Nowhere Boy is a biopic of John Lennon (Aaron Johnson). Now it’s not The Beatles centric, it’s more of his early years and influences. His beginnings with music and his personal life involving his estranged mother, and his aunt who brought him up. This movie is great not only because of the story of one of music’s greatest icons, but the highlight of rock and roll.
Watch this film for a grasp of rockabilly and pinup influence. John Lennon started the group The Quarrymen, soon later meeting Paul McCartney. Their ultimate influence was Elvis Presley. They actually had a greaser look prior to their known 60’s bowl haircuts and suits, so you can see a lot of the style. The film features a great deal of music. Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Wanda Jackson, and a whole lot more.
The fashion is pretty spot on. I love his mother Julia’s (Anne-Marie Duff) wardrobe. She is personafied as very liberal and creative. She wears many halter-top dresses and full circle skirts, accessorized with fitted trench coats and boxed hand bags. Her make up and hair is the ultimate pinup look, with pincurls and a red lip.
I love watching this movie, not just beause of the great storyline, but the detail to the period and culture. It’s a great movie to look for inspiration.
Check out the trailer below and tell me what you think!
Been feeling a bit under the weather lately, so I apologize for the minimal write-ups. But, I’m very excited to share my new finds from last weekend! Now, I love sales and anything that is below a good Php 4,000. I have no shame in saying that I am one frugal b*tch.
There is an Aldo outlet store near my place at Nuvali, Santa Rosa. They have amazing year-round sales up to 70% off to buy one take one a pair. In need of new pumps I decided to have a look. I found two perfect pairs, one that’s a deep red suede, and the other the perfect black pump.
And the best part is, for the two pairs, I saved up to Php 9,000! I’m still in shock.
Here are the red suede shoes. So comfortable and the perfect pin-up red.
Aldo’s Tataouine in size 38.
Original price: Php 5,995.00
Marked down to: Php 600
Here are the classic black pumps. A must for all pin-ups. These will go great with everything, from pencil skirts to circle skirts. Fun nights out, or formal events.
Aldo’s Cleminia in size 39.
Original price: Php 4,295.00
Marked down to: Php 600
Come on by to Santa Rosa’s Paseo and Nuvali area and check out all the outlet stores, from not just Aldo but to Nike, Marks & Spencer’s, American Eagle, and so much more!
Last nights celebration went to Apags at Route 196! Not only was it his birthday, but his new tshirt launch. Poetees is a line that features local poets and their works. It’s a great take on fashion and art. The night was a lot of fun, with many bands that performed just for Apags. (spoiled much? hehehe) Bands such as Tanya Markova and Mayonaise. I brought along my friend Trish, who many of you may know now as the pusblished poet. It was a great event being able to meet many new people and have a few beers. Happy Birthday Apags!
The look for the night was a r
ockabilly look. Victory rolls in play! (Sadly, humidity took over and I had to take them out before leaving the house. ugh.)
I’m not one for accessories. I rarely ever wear jewlery or dazzle up my outfits. But my favorite pinup accessory are hair flowers and bows! Maintaining a vintage hairstyle can be difficult, time consuming, and tedious. On the days where I really don’t feel like working on my hair, a good curl/brush out with an added bow or flower immediatley makes a great pinup hairstyle.
Flowers are so classy. I love them put near the ear, but you can also add them to a pony tail. I tend to choose neutral colors for my flowers so that it makes it easier to match with my outfits. But there are so many varieties out there for your choosing; different materials, colors and flower types.
Bows are great too! Some of you may be thinking that bows can be….adolescent. Too cute maybe? Well if you choose right, it can be a great accessory. I wear them just like a flower, on the side of my ear. But you can also wear them above a pony tail for that 1950s prep look. My assortment of bows are primary colors giving off a bit of a cheerleader-varsity vibe.
Hair accessories have been favored by classic pinups, and modern ones too.
Classic pinups such as Bettie Page, to modern pinups like Bernie Dexter.Please excuse the quality of the photos, these were taken from my Instagram account.
I find hair accessories everywhere! Always keep an eye out over at any accessories section of your favorite store. I usually find great pieces at Forever 21, SM Department Store, and even the children’s section like Zara.
Hair accessories are definite pinup essential! Get out there and experiment with different styles, colors and type!
A perfect dress for a casual errands day. A jersey dress with this amazing bold print. I love the flowers! Elegantly vintage, but the color scheme makes it so modern and girly. Just a white belt and a cardigan to match. Oh an my hair was foam-roller set so it gives off the late 40’s look. Nails to match the pretty lilac flowers on the dress too!
I’m beginning this series of inspirations with the classic Marilyn. She is the most familiar and known pinup. I’m sure many of you already see her in pop culture from tshirts, posters, bags, even celebrities and tv shows being inspired by her. (Madonna circa “Material Girl”, Anna Nicole Smith, Smash)
She had a turbulant childhood, in and out of foster care homes, and her mother was instilutionalized. She was married at 16 due to the war, but of course later divorced. She was discovered modeling for a weapons factory that she worked at which eventually lead to her career. She was persued as the “dumb blonde”, but what people didn’t actually know was that Marilyn was highly intelligent. She was a consistent reader, a fan of Freud, and a writer.
