dispatches from Strip Nation, Part I, Halloween.)

On Cosmetics and Skincare Products

2007-10-29T21:01:00.000-04:00

You've probably heard many times about how your face is like an artist's blank canvas, and really it's true. Despite their talent, Hedy Lamarr, Clara Bow and Lana Turner might not have gotten far if they hadn't put their best face forward. A well-done face is arguably the most important part of being a pinup, and so without further ado, these are a few of my favorite things.

(Disclaimer. I am not getting paid to recommend any products or any company. If that ever changes, you'll know about it, but for now, you're going to have to trust me that my check is NOT in the mail. Though by this point it should be.)

Skincare

Healthy skin is the base for any well made-up face, and it's also key to a sense of confidence--which, as anyone will tell you, is a major factor in sex appeal (not to mention general happiness). I have not been blessed with naturally beautiful skin--mine is dry, extremely fair, burns easily, breaks out easily--but my best friend in getting it into shape has been Mario Badescu. At first the number of products they have may be intimidating, but the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful both in person and on the phone. The first time I looked I thought Mario Badescu was terribly expensive, but compare their cost to what you'll find in drugstores and at department store makeup counters, and you'll find that ounce for ounce, Mario Badescu is almost always the best deal. Not only do Mario Badescu products actually work, but they're also never tested on animals.

Even so, possibly the best thing you can do for your skin is to stay out of the sun. You should also quit smoking.

Cosmetics

My favorite lipstick comes from Besame Cosmetics. The thing that sets their lipstick apart is the richness of the color and the smoothness. Their cherry red lipstick looks good on pretty much anyone looking for a knockout red, and the red velvet shade is subtle enough for the office but still alluring. Their eyeshadows are also a favorite. I particularly love Besame's vanity case, which is basically an entire makeup kit in one gold compact for only $75--you won't need anything else. However, for some unknown reason, the vanity cases have been discontinued and the last ones can only be bought online. Customer service tells me they're coming up with something similar in time for the holidays, though I've yet to see it.

In other odds and ends, I like the play sticks by Benefit Cosmetics as my foundation, which go from a lovely cream-to-powder finish. Translucent powder is essential to the matte look of a classic glamour girl, and I recommend Clinique in this case. A generous package of 1.2 ounces for $18.50 also gives you a fresh brush. I'm not a particular devotee of any mascara, but my black liquid eyeliner comes from Sephora. It stays put and it's only $10, rivalling most drugstore eyeliners which don't hold nearly as well. Finally, all good things must come to an end, and for that Sephora also makes a simple, inexpensive and remarkably quick eye makeup remover.

Techniques are an entirely different post, but in the meantime, take a look at some of my links. I also recommend Dita Von Teese's book, Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese. She breaks everything down decade by decade, so whether you want Clara Bow or Betty Grable, you're set.

Getting into it

2007-10-27T10:53:00.000-04:00

I had been wearing a corset regularly for quite some time when my mom said to me, "Do you know how long women fought to get out of those things?" After a moment I replied, "Do you know how long I've fought to get into one of these things?"

I've been interested in tightlacing at least since I saw Hattie McDaniel tighten up Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind. Beyond that, I've always admired the classic pinup styles of women like those painted by Gil Elvgren and used nowadays as humor by Anne Taintor . Their allure and coy, (sometimes) innocent faces have never failed to inspire me and inform my sense of style. Not only that, classic pinups timeless, defying fads and trends that are in one year and out the next. In the many conversations I've had with others about pinups, beauty and the definition of sexy, not one person of any age (or gender) has been able to claim that a Vargas girl does nothing for them.

As I became more and more immersed in emulating classic pinups, sexiness became more about hinting that I might have a secret, and if you happen to be around at the right time, I might give you a peek. Classic pinup style has nothing to do with your ass hanging out of your shorts, but has more to do with the sprinkler that just blew up your skirt. What's a girl to do? Gather everything she's learned about classic pinup style and put it in one spot.