Thank You Giveaway!

Posted on January 27, 2015 by missamymay

When I passed 4k on Instagram I promised a giveaway once Jenny January was over as thanks for all the wonderful support my followers give me, endlessly. But then a crazy thing happened: I gained an extra 600 followers in a week during Jenny January, putting me much nearer to 5k much sooner than I had expected. Now that my busy schedule of late has died down enough that I could get organised to host this giveaway I’m already less than 200 from reaching 5k, somehow.

So, to celebrate not only that little burst of new lovelies finding me on Instagram, but also the readers I have here on the blog (I’ve just passed my 50th post!) I decided to host the giveaway here using Rafflecopter so that you can gain multiple entries to increase your chance of winning for every way in which you might be following me online. Annnnnd I’ve added extra pieces into this giveaway to bump up the prize pack so that the winner will be receiving the following.

4kall Continue reading →

UV & Me: #IAmUnique

Posted on January 24, 2015 by missamymay

When I heard about the Unique Vintage #IAmUnique campaign I loved it. Since I launched my own campaign of #LovingMeIn2015 this year I’ve noticed lately that when I post body positive pictures on Instagram, or similar pictures under this hashtag, I sometimes get girls say they want my body or they want to be me when they grow up. I know that’s likely just the dramatic construct of the compliment, they don’t really mean they would rather be me than themselves, but sometimes I get the feeling that there is a true wistfulness there. Apart from finding that it feels alien that someone may wish that, there’s also the uncomfortable feeling that I don’t want anyone to wish to be anyone but themselves. They are the only ‘them’ that there is. They are their own special person. They are unique. We all are. I, you, they, we.

Part of the launch of the #iamunique campaign involved a lookbook of inspiring people stating one of their most unique identifiers, such as Queen of Heartz Founder and Designer Letty Tennant declaring ‘I am a boss,’ burbankmom.com blogger Jessica Cribbs declaring ‘I am a mother,’ UV’s social media Creative Curator Stan Salas declaring ‘I am fabulous’ while sporting full sublime drag, athlete Marti Davis claiming ‘I am a survivor.’

I could not think of one specific thing that I was, that felt unique enough that it wouldn’t be something someone else might claim. It’s not that I don’t think I have anything special. I feel unique. I tell people I am, and that I’m fabulous, and that I am made of awesome (I also tell people I’m a moron and giant child, so don’t worry about big britches here.) But what is my one thing? My one identifier?

The only thing I could come up with is that I am a contradiction. Not deliberately, not contrary in attitude, but in my life, the way I am contradicting what I do. Continue reading →

Jenny January–Success!

Posted on January 20, 2015 by missamymay

If you saw my last blog post about Jenny January or follow me on Instagram then you’ll know I created a hashtag event encouraging Pinup Girl Clothing fans to wear their Jenny skirts and/or dresses during the week of 12-18th January. The idea was to use the tag #JennyJanuary on their posts to interact with the fellow participants to share styling tips, stories of their first Jennies, their favourites, their wish lists, etc, having fun in sharing the PUG love and meeting new ladies.

Beforehand I was excited just expecting only a handful of my own followers to get involved, but before it started Micheline Pitt from Pinup Girl Clothing was lovely enough to share an image of me in one of my Jenny skirts and news of the hashtag on the PUG Instagram, inundating me with a few hundred new followers and lots of new ladies getting involved who I had yet to Insta-meet. That alone felt like a highlight.

The week itself was wonderful. Right from the start it was great fun to hear stories of fellow Jenny lovers detailing their first Jenny purchases, the Jenny prints that didn’t grab them at first view but grew to a love that had to be purchased; the Jennies they were wearing on their favourite vacations, Disney trips, when they got engaged(!) Women were complimenting each other on flawless outfit pairings and proclaiming they had been given inspiration to pair their own Jennies with certain prints or colours they hadn’t thought of yet themselves. Many ladies’ minds were made up that now, yes, they did need the Dancing Horses prints, or the Castle, or the Paris…It was chatty and kind and supportive and fun. It was exactly what I had hoped it would be.

I personally saved my newest Jenny, the Dancing Horses print, for her first wearing during this week, as well as saving my Cinderella shoes that I had handmade (and blogged a tutorial for here) for their first outing, quite obviously saved to be worn with my Castle print Jenny. I look forward to wearing a new piece of clothing or pair of shoes for the first time, so it was lovely to be able to have those small doses of excitement scattered amongst the overall joy of the event. Pinup Girl Clothing featured me again encouraging women to get involved and to share stories of which Jennies grew on them over time, and meanwhile I dashed from profile to profile, overjoyed at the ladies taking part.

