In keeping with this month’s theme; meet The Modern Pin Up.

It isn’t often that one has semi naked pictures of their friends in their homes; that is unless you’re running some kind of 70′s party game.. but let’s not go there. The recent launch of the new coffee table book, “The Modern Pin Up” means just that; that I can sit back and admire some of the fantastic handiwork of my friends both behind and in front of the lens.  A stunning collection of modern pin up photographs that run the gamut from classic, to cyber; gothic to glam and everything in between. What these works have in common is celebration; celebration of fun, form and fantasy as each of these women collaborate with their photographers to let us share a piece of their world.

Staring back at me from the candy coloured cover, is the delightful and diminutive darling Bernie Dexter (we have a mutual girl crush going on), with her rosy cheeks and warm smile. As you turn each page the eyes that catch yours may be familiar or may be new acquaintances, but each has their own charm. With images by Shannon Brooke,Via Marie Studios, and even one of my Australian photographers Peter Coulsen amongst many others, the quality of the work is exceptional. Many of the ladies I have a soft spot for are featured numerous times throughout;  Danya Deluxe, Sabina Kelley, Dita Von Teese, Frankie Sin and fellow Australian model Samantha Doll.

I know how much we love to search out our favourite image online these days, but there is something wonderful, thrilling and personal about having these images to hold in your hand. The Modern Pin Up has earn it’s place on my bookshelf next to Gil Elvgren for a reason. This is the pinnacle of pin up art today.

.

Today’s daily outfit (okay it wasn’t actually today as I’m a bit behind), is something a bit different. Because it has been so cold here, and in fact the day I wore this it was hailing like crazy; we weren’t able to go and take any pics outside. So for something different, Helen and I shot this in the studio after we finished with our clients for the day.

We love to play around with different set ups and lighting, so this was a bit of fun for us and I was totally in love with the result!  This is one of my favourite new pieces, brought home from Trashy Diva in New Orleans and available in Australia through Miskonduct Klothing. The “Courtney coat dress” in this killer leopard print. It has a full skirt and a double button up waist band that give it a beautiful cinched finish. I did wear this over another dress but didn’t want to take it off it was so cold! In a nutshell, what I love about this piece is that it makes a statement; and with statement pieces you have to be careful just how you pull them off. Of course for me, it is always going to be high drama, with a strong red lip and a bit of attitude. So that is how we shot the one – full of drama and so very ‘me’ that this is akin to a very personal introduction in just one simple image.

Pleased to meet you!

Outfit Details

Trashy Diva “Courtney Coat Dress

Lips- MAC Russian Red with RIMMEL clear gloss on top

Nails – OPI ‘Big Apple Red’

Helen McLean and Candice DeVille in at the Helen McLean Photography studio.

Following on from yesterday’s advice on my Top Ten Tips on How To Be A Pin Up Model, today I have something for those of you who would like all the fun without any of the commitment. For those ladies who’d like to be a Pin Up for a day and come home with some images that will do wonders for your sense of self. No matter which photographer you book with, being prepared to look your best will put you ahead of the game and help you get the best bang for your buck, (no pun intended)! So if I hear you saying, “help me, I want to look like a pin up!” then this will get you started.

It is your photographer and stylist’s job to make you look the best possible pinup version of yourself as we can, but there is only so much that can be done in a day. Putting in a little time and effort before hand, giving them the best canvas to work with, will ensure that everyone is happy.

.

Sleep.

Above all else, prioritise your sleep for at least a week before your shoot. There is only so much anti wrinkle cream can do, and with a good 8 plus hours under your belt each night for the week proceeding, you’ll look all the better for it.

Drink.

No, not the giggly bubbly stuff, but instead make sure you up your water intake if you’re lagging behind. Well hydrated skin, both inside and outside, photographs far better than the crepe paper hide that many of us are prepared to live with.

Moisturise.

Start a daily routine of moisturising all over at least a week before your shoot. You never know what parts of your skin will be on display (this includes your feet), so don’t neglect them.

Manis & Pedis.

The perfect Pin Up always has the perfect manicure, be it red or pink; but painting your nails the morning of your appointment is fraught with disaster. Prepare by having this done a day or two in advance and you won’t get smudged polish on your fancy outfit.  Personally, I’m a fan of Shellac manicures and especially pedicures for their high sheen, no smudge finish achieved in no time.

Eyebrows.

The Frida Kahlo look is not in. Despite the recent fashion shoots channelling her un-groomed brows, this is not acceptable for Pin Up. You should always have your brows professionally shaped, and there is only so much your stylist can do if you don’t. I keep tweezers in my kit not only for applying false lashes, so caterpillar brows – approach at your own risk!

