Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending some time with Micheline Pitt of Pinup Girl Clothing fame. Not only is she a gorgeous model, but she’s a very talented makeup artist and graphic artist as well. Triple threat right there! I took some time to chat and compare notes with Micheline after watching her work on fellow blogger and plus sized model Teer Wayde.
Candice - Hi Micheline, it’s been a pleasure to watch you work today. You were saying during your session that you never officially trained as a hair & makeup artisit. How did you start working in this field, was it trial and error?
Micheline- Well, pretty much I looked at myself and realised I could be doing a better job of my own hair and makeup, so I went out there and got any kind of eductional material I could get. The Kevin Aucon books, those really kind of helped me get to the core of those things I didn’t really get. I worked on my friends and I worked at a hair salon actually, and that’s where I got my start doing makeup for people, weddings and events. I had to use crappy makeup for it, so I had to hone my skills that way.
I really learned the most on myself then my friends. When I moved to New York city and worked with MAC up there, I really got into the eduction system they had, (or used to have, it was really amazing).
C- You mentioned that your training in fine arts really helped you develop your makeup skills. Are there any specific rules that you’ve taken from your art back ground and applied to the makeup as theory?
M- I rarely ever use black to shade anything. I like using colour to give more depth and blendability. I like using multiple shades, like on someone’s cheeks to really give that definition. Almost like a painting; doing that with the skin, using different hues, having opalescent powders and stuff to give the skin like a blue or gold hue -that I really enjoy and it changes it up slightly.
So I think I definelty play with colour theory a lot.
C- You said that everyday your look takes an hour and a half minimum to achieve, so for people that say have a maximum of 20 minutes, half an hour to get ready, what are the keys things you’d say to them you must have?
M- The keys are foundation, concealer, powder, blush mascara lipgloss and then like a brow pencil. Something to give you definition, even out your skin tone and give you a little colour. Put something on your lips and mascara makes a huge difference. I usually go for more a black brown when I don’t have eye makeup on because black is way too harsh. If I don’t have time to do my hair, I’ll put it in a bandana or a scarf and pull it back and then maybe just fix my bangs. So there is ways to menouvere around it, but when you want to wear your hair down or in a style you’ve got to make that committment for time and sometimes you just don’t have it. Scarves are my best friend when I’m lazy.
C- It seems to us too, that the pinup scene here is Australia is very different to the USA, as it is in the UK. Since you’ve been here a few days now, what major differences have you noticed?
M- Well I see that there is definelty a lack of availability of real vintage here and I get that feel from talking to other people so it’s really hard. I see a lot more girls wearing reproduction which is great becuase there is some many great reproduction brands out there. They’re also mixing it with other pieces to kind of make it their own. I feel like the style here is way more colourful and creative than it is in the States. It tends to be a little bit more purist there as far as things go and I feel like the girls here a bit more creative with the styles and the things that they’ll mix and their colour palettes. Girls are way more bold with their style.
As far as the hair, I’ve noticed a lot of girls here with red hair! It seems to be a big thing this year because back in the States I noticed a lot of red hair too – that’s the thing now – red hair.
C- With the work that you’re doing with Pnup Girl Clothing and that whole scene, have you noticed that there is a a strong difference between say Classic pinup and more of the Neo Pinup?
M- Well I own purist products and I own reproduction. I kinda mix it up depending on how I feel that day. To draw a line in the sand and say you have to be one or the other is really no way to go about it. You know one day you could wear normal jeans and a little top, maybe a flower in your hair, and the next day maybe you want to wear high waisted jeans and like a vintage top or something. I like to mix it up personally, it’s hard to get real vintage. It also doesn’t necissarily fit the way you want it to.
It’s great with reproduction companies, especially with Pinup Girl Clothing, because I’m the Production Manager there, I really work on the fit and consistency of our products. Really making it fit and making it last and wear well is the most important things. Becasue we have so many different brands we offer a diverse selection for girls. Our things cater for being a bit more sexy and girly than other brands that tend to go for the more 40′s, and I hate to say it, but a bit more ‘Matronly’ look. I like to cover my boobs too… but there’s a difference.
Things that fit the figure is the biggest thing.
C- Talking about fit and figure I kow there has been a lot of pressure of Pinup Girl Clothing to do more plus sized pieces, what are your thoughts on where you cut that of?
M- We used to do 3X and 4X before I even worked there, and the stuff just sat there, it took forever to sell. The proof is in the pudding- girls can ask for it all they want but are they going to buy it? And that’s what it comes down to. We are dipping our toe in 3X and 4X, and if they buy it, awesome; but we are not going to change the cut and style of our dresses to fit different body types.
C- It seems that that is they only way to go about it. You can’t take a dress that you’re making in a sample size and just keep upsizing that rather than looking at what’s the foundation of f the body type that you’re trying to dress.
M – If you have a good grader it helps but changing the cut and style and fit of a dress isn’t somethng that we are going to be able to do becasue a lot of them are empire waist cuts for curver girls, but they are afraid of their figure. They are afraid of tight fitting dresses. And that’s something they have to get away from. Just because you’re plus sized doesn’t mean that you can’t be sexy and wear something tht’s form fitting, cause a lot of times these loose fitting dresses make them look bigger and that’s what we’re trying to teach them about. Spanx are your best friend – even thin girls wear them!
We all have different body types and dressing for your shape is the most important thing. Everybody can have an hourglass figure, no matter what size you are. It’s all about making it look the way you need it to look.
C- Shopping options for us here in Australia are much more limited than in the States, so many of us spend big part of our budget online. Other than shopping with Pinup Girl Clothing, do you have any favourite online stores?
M- Freddies of Pinewood in the UK. Their jeans are amazing! I love their jeanas, I love their crop tops. The quality is amazing and the style is really cool – that’s my favourite palce to shop online. Another place that I shop on line is, well eBay is my best friend and of course eBay ship to Australia. I’m so married to Pinup Girl; it’s my baby and working there with the team and Laura who’s the owner and head designer, it’s hard to stray away from that becasue I get to make what I love.
C- They’ve clearly put a lot of effort into the product development. Every single piece I’ve bought from them has been bang on. Seaming quality; where they know it’s going to be under duress…
M- And we have all of our own custom patterns and fabrics. We spend a lot of time developing them. I drew one in the computer for two years to get it perfect and it’s launching this fall finally.
C- Just lastly, for aspiring Australan Pinup Girls, what is the number one piece of advice you’d give them?
M- Good hair and makeup, good photographer. That’s the grounds of becoming a good pinup girls and putting yourself out there. Without those things it doesn’t matter how pretty you are, how perfect you are, if you don’t have those no-one is going to look good. Make sure you have a good photographer, make sure you have a great hair and makeup artist that is going to do you up; and make sure you have the right clothes that fit you well and make you feel sexy.
The best way to get that perfect picture is to practice in the mrror. Making those expressions and face and learning that when someone says “sexy!”, that you make the right face. Or I need you to be intense, or I need you to smile. Having that ability to pull that out when they ask that of you is what makes a good model.
C- It really is a craft isn’t it. Not just about getting out there and smiling.
M- It is. It takes a lot of practice, tht’s the biggest thing.
C- Thank you so much for taking with us today, it has been an absolute pleasure.
M- Thank you! I love Australia, it’s so cool and thank you!
