Hello. My name is Rima, and I am a scientist by trade. I also happen to be a PUG addict, as I own approximately seventy or so individual pieces, not including accessories. I live in a university town in northern California, which happens to be 356 miles away from the Pinup Girl Boutique in Burbank. That is the equivalent of about a tank and a half of gas and five and a half hours' worth of driving south on the hot, dusty, and incredibly dull Interstate 5. 

Needless to say, it isn't quite a cakewalk to pick up and visit the store. However, my good friend needed staff to work at the convention he was organizing and offered to pay my expenses if I agreed to volunteer my services. The convention was to take place from August 17-19 in Pasadena, and I could also help out beforehand with last-minute preparations if I showed up a few days early. By a massive stroke of coincidence, Laura Byrnes, also known as the Supreme Overlord of Pinup Girl, and Masuimi Max, Pinup Girl’s official Spokesmodel, announced that they would be at the Boutique to give their expert opinions and assistance to those who came and shopped on Wednesday afternoon. Given the opportunity to visit LA for virtually nothing AND also meet Laura and Masuimi, it was obvious what was to be done!

After a long drive on Wednesday, during which I had to stop and put oil in my car because I forgot to check the level before leaving home, I arrived at the Boutique around 4pm, wearing my blue Deadly Dames Vamp dress. The storefront is beautiful—two big glass cases with exquisitely painted mannequins dressed in our favorite new PUG styles. As soon as I walked in, I saw Laura sitting by the Beauty Bar, and she recognized me from our Twitter chats! I also met Masuimi and Doris right then, and all the ladies looked completely fabulous, of course! More importantly, though, they were wonderfully friendly and helpful. And funny! 

I browsed the store briefly, looking at how the dresses and separates were arranged. Team Pinup did a wonderful job displaying their dresses, and as many pictures of the boutique are available to browse through, I will refrain from describing the layout in acute detail. I’m enough of a PUG nerd to know the names of EVERY SINGLE DRESS on display, and it was such a thrill seeing all of them in one place! 

The one dress I knew I was definitely getting was the Pinup Couture Sadie Dress in Red Floral Border Print—I specifically withheld buying it from the website just to get it in the store! That dress is simply lovely. At first, I thought that my usual size (Medium) wasn’t working with the Sadie, but I just needed help getting the side zipper up. I of course loved it!

Laura was extremely good at picking things out for me to try on, and she was a true pro—she didn’t try to sell me things that didn’t work out. I tried on the Erika dress in Vintage Rose, and when she saw it sagged around my middle, she shook her head and said, “No.” She explained her design philosophy for dresses at that point, that she mostly starts from scratch with each one, which is why the sizing can vary so much between different styles of dresses. Masuimi was also very helpful in giving her opinions on various pieces, especially pieces I had shied away from ordering online because I thought they wouldn’t work out for me. I have never had much success wearing strapless items, such as the Dixiefried Bustier Top, due to my somewhat sizable chest. Shockingly, I tried one on, and it fit like a charm and supported me just fine! I also had the chance to try on the Black Label High-Waisted Cropped Trousers that Laura so highly recommended, and ZOMG! These are the BEST pants in the whole world! They fit like a charm, were extremely comfortable, and flattered my figure so well! EVERY PUG addict should buy at least one pair of these pants as soon as possible! 

At the end of trying several items on and getting help with fit and zippers by Laura and Masuimi (I even had Laura’s hands up my dress at one point), I was rung up by the lovely Carole, who was wearing a beautiful red vintage dress that was to DIE for! I acquired the Sadie as mentioned, the Pinup Couture Annalise Dress in Black with Pink Tipsy Elephants, the Dixiefried Bustier Top in Tiki Print, the LB Black Label Trousers, and the Dixiefried Tiki Twist Dress in Blue and Gold Tiki Print. After making my purchase, I hung around because I was having so much fun listening to Laura’s, Masuimi’s, and Doris’ crazy stories and took some photos with them as well! 

I had such a marvelous time during my shopping trip to the Pinup Girl Boutique, and I really appreciated having the advice and help from such awesome ladies! Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to go back soon.