About Pinup Girl Clothing:
Pinup Girl Clothing was started in 1996 by Laura Byrnes. Laura, a swing
dancer, collector of Vargas Pinup Girl illustrations, lounge lizard, frequenter
of underground Los Angeles bars, photographer of the LA music and retro
scene got fed up with the constrictive nature of the magazine photography
world (her old-school punk rock attitude and general disrespect for authority
certanly didn't help either) and decided to pursue her lifelong interest
in pinup style: 50's fashion, rockabilly revival, retro dresses, pinup girls,
50's Hollywood bombshells, and the seedy, sexy underside of it all. An FIT
dropout - for photography, not fashion - Laura was in love with pinup girl
style and retro fashion, but the only place one could find 50's style, at
that time, was the local thrift store. Even in Los Angeles, circa 1996 -
the center of the emerging retro, rockabilly, and lounge subculture - rockabilly
and retro gals were limited to vintage dresses, which while fantastic, couldn't
exactly be depended upon to fit right, wear well, or smell good. Laura's
close friend, Jeanette Iskat, was an avid collector of vintage dresses from
the 40's, 50's, and 60's, making the rounds of her favorite - and often
little known - thrift stores weekly to score the most amazing vintage dresses,
many from well known designers of the day. Sadly, few of these vintage dresses
fit Jeanette, who towers over mere mortals at an impressive 6 foot 3. Jeanette's
loss was Laura's gain - Jeanette's vintage clothing scores filled Laura's
closet and constituted nearly her entire wardrobe - fantastic retro swing
dresses in satins, taffeta, and brocade. Rockabilly clothing - cropped capri
pants, halter tops, and high-waisted pencil skirts. These vintage dresses
still hang in Laura's closet and continue to influence her retro fashion
sensibility.
However, vintage clothing has its limitations. Stains, tears, and musty
smells. Stitching and seams in fragile condition. The perfect retro dress
- in someone else's size. The retro and rockabilly scene was growing too
large, and the vintage dress pickings in thrift and vintage clothing stores
was getting thin. Something had to give, and it did. Laura, and a very small
handful of other rockabilly gals, started designing. One of these girls,
Melanie, started a retro clothing line called Dixiefried. Dixiefried's style
was purist and tailored - high waisted pencil skirts with vintage details,
fitted bombshell dresses in retro fabrics. Alicia, Melanie's assistant,
left Dixiefried and founded Stop Staring Clothing, which carried on the
purist retro vintage tradition after Dixiefried ceased to be.
Laura's vision was different - she loved the sexy dresses worn by the Pinup
Girls in Varga, Elvgren, and Petty illustrations, sexy, clingy, fantasy
clothing that, in the 50's, could never have translated to a real world
garment: Pinup Girl Clothing. Pinup Girl Clothing was her vision, and Pinup
Girl Clothing she would design.
Pinup Girl Clothing existed as a home based business for 2 1/2 years - Laura
selling her retro and rockabilly fashions from a rack of clothes hanging
in her living room, custom fitting dresses for her rapidly growing customer
base of retro and rockabilly gals. In 1999, after scouring the web for retro
clothing, rockabilly dresses, and the like, and finding it severely lacking,
Laura took Pinup Girl Clothing online with the launch of PinUpGirlClothing.com.
It started small, as great things often do. The website started with 50
items, all designs made to order by Laura's team of talented seamstresses.
Her customers asked for more - more dresses, more shoes, accessories - and
Laura listened. Pinup Girl Clothing started to add other brands: Eldorado
Club Jewelry, Classic Hardware, Steady Clothing, Lucky
13 Clothing, and EC Star Clothing were some of the earliest brand additions to Pinup Girl Clothing. Accessories from Revamp Productions, Lux De Ville, and Blue
Q would follow. Leg
Avenue Lingerie,Stockings,
and Pantyhose,
came along for the ride.
Pinup Girl Clothing continued to grow. Pinup Girl customers - swing dancers,
clubgoers, rockabilly gals, and modern pinup girls - loved the ever-growing
selection, fast delivery, and personalized customer service. Each Halloween,
Pinup Girls customers came back to purchase Sexy
Halloween Costumes for that year's Halloween bash. Each holiday season,
they'd return to find that perfect retro gift for their best friend or their
main squeeze. Each Valentine's day, they'd browse our unmatched selection
of sexy retro
lingerie. And each spring, they'd come back to find that perfect retro
swimsuit, the perfect
retro dress, and shoes
and a bag
to match.
Fast forward to 2007, and not much has changed. Laura is still designing
clothing for modern, real-life pinup girls, although now she's got a full
production team behind her, and her line, Pinup
Couture, can be found in retro & rockabilly shops and boutiques on every
continent except Antartica. Jeanette is still discovering treasures and
fueling the creative engine of Pinup Girl Clothing. PinUpGirlClothing.com
is known the world over as the ultimate shopping destination for retro &
rockabilly clothing, shoes, and accessories. Customer Service is still top-notch,
shipping is still speedy, and the selection has grown wider and wider. Customers
from way back in 1999 still visit us, a fact that fills us with an
equal mix of pride and appreciation. Pinup Girl Clothing has inspired its
share of imitators, as great things often do. But Rockabilly gals, retro
vixens, girly girls, and modern pinup girls know that there's only one place
to find the best selection of cute, retro clothing, shoes, and accessories
on the planet - PinUpGirlClothing.com!
Article Copyright 2007 Diabla Caliente - all rights reserved - reproduction
prohibited without express written permission. |
