I've got out of the habit of using this blog, as I've been using Facebook far more. As you can see... I haven't posted anything on here for over a year.
But I've decided to revive this blog to show you the new Swagger Joint dress - the Olivia, to announce a slightly new direction for Pin-Up Parade and also to run a competition. YES A COMPETITION!
So first of all, the Olivia. As you may know, Swagger Joint is Pin-Up Parade's very own dress label. You can't get these dresses online from anywhere else! They are designed by yours truly. I've named it after my friend Olivia, who in turn is named after Olivia de Havilland. The Olivia is a 1950's-style dress with full skirt, "kimono" sleeves, a high neckline and - very handy - two conceealed pockets at the front. It's a proper 1950s length, coming to about mid-calf on someone of average height, but can easily be adjusted if needs be. The skirt is lined with polycotton to help give shape.
It's made in three different fabrics - two cotton prints and one satin. Here's the lovely Stephanie Jay modelling them for your viewing pleasure:
You can find all the Swagger Joint dresses exclusively at Pin-Up Parade (a selection of Olivia dresses are available at Forgotten Vintage in Birmingham's Great Western Arcade).
Outerwear? Underwear!
I've sold all manner of outerwear since opening Pin-Up Parade in 2007 - dresses, skirts, capri pants, trousers, T-shirts, bowling shirts, you name it. But I've not sold underwear until now. I'll be carrying a range of Rago shapewear: the light-weight girdle, the extra-firm girdle and the corselette. Here's Stephanie Jay in the lovely pink & black version of the extra-firm girdle.
If the size you need isn't in stock, please email me and I'll see what I can do.
Competition
By now, some of you are probably hoping that this competition involves the Olivia dress or a Rago girdle. Those will have to wait another time! Up for grabs is a tub of Steve Hooker's "Goldmine" hair pomade. Steve is a gnarly ol' rocker who has played guitar with all sorts of people - from Boz Boorer to Johnny Thunders, from Chuck Berry to Wilko Johnson. His wife, Elaine, runs Slick 50 barber shop in Southend, Essex, and they've developed a range of hair products. They're animal-friendly - only tested on hepcats!
With Christmas coming up, you may be scratching your head trying to think of gifts to get people - the Goldmine hair pomade makes a fab present for anyone who likes to put a bit of grease in their barnet. They usually sell for £6 from Steve Hooker's shop, but I've got two tubs of Goldmine pomade to give away. All you have to do is email me your answers to the following three questions:
1. What does "DA" mean when we talk about a "DA hairstyle"?
2. What's the name of the barber who claimed to have invented the DA?
3. If you go to the Yoyogi Park in Harajuku, Tokyo, you'll see a notorious group of leather-clad dancers with DA hairstyles. What do their call their club?
Please email your answers to helen@pinup-parade.com Closing date is Friday 7th December at 5pm, and the two winners will be announced on Sunday 9th December.
And to round things off... here's Stephanie Jay again, in the light-weight Rago girdle, wearing one of Steve Hooker's rock'n'roll T-shirts.
Model: Stephanie Jay www.stephaniejay.com
Photographer: Nick Halling www.nickhalling.co.uk
But I've decided to revive this blog to show you the new Swagger Joint dress - the Olivia, to announce a slightly new direction for Pin-Up Parade and also to run a competition. YES A COMPETITION!
So first of all, the Olivia. As you may know, Swagger Joint is Pin-Up Parade's very own dress label. You can't get these dresses online from anywhere else! They are designed by yours truly. I've named it after my friend Olivia, who in turn is named after Olivia de Havilland. The Olivia is a 1950's-style dress with full skirt, "kimono" sleeves, a high neckline and - very handy - two conceealed pockets at the front. It's a proper 1950s length, coming to about mid-calf on someone of average height, but can easily be adjusted if needs be. The skirt is lined with polycotton to help give shape.
It's made in three different fabrics - two cotton prints and one satin. Here's the lovely Stephanie Jay modelling them for your viewing pleasure:
 |
| Olivia dress in fan print cotton |
 |
| Olivia dress in rose print cotton |
 |
| Olivia dress in rose print cotton |
 |
| Olivia dress in Chinese satin brocade |
You can find all the Swagger Joint dresses exclusively at Pin-Up Parade (a selection of Olivia dresses are available at Forgotten Vintage in Birmingham's Great Western Arcade).
Outerwear? Underwear!
I've sold all manner of outerwear since opening Pin-Up Parade in 2007 - dresses, skirts, capri pants, trousers, T-shirts, bowling shirts, you name it. But I've not sold underwear until now. I'll be carrying a range of Rago shapewear: the light-weight girdle, the extra-firm girdle and the corselette. Here's Stephanie Jay in the lovely pink & black version of the extra-firm girdle.
If the size you need isn't in stock, please email me and I'll see what I can do.
Competition
By now, some of you are probably hoping that this competition involves the Olivia dress or a Rago girdle. Those will have to wait another time! Up for grabs is a tub of Steve Hooker's "Goldmine" hair pomade. Steve is a gnarly ol' rocker who has played guitar with all sorts of people - from Boz Boorer to Johnny Thunders, from Chuck Berry to Wilko Johnson. His wife, Elaine, runs Slick 50 barber shop in Southend, Essex, and they've developed a range of hair products. They're animal-friendly - only tested on hepcats!
With Christmas coming up, you may be scratching your head trying to think of gifts to get people - the Goldmine hair pomade makes a fab present for anyone who likes to put a bit of grease in their barnet. They usually sell for £6 from Steve Hooker's shop, but I've got two tubs of Goldmine pomade to give away. All you have to do is email me your answers to the following three questions:
1. What does "DA" mean when we talk about a "DA hairstyle"?
2. What's the name of the barber who claimed to have invented the DA?
3. If you go to the Yoyogi Park in Harajuku, Tokyo, you'll see a notorious group of leather-clad dancers with DA hairstyles. What do their call their club?
Please email your answers to helen@pinup-parade.com Closing date is Friday 7th December at 5pm, and the two winners will be announced on Sunday 9th December.
And to round things off... here's Stephanie Jay again, in the light-weight Rago girdle, wearing one of Steve Hooker's rock'n'roll T-shirts.
Model: Stephanie Jay www.stephaniejay.com
Photographer: Nick Halling www.nickhalling.co.uk