Hair.

Super clean hair is very hard to style and if you want those amazing bouncy curls instead of limp spaghetti, you’re better off to wash your hair the day before your shoot. Unless your hair is extremely oily in day two (and I mean extremely), just skip it and leave it for your stylist to turn into a masterpiece.

*Things you should not do with your hair the day of or before your shoot-

Colour, cut, straighten or even a treatment. All these things actually make it harder for you to achieve the look you’re aiming for.

Lips.

Dry, cracked or flaking lips will never, ever look good in red lipstick. And Pin Up simply cannot exist without those full red lips. So do those beauties a favour and exfoliate and treat them in the week leading up. A soft dry brushing with a baby’s tooth brush is all that is needed to remove old skin cells. Then make sure to treat them with an organic paw paw ointment overnight, every night, for the best results.

Makeup.

Always come to your shoot with your face clean, moisturised and for god’s sake… without fake tan! A classic Pin Up is not tangerine and trust me, you may think a tan makes you look better, but when your orange heels show up in your images you’ll be less than impressed.

Wardrobe.

Even if you are being supplied with wardrobe choices by your photo studio, there are some things you should always bring to be on the safe side.

Skin coloured, strapless bra and g-string (these are often worn underneath other garments like swimwear)

Sheer to waist pantyhose. If you have marks or bruises on your legs this is a good way to even out the skin tone with a subtle disguise.

.

Keep all this in mind and you too could find yourself staring in your own Pin Up fantasy just like the fabulous Anneke here!

.

As you probably gathered from my Facebook updates and my notable sporadic posting of late, I am still on tour and not always able to get internet service to post. But today I have a chance to stop, breathe and write you something new.

This weekend I’m up in sunny Queensland and have just finished three days at the Garterbelts and Gasoline Nostaligia Festival. It’s been a great chance to get to know a bunch of new people and meet loads of lovely ladies all full of questions.  There was one question I was asked so many times this weekend though, I thought I’d answer it here too. What they all wanted to know is, “What’s it like being a pinup model and what’s involved?”

So today I give you my:

 Top Ten Things to know about how to be a pin up model.

First and foremost, let me preface this by saying that there are only a small handful of girls world wide who are able to make this their full time career. For everyone else it is usually done in conjunction with another job or two. So don’t be fooled into thinking that gorgeous, glamorous photos will make you a millionaire.

1. Chose to do it for fun above all else, but know it is a whole lot of hard work. The hours can be long, the conditions less than ideal (summer swimsuit shoots in mid winter) and you need to have a decent pain tollerance for some of those shoes!

2. You need to be very flexible, both with your schedule and your body. In fact the workout you get posing is akin to a very long and strenuous pilates class. My Osteopath, massage therapist and Chiroprator are all kept in business by my shoot schedule.

3. You need to be prepared to invest. Whether it is in portfolio shoots with photographers, travel, competitions or diverse wardrobe choices, the dollars can add up quickly. And I’m not talking hundreds, I’m talking thousands.

4. You need to commit yourself to regular maintenance. It’s no good getting a call for a job at 5pm the night before and knowing you still have to colour your hair, get your nails done, legs waxed etc.. A regular schedule to keep your appearance up to scratch can’t be neglected. After all you are the product and you need to make sure your packaging is the best it can be.

5. You need to say no to that extra packet of M&M’s. Pinup modelling isn’t all about keeping the perfect sized 6 figure, that’s for sure; but you do need to look after your skin and your health. So eating well, sleeping well and excercising (no matter what your dress size) are all essential to making the best version of yourself that you can.

6. Know that every photographer works differently and you need to be prepared for all eventualities.  There is a little bit of Boy Scout mentality to all the sucessful pinup models I know. This includes bad weather, accidents, wardrobe malfunctions, other artists having creative meltdowns, working with animals and wardrobe changes in very, very public places.

7. You need to be nice. No one wants to work with difficult, demanding divas; so if you want to be asked back or recommended for other work, put in your best effort and know that it takes a team of talented people to create the best work. Not just one model.

8. Be honest. While it may be tempting to flesh out your qualifications with imagined experience or using other people’s reputation to trade on, (saying you’ve ‘worked’ with someone because you once stood in the same room doesn’t count) it will always catch you out. Experience shows when you work with people and you don’t want to be seen as not delivering the goods you’ve talked up.

9. Be realistic. Know that your look won’t be the right one for every job and just because you weren’t chosen doesn’t mean you should give up. Every client has different requirements and not being selected isn’t a personal attack, it’s a business decision.

