Hey everyone! It's me Tahitia again, and if you're ready I'd love to share with you part two of my adventure in Las Vegas at the Viva Rockabilly Weekend!

So with the big recap and list of to do's for next year out of the way, it's time we reviewed what exactly I picked up in Vegas.

Bordello Military Themed T-Strap Platform Pump

This is now the biggest shoe that I've ever worn. The Military Themed T-Strap Platform Pump by Bordello Shoes took a lot of getting used to at Viva and I still think that I'm going to have a TON of getting used to ahead when it comes to walking in these, but do you see what I mean when I say that they were MADE for the Rockabilly Diner Dress in Olive Green? Seriously PUG should be selling these right along side the RDD.

I'm so thankful to the sales girl who blurted out "I HAVE SHOES THAT MATCH YOUR DRESS". They're just beautifully vintage and the red stripes even match the red Lux de Ville Mini Gambler Tote in Red.

Speaking of which...

Lux de Ville Mini Gambler Tote in Red

I've always wanted to pinup purse, and my dreams have been answered. The Lux de Ville Mini Gambler Tote in Red isn't too big, not too small, it comes with a cute chain strap but can be replaced with a practical conventional strap. I'll definitely be bringing this to our first Great Lakes Pinup get together this spring!

Pinup Couture's Heidi Dress in White with Black Polka-Dots

It's so funny that this was for sale at the PUG booth because my husband and I were talking about buying Pinup Couture's Heidi Dress in White with Black Polka-Dots from Retro Glam's website in Edmonton because of all of the Heidi's I'd ever seen it was by far my favourite colour AND I thought Retro Glam were the only ones selling it.

What else can I say about the Heidi that hasn't been said already? It flatters busts big and small, it's slimming on big girls and figure enhancing for smaller ones, and no other dress in your wardrobe will make you feel more like a pinup. Plus the white and black polka-dots just scream spring time parties and summer picnics. My bust is 37" and my waist is 29" so I was a perfect fit for the medium pictured here. This is THE definitive pinup girl dress in my opinion, end of story!

Believe me ladies, if you haven't already bought a Heidi, you will not regret getting one :)

Lana Dress in Teal Fireworks Stretch Canvas

As surprising as finding the Heidi in White with Black Polka-Dots was at the PUG booth, stumbling across Lana Dress in Teal Fireworks Stretch Canvas was my Las Vegas Jackpot score for the weekend! There was only one dress left and it just happened to be a medium, just my size since like I said I'm 37" in the bust and 29" in the waist.

This was a very interesting dress to wear when I wore it around on Saturday night. PUG's website says that it's "stretch canvas which offers structure" and they're really not kidding, this might be the sturdiest dress I've ever worn in my life. It's probably one of the smallest dresses considering how short the skirt is and that it's sleeveless, but I think it's heavier than even some of PUG's bigger dresses because of the fabric, I think it's made of drill cotton.

It's because of the weight in the skirt that this dress was meant for dancing. It twirls with a great and perfect flow to it and you'll be right at home on any dance floor in this little number. I suspected when I first saw the dress online that the skirt would fly up so high you'd be showing off a bit of a peek-a-boo at your underwear every time you twirled in it... and after testing it out on Saturday night, it turned out I was right.

That's why my husband calls it the "Look at my undies" dress :)

This will definitely be my dress for our next Lindy Hop class dance. Since I got it at such a discount, it unfortunatly didn't come with it's own belt, so for now I'm going to be pairing it with one of PUG's wide black belts. I think it works pretty good!


2 out of 3 pinups agree, it's boob grabbingly good ;)

Orleans Gift Shop Polka-Dot Bikini

Now full disclosure, this bathing suit is NOT from Pinup Girl Clothing, nor is it from one of the actual vendors at Viva Las Vegas. The reason I'm sharing this is because how honestly surprised I was that I found it in of all places, the Orleans Hotel Gift Shop nearest the pool.

You see the reason I bought this, like I said in Part 1 was because two new friends I just made were at the pool party on Friday and wanted to go for a swim, but since I hadn't planned on going to the pool party I was without a bathing suit. Since our hotel was too far away, my only option was the either the vendors or the gift shop, and the gift shop was closest.

Considering the awful luck I've had in the past with gift shop swimwear, I really felt like I hit the jackpot on this one. The halter top has a great underwire and provided a lot of support with just enough cleavage, and the bottoms are JUST high enough to give it a retro vintage. Not to mention they really hugged my hips perfectly without squeezing at all.

