Rockin' The Pin Up Girl Look - Part 2 - Stockings

Before there were pantyhose (invented in 1959), there were stockings and every woman wore them. Except during World War II when nylon was needed for the war effort, it was considered the height of sloppiness to leave the house without hosiery.

Now, thank goodness, we have choices, but seamed stockings are still the pinnacle in sexiness for the pin up girl look.

The ultimate in authentic bombshell stockings is the Fully Fashioned (or FFS) stocking, so called because they were knitted in one piece on the machine and then hand finished by an operator who sewed the seam in. The famous hole at the top of the welt was left so the operator could turn the stocking!

There are currently several different types of heel available in FFS; the pointed heel (which was invented by the French and is predominantly a European style), the Cuban heel (the most common and most authentic), the Havana heel (similar to the Cuban but thicker and ending higher on the calf) and the Manhattan heel (a more recent design).

There are only a handful of manufacturers still making full fashioned stockings, one of which is Magnolia Hosiery here in the United States, who have been making FFS on the same machines continuously since 1954. You can still order from them directly! What Katie Did offers a nice selection of FFS including contrast colored seams (most recently blue and red). FFS come in a number of solid colors, in full contrast beige with black seams and also black feet and seams.

Another type of stocking which was introduced in the 1950's is the RHT or Reinforced Heel & Toe. These are seamless and give more casual look. They can also be purchased from Magnolia and What Katie Did.

Leg Avenue and a host of other brands offer modern seamed stockings. The difference between these and FFS is that the seam is sewn on afterwards as a decoration and is not part of the stocking construction. Many people find these kinds of stockings more comfortable because of the stretch (they are more akin to a pair of modern pantyhose than FFS are).

Whichever type of stocking you choose, make sure that your seams are straight. You can achieve a straight seam by carefully gathering the length of stocking up so that it is all in your hands, place the toe of the stocking on your foot and then point your foot on the floor. Slowly pull the stocking up your leg, keeping a finger on the seam and guiding it along the center of your leg. You can try spraying the back of your leg with a little hair spray to make the stocking stay put before putting it on as well.

Whether you choose fully fashioned, RHT or modern seams, in order to up your "oomph" quotient, a pair of stockings is a must have!

Pin Up Beauty Tip Of The Day - Eyebrows

Make sure that your eyebrows are perfectly plucked or waxed, and groomed The inner corners of your brows should be the thickest point, thinning out towards the tips. Before you are finished with your makeup, you can color your brows in thoroughly with an eyebrow pencil to add drama to the look.

Why Pin Up?

Why Pin Up?

I’ve always been what you would call a “girly girl.” At the age of 14 when I was the proud owner of SEVEN pairs of shoes, my mother declared I had a shoe fetish. Little did the poor woman know that seven was going to be laughable within a few short years.

My clothes currently take up three closets and numerous storage bins in my home. The best way to store shoes is a continually evolving process. I own five sets of hot rollers and at least ½ a dozen curling irons much to my husband’s constant bemusement and I have more make up than I could possibly wear in seven lifetimes!

For years I had a secret pin up girl inside me.

Part of it was the whole attraction that the slightly naughty girls from the 50’s were the ones that looked sexier and seemed more appealing than your Gidgets or teenagers in circle skirts. What fun is it to be a teenager in a circle skirt when it involves only Coca-Cola, curfews and boys who would probably wind up as insurance salesmen?

No, the real fun was in being a naughty girl like Jayne, Mamie or Miss Adelaide.

I would watch the latter do the “Take Back Your Mink” striptease in Guys & Dolls religiously and fantasize about doing that one day myself.

And pin ups! Pin ups are the vision of sassy, sexy, slightly risqué mid-century perfection. Pin up girls always looked beautiful and irresistible and every man wanted one.

It all started with a burlesque class given by the Red Hots Burlesque when they were based out of New York. I learned the basics and then got up there and took it all off! It was fun and the gals involved in burlesque in New York are very welcoming and supportive. But it seemed once I’d done it and got it out of my system I was sort of over it.

Pin up, on the other hand, is just something for which my passion grows!

Somehow I managed to get on the My Space friends list of Philadelphia area pin up photographer, Bombshell Mandy. Some pin up photographers, Mandy being one of them, offer discounted, “group shoot” days; hair, make up, photo shoot, edited pictures and a print or three all for an amazingly wonderful price!

I took the plunge and got hooked up for Halloween 2007. If you take a look at those pics today, all the gorgeousness you see in it is all Mandy’s doing! It was my first time and you can tell! I look as grim as the reaper, but fortunately it managed to come out as sultry!

I’ve created Pin Up Finishing School so that I can share what I’ve learned in the past 18 months with other girls who want to pose as pin ups. Get your feet wet in a secure & supportive environment! Break the ice and you’ll be much more at ease during your first full shoot!