10. Know who you’re working with.  For every wonderful, reputable photographer out there, there are another ten dodgy ones. If something sounds too good to be true it usually is, so do your research. Get online, research their previous work, clients and any testimonials. When in doubt about a photographer’s legitimacy or practices, ALWAYS take another trustworthy party with you to a shoot.

This is only touching the tip of the iceberg, but it gives you a good idea of whether you might have what it takes to bring it.  But like many of the girls I spoke to this weekend, you may just want to spend a little time in the pinup fanatsy world and have your own shoot and images to keep the moment alive.  If that sounds more your speed, I have a whole seperate Top Ten Tips for Sitting for a Pin Up Shoot. So stay tuned for the next installment tomorrow which wil be especially for you!

If you weren’t already jealous after those photos from Viva Las Vegas last week, this one just might push you over the edge… sorry.

Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows that there is a special place in my heart for the pieces by New Orleans label Trashy Diva. At last count I have ten of their dresses and am always hunting for the next one.  In fact, those eagle eyed of you will spot me wearing Trashy Diva pieces for over half of my USA odyssey!

When I had a bit more time in the USA after we’d been to Las Vegas, we’d decided to head to New Orleans.  There were a few big draw cards to head to this city; the French Quarter Festival, the architecture, the food, but top of my Things to Do list was get in and meet the ladies of Trashy Diva face to face. After all, Candice Gwinn the founder and designer of the label is my name sake so I knew she had even more going for her than just being a fantastic designer.

Trashy Diva has a number of store fronts in New Orleans, both in the French Quarter (where their lingerie store is located) and also in the beautiful Magazine street where you’ll find both their fashion store and (recently opened) dedicated shoes and accessories store. Let’s pause a while to admire shall we?

Trashy Diva began in 1996 as a vintage clothing shop and grew into the fashion boutique we know today. Although they don’t claim to be vintage reproduction, compared to many labels on the market today touting themselves as such, Trashy Diva is much closer to the real deal than most. Their garment construction techniques are excellent and the fabrics chosen are top quality for an affordable price point. Many of their prints are based directly on vintage prints found on original garments, then tweaked and reproduced in their pieces. Cottons, cotton sateens, rayons and silks are all commonly found in a Trashy Diva dress, even linings of silk add to the quality experience.

But one of the very clever features of their ranges is the use of well designed standard blocks (or dress model types).  Each garment is pain-stakingly worked to achieve the best and most flattering cut, so when you find the Trashy Diva style that suits your figure best, you can then choose which of the current range of fabrics, prints and finishes you’ve fallen in love with!

For instance, I know that short puff sleeves do me no favours, but a rear zip and a longer sleeve or halter neck are the most flattering on my figure. Which is how I’ve come to own several of the “Trixie” dresses in a number of different fabrics and finishes.

A little blurry but you get the idea of how fabulous this looks! I am IN LOVE with this Obi Dress and it’s gorgeous 1940′s styling!

Talking with Candice Gwinn it becomes clear just how strong her passion for her label is.  This is no fly-by-night, make the most money for the least effort, type of operation. This is a labour of love, knowledge and passion. When Candice walked in with her baby on one hip, leopard print dress flowing and red lips grinning, I knew we would hit it off… and we did.  Our shared passion for the glamour of vintage dressing had us talking flat out from the first second about cuts, quality and how these wonderful creations make us feel.

In fashion’s current moment where every man and his well dressed dog think they can design a “vintage inspired” look, it is heartening to talk to someone who really understands what a true vintage garment looks like and how its essence can be translated into a piece for today without loosing it’s soul.  I know that sounds very intense, but I am very intense about this issue.  When so many are tacking on the term “vintage” just to quickly part us from our money, for poorly produced and not even remotely vintage pieces, Trashy Diva are one of my “New Vintage” heroes. These are the pieces I invest in knowing I’ll wear them more times than I can count and feel a million dollars every time.

Excitingly, Candice gave me the low down on the newest developments from Trashy Diva that would be launched by the time I got home. A girls range! From sizes 3/4 to 11/12, this is one of the most neglected areas of fashion available in Australia. They are some great locals labels that make to order for children, ( Like Peta Pledger) but they must be more alternatives to branding your baby with a pink sparkly hooker t-shirt or hipster jeans and slogan t’s for an 8 year old.  The simple black baby Audrey dress or my favourite rockabilly style baby Grace dress (yes I will wear my matching coat with this) are irresistible!

It is so easy to be loyal to a label you love, but even more so to one you believe in. Trashy Diva is one of my fashion super heroes and no self respecting, vintage loving lady should be without one of their pieces in her wardrobe. These are the gorgeous workhorses, the glamorous show stoppers and the cult collectables of a modern vintage closet.

Thanks Candice and Ladies for showing us your piece of vintage style fashion heaven!