: Venice print Jenny skirt / Tatyana Alika Blouse

: Dancing Horses print Jenny skirt / Boohoo.com Bardot top

: Orange print Jenny dress / eBay shrug

: Paris print Jenny Dress / Pinup Girl Clothing cardigan

: Blue Castle print Jenny skirt / Pinup Girl Clothing white Peasant top

: Matador Jenny Skirt / Pinup Girl Clothing Voodoo Vixen top / Hell Bunny Rachael bolero

: Black & Turquiose Harlequin Jenny skirt / Pinup Girl Clothing Black & Turquiose Lauren top

: Black Jenny dress

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DIY Project: Cinderella Shoes

Posted on January 18, 2015 by missamymay

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A while back I saw two pairs of clear sandals being sold on Pinup Girl Clothing, then became aware soon afterwards that Miss L Fire sell Cinderella style shoes in 4 different shades–for £94.99. Dita Von Teese visited Italy and Instagrammed pictures of her perfect newly acquired Dolce & Gabbana Cinderella heels, and a little search online turned up news I had missed that Louboutin made an elaborate pair of Cinderella heels too. The Dolce & Gabbana pair were, of course, exactly what I would want in a dream life where I had the kind of money to drop thousands on what I wear on my feet, which I obviously don’t. I didn’t really like the Miss L Fire heels enough to be willing to part for the near £100 for those either, as they weren’t close enough to the styles I was picturing in my head and swooning over. The Pinup Girl Clothing offered pairs (clear and slightly bedazzled) were closest to what I wanted, as well as my budget, but the clear pair was out of stock at the time and the slightly bedazzled Belle pair still were not quite right. So the usual thought occurred to me: is it possible for me to actually create the precise thing I am picturing? And the answer was yes. Continue reading →

Jenny January is Coming!

Posted on January 10, 2015 by missamymay

As a Pinup Girl Clothing lover I keep up to date with their hashtag on Instagram, often liking and communicating with fellow PUG fans through viewing their PUG pictures. Several times I’ve told PUGers who own the same pieces as me that we need to have a ‘twin day’ where we each wear the same PUG item on the same day and post to Instagram to see how we’ve styled it differently and to enjoy the silly pleasure of twinning with women across the world.

For a long time I kept meaning to arrange a specific day here or there for one of these twin days, but because choosing only one dress or skirt would prevent so many women from being able to take part I decided to widen the field to my favourite category of Pinup Girl Clothing items–the Jenny dresses and skirts. So from January 12th-18th over on Instagram I’m hosting #JennyJanuary, a week where all Jenny owners are encouraged to wear their Jennies, post pictures of them doing so to their Instagram and hashtag #JennyJanuary so they can interact with all the other ladies taking part. It’s a fun way to get to know other women within the community, as well as a chance to pick up some inspiration by seeing how other ladies style the same pieces you may own.

Obviously not everyone owns a Jenny dress or skirt, so in future I’ll host days that have colour and print themes or focus on all clothes from specific brands, including more budget-friendly pinup options like Lindybop and Hell Bunny.

If you don’t have Instagram you can still get involved by posting pictures on twitter and at replying me to @pinupamymay. On Facebook if you follow me at Facebook.com/missamymay you can also tag me on any posts you share on there, or post your pictures to my wall. I’m excited to see ladies come together across all of social media to share the joy of their favourite Jennies, and I look forward to featuring some of my favourite participants both on Instagram and here on my blog.

Hope to see you get involved!

A Very Festive Pinup – My Christmas Outfits Wrap Up

Posted on January 3, 2015 by missamymay

I love Christmas for a whole host of reasons–the food, the gift giving, the time spent with family, the decorations and festive songs, the food, the break from work…the food. Ha. But since becoming a pinup I’ve also fallen in love with the chance to get utterly dolled up. My idea of ‘casual’ is most people’s idea of getting dressed up, so for me the festive period presents the opportunity to get unashamedly glamorous as well as jolly. I pre-ordered what was to be my Christmas day dress back in late October, but after winning both the Oh My Honey and Deadly Is The Female social media contests which presented me with 2 new dresses, I had to do some party outfit reshuffling. Plus, Unique Vintage had another one of their $25 dresses sales over Black Friday which included a dress I had been coveting for some while, something I obviously bought. So, armed with a literal armful of beautiful dresses, I took the opportunity to get truly trussed up for several occasions this Christmas period and below I’ve gathered together the pictures and outfit details from each event so that you can catch up on it all in one handy place if your own Christmas revelry was too raucous for you to have been able to keep up to date with your Instagram and/or blog feeds this holiday. Let us begin!

The Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing Birdie Dress in Dark Red Raffeta won from Deadly Is The Female
The Occasion: Worn for my Christmas dinner date with my dear friend Steph Continue reading →

Falling In Love With Yourself This Year [#LovingMeIn2015]

Posted on January 1, 2015 by missamymay

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I find it vaguely alarming that we’re already in 2015, but it’s exciting too because there’s a lot of events and plans I have for this year that I’m excited for. 2014 was good to me: I really found a polish and confidence in my pinup style that made me feel I’m continuing to grow and blossom as a woman; I began this blog and through it met a lot of lovely individuals through both followers and companies alike; but perhaps more importantly of all, I gained a bunch of unwanted weight and learned to love myself anyway.

