Pin-up girls are back

(Amny.com)
Updated: 2007-06-18 10:12

Thanks to celebrity trendsetters like burlesque queen Dita Von Teese, there's a revival of the pin-up style of '40s and '50s screen sirens like Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner. So get ready to cast off your shapeless shifts and bring sexy ¨C but classy ¨C back.

Christine Frey, accessories director for Lucky magazine, says pin-up style is synonymous with old Hollywood glamour.

"They were trying to be provocative but witty at the same time," says Frey. "It's just as important what they revealed as what they weren't revealing."

According to Frey, the must-have pin-up accessories are high-heeled platform pumps with fishnet stockings -- as seen on the YSL spring runway -- that work well paired with a tight pencil skirt and a button up blouse.

"It's all about that hourglass silhouette that's so sexy," says Frey.

But you don't have to be curvaceous like Scarlett Johansson to pull off pin-up style.

"A silk or satin shift dress can be incredibly sexy with the right accessories," she adds, noting that Von Teese is fond of tight-waist '40s-style dresses by Chanel, Dior, and Moschino. "It's about the cut and the quality."

According to Frey, other ways to playfully incorporate the trend include carrying a small frame handbag, cinching your waist with a wide or skinny belt, and lingerie-inspired touches such as bows and lace details, rouching and gathers, and subtle hair ornaments with feathers, sequins, and beads. Into the fall, opera length gloves will be all the rage.

"It's almost always about being flawless," she says. "It's about keeping [your accessories] really simple and having all those little touches add up to something really glamorous."

Jill Dobson, Star magazine's style editor-at-large, says pin-up style "shows off your sweet-but-naughty side." Flawless hair and makeup are key.

"[Dita Von Teese] brings back the 1950s sexpot look with red lipstick, lots of black eyeliner, and her hair in romantic waves," says Dobson.



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