My favorite films are Some Like It Hot, How to Marry a Millionare, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,Bus Stop and the iconic Seven Year Itch. (White dress with the gentle breeze sound familiar?)
Aside from her obvious reasons of inspiration, she inspires me the most from her modeling in her early days. Circa 1948-49 was her utmost pinup days. Her poses, sweet smile and flawless body really defines pinup. You can see how young she is, and how different her face is! Pre-platinum blonde days and still untouched by the industry. (Apparently she had a chin implant, rhino plasty and breast agmuntation, and of course a change to hair color all in suggestion of her studio.) Regardless, she is naturally beautiful and I love looking at her early photos just because she has no idea what is to come.
A few years later, with a few movies to her resume and popular demand, she would be the first cover girl of Playboy magzine in 1953. Featured was one of her first nude pinups taken in 1949. (Tom Kelley’s ‘The Red Velvet’ session)
Iconic, beautiful and downright the original Marilyn is the inpiration not just to me, but definietly all pinups.
The 1950’s was all about glamour. After World War 2, it was important for ladies to look their best because of the the men returning home from the war. (Less men= more competition for marriage) Women wanted to always look their best, therefore their makeup was simple, yet eye-catching . You’ll see that during the 1950’s women’s make-up was subtle with pops of excitment. For example a simple eye, but red lip;or a heavy brow with a bare eye. Hair and makeup were priorities to women making the powder room a sanctuary.
The red lip is important to get that pin-up look. It is and forever shall be a classic. With choosing the right shade, a red lip is perfect for day-time activites, or splendid nights out. The way of picking the right shade is by looking at your hair color and skin tone. For lighter hair and pinkish skin, also known as warm toned (blondes and a rosy complexion; you can check by looking at your vein color. If your color is purple you have a pinkish tone) Opt for peachy, orange toned reds. For the brunettes and yellow-toned girls, also known as cool toned (veins will be colored blueish-green) opt for dark reds, or “blue tones”. These shades according to your color will bring out and highliht your best attributes from your skin to your eye color.
A red lip is my absolute favorite thing to get the pin-up look. It’s my go-to essential when I’m lazy and in a hurry. With just a red lip alone and a few plumps with a good lip liner I am good to go! Great brands from that era were Revlon and Max Factor. Until now, I feel Revlon produces one of the best shades of red matte or gloss at an affordable price. Here are some of my favorite red lipsticks that are essential for any pin-up:
1. NYX Matte Creame Gloss in Monte Carlo (Php 325) This is my daily color. I love how it is applied like a lipgloss making it easy in application and for perfectionist, like myself, great for getting into the corners of the mouth and creating the perfect plump to the lips. The matte finish is amazing and absolutely long lasting. And what more the price is extremely affordable!
2. Rimmel Kate Moss Collection in shade 01 (Php 375) This color is more on a bright red. The texture of this lipstick is creamy and moisturizing! When I apply it, it takes only two swipes! Kate Moss also has various colors to her collection including nudes and pinks, but out of all of them the reds are my favorites. This is worth buying if you’re still new to wearing red lipsticks. The shade is great with any skintone and is easy for application; making sure you won’t over-apply.
3. NYX Matte Creame Gloss in Translyvannia (Php 325) Okay, so this isn’t exactly a red, but it is so good that I must share it with you. I wear this usually for a modern pin-up look. It is a matte formula with a rich plum-tone. This shade has been very popular since 2013 bringing a bit of goth back into fashion. I love it just as I love Monte Carlo for its great application and matte finish. I love this color for nights-out! It’s sexy and classy all at the same time. Make sure to balance it out by not using dark colors on your eyes (such as a smokey eye or heavy black liner). You want to keep it balanced to give you that glamorous look.
4. Revlon Classics in Super Lustrous (Php 510) Now this is the ultimate classic! Like I said before, Revlon was one of the top choices in cosmetics during the 1950’s. Revlon came out with the original packaging back in 2012 for a limited time. Sadly I wasn’t able to get my hands on them. However, even in their modern day packaging, the formula has never changed. Much like the Rimmel Kate Moss Collection, this shade is perfect for any skin tone. A creamy texture and easy application, begginers can experiment with this shade before taking the next step to darker or lighter colors. I highly recommend every girl to have this color in her make-up essentials!
5. Revlon Matte Collection in Wine Not (Php 355) You’re probably thinking why I have so many matted suggestions in this post. The reason why I love matte so much is because of its long-lasting finish, but also a bit of a modern-day look. I let the shade speak classic, but the texture speak modern. This color by Revlon is described to be an inbetween of a classic red, and a deep dark plum. (Much like NYX’s Translyvannia) I use this mostly for evenings. This color is perfect for cool tone girls, or generally girls looking for a sexy subtle look.
Get out there and buy that red lipstick. It’s a beauty-must for achieving the perfect vintage look! You can find any of these brands at PCX, SM Department Stores, or Watson’s.
The Pin-up Girl Manila 