It was no great surprise that I gained weight this year. My weight has always been something I’ve struggled to be consistent with because I straight up love food and hate exercising. It’s that simple. I’m kind of greedy, really. And this year I stopped exercising and I ate everything I wanted to eat. It’s not the healthiest thing to do because it’s important that everyone lead an active and balanced lifestyle. But I gave myself permission to focus on my life and my passions and enjoying myself, food included, to not beat myself up if I gained weight and to learn to love my body regardless of whether it swelled or shrank. I saw myself gaining weight, more than I wanted, but I still didn’t feel like I wanted to lose that weight, I didn’t feel I had to in order to feel comfortable or pretty or attractive, so I didn’t. I kept eating and I kept relaxing, and I didn’t stress about the lbs piling on. I began to love my body for the mere face that it exists and works and serves me beautifully even when my stomach is almost permanently sporting a food baby. I told myself that I am fabulous at any size, in any shape. And it’s true. I really believe I am. And I believe that kind of self-love and self-confidence is something every woman, every person, deserves to feel. Continue reading →

Custom Cute, Custom Chic

Posted on December 22, 2014 by missamymay

Today on the blog I thought I’d share something a little bit different with you. This isn’t a review or a How To, but more so a glimpse into a particular day in my life, a particular day that was very stylish and fun and resulted in several lovely photos I wanted to share with you because I’m proud of them, for several reasons.

I come from a big family, child 4 of 5. My siblings and I are diversely talented, but my younger sister, Rachel, has the talent that it would perhaps have been more useful that I, the vintage style lover, would have had: she’s a nifty little clothes maker. She’s in her final year of her Costume Design degree and already doing lots of ridiculously impressive work freelance on international stage shows alongside her mentors, which she would be very embarrassed about my mentioning, but hey, a big sister’s gotta brag. Every term for her university degree she undertakes a new design-and-make project, and this unit she designed a Hungarian embroidered retro-inspired peplum waistcoat fitted to the exact measurements of her lucky big sister, Miss Amy May 😉

I’m not quite lucky enough to get to keep it–and God do I wish I could keep it–but I did have a fabulous day shooting this gorgeous piece styled as 3 separate outfits for her portfolio. We took to the streets (and a galleria, and the pier,) with her photographer friend in tow, and these are the shots I’ve been granted special sisterly permission to share with you.

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Travelling in Style

Posted on November 29, 2014 by missamymay

I don’t get away on vacation a lot, but this year I’ve taken a couple of long weekends with friends and family, which is always lovely. Less lovely is the juggle of figuring out how to adapt one’s pinup style to the practical requirements of packing and travelling. It’s tricky sometimes, but being comfortable and stylish on the move is a balance that can be struck as long as you bear in mind a few key components. A big one is the weather.

Travelling in summer means you want to wear something cool as well as comfortable: halter dresses, strapless dresses or 2 or 3 piece sets work well, as long as you remember to take into account your own body and it’s needs: I hate the feeling of a tight waistband if I’m going to be sitting for a few hours travelling, so there are certain pieces in my wardrobe that I just can’t wear for long journeys, like my Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dresses. On my weekend away this summer I opted to wear my super comfortable red Tiki Temptation dress by Glamour Bunny for the drive to the beach with my family. It has overwiring on the cups to give a great shape to the neckline but the rest of the dress is soft and has give, so it doesn’t dig in while sitting.

Day 1: Glamour Bunny Tiki Temptation Dress

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JOAN-sing For Atypical Girl Clothing

Posted on November 11, 2014 by missamymay

I was recently very excited to attend the launch party for Atypical-girl.com, a brand new clothing website stocking a selection of carefully curated original vintage and reproduction clothing, aimed at retro loving dolls and girls with a fashion edge. Atypical Girl is different to your typical pinup clothing site because the focus is on finding your own style, whether that be with a truly authentic eye to a classic era or with a modern take on vintage looks you love. So I was very curious to attend to the launch party and see just what Atypical Girl would be about–and of course, it was no surprise that it was a great event held in a funky private member’s club, featuring a variety of excellent retro music, vintage canapes and even some kick-ass Go Go dancers. I was thrilled to meet Atypical Girl’s founder Simone Hadfield, @missturnstiles to you Instagrammers, who, yes, is as gorgeous, chic and lovely in person as you’d expect. I love me some Girl Bosses, and Simone is definitely one of them. Pictures of the event can be found on the Atypical Girl’s Facebook page, which you should go like. Bonus points to the first reader to count up the number of times I’m caught pulling a stupid face while actively engaging in conversation (It is, I’m ashamed to say, many times.)

After attending such a wonderful event it was obvious I needed something from the Atypical Girl range, and at Simone’s own suggestion I couldn’t help but agree that the Joan dress had to join my wardrobe. This green wiggle dress is a true classic, made of knitted twill it’s comfortable as well as flattering, and I love the waist detail of pleats settled beneath a fabric kind-of-belt that crosses at the front then fastens behind with a single button. The dress is truly timeless, and considering how killer it would look on Christina Hendricks’ character in Mad Men it is no surprise at all why this hot little item is named the Joan. All you redheaded ladies definitely need to pick up this colourway as it will be true magic with your ginger hair, but it’s such a universally complimentary colour that I can’t think of a single hair colour or skin tone that wouldn’t wow in this dress.

joan1 Continue reading →