So if you're ever at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, and you're in a bind looking for a bikini at the last minute, just check out their gift shop near the pool. They had quite a few other vintage cuts and styles too, so you have a bit of a selection to choose from :) I'm a 37" in the bust, a 29" in the waist and a 40.5" in the hips and a medium fit just perfectly.

So with our recap of Viva and our product reviews all wrapped up can you guess what time it is?....

Around the PUG Style Blogosphere

Starting things off tonight is Amber with her ownrecap of Viva Las Vegas. She absolutely owned every outfit she brought and offered some good ideas and advice for making next years Viva even better. I think I like the idea of switching to nocturnal is pretty good since that would leave time at night to enjoy the parties and dancing, but then you'd miss out on all the day events.

Sigh... if only I could just go without sleep ;)

Natalie shared her own Viva Las Vegas 16 Car Show Recap, it's always great to hear that someone had so much fun that they'll come back next year for even longer :) I know exactly what she means about how great it was to hear so many languages at the convention. She says that she needs to improve on her hair and makeup but personally I think she's done an incredible job already :)

Ellie Mae Berry introduced herself to everyone here on the forums in her post Newbie Alert! She lets us all know about her "boobtastic" first experience with a PUG dress, how PUG's changed her outlook and her self esteem and how she's looking forward to getting to know us all and meet us all. I'm looking forward to her being a part of Pinup Girl Style too :)

The sultry La Cholita aka Natasha Estrada was nice enough to mention both Amber and I in her blog about PUG's favourite pictures, blogs and stories from Viva. Thank you so much and you are such a sweetheart :)

Leanna Bruce told us all about the incredible story of none other than Dita Von Teese herself sharing her blog Appleton Pin Up Girl for all of her readers! I'm not surprised at all though Leanna's an amazing writer and her interviews with burlesque performers really make for great reading. If you haven't been following those blogs you really should, you won't regret it :)

Amanda Peterson opened her heart up in her personal blog You Can Pin Me Up, But You'll Never Pin Me Down: How Pinup Saved My.... In it Amanda holds nothing at all back, telling us how a bad relationship left her self-esteem at an all time low, but how a pinup photo shoot and everything that followed started her down a much better path to where she is today :)

Aoife offered A 24K Thank You to Pinup Girl and Pinup Girl Style in a beautiful blog about where she's coming from, how she came to discover pinup, then discover PUG itself, and topped it all off with sharing what I swear are the best pictures that I've seen all year. Aoife you are just a glow with glamour and grace, thank you so much for sharing those wonderful pics :)

Lee Ann gave us a progress report on her Pin-Me-Up Progress Report. She's doing great by the sound of things and really wants to keep going, especially now that "dress season" is almost here with the warmer weather. Not to mention she looks absolutely AMAZING in those cigarette high waisted pants, and what woman DOESN'T love finding out that they're a smaller size in the change room than they thought? Thanks for sharing Lee Ann!

Jessica McGuinty told us all about why the Lauren Dress was THE dress for her to wear to a photoshoot for her new book on curly hair inWhen you’re being photographed for a book, it’s Lauren all the way. :) I definitely agree that the Lauren is one of my favourite PUG designs ever and it's definitely on my wish list for Christmas. I hope can share the picture from the photoshoot when it's ready Jessica!

If you haven't checked out Cela Hyatt's blog Pacifiers & Pinups then you're really missing out on some great advice from a very talented woman. Have a look at her most recent post on the basics of Cultivating a Pinup wardrobe :)

Finally last but certainly not least, Kirsti Salmi offered A heartfelt thank you to Team Pinup - Thoughts on PUG, illness, and... in her very touching and personal blog about how greatfull she is that no matter how things might change for her with her illness, she's reassured that PUG will be there to make her feel beautiful no matter what.

What else can anyone say about PUG? :) So now that we've wrapped up our trip around the blogosphere, there's only one more thing left to do...

Forum Time :)

So let's have a look at the best topics around the forum to kick off April :)

Leanna Bruce asked everyone for some help with ideas for raising enough money to come to the U.S. and visit L.A. this year in Help Fundraising! I really hope that she can make it because she's such a hard working woman and active part of the whole pinup community. Good luck Leanna :)

Our new friend Ellie Mae Berry had a couple of threads, one asking if there are artists out there in Art?, and one asking for advice on a personal situation where a friend's mother Bad Influence on My Daughter. I hope that everything works out for Ellie Mae and her friend :) 

SaBreena Hernandez started a great thread about just what pinup clothes do for her self-esteem and how they've helped her become who she is in Transforming with PUG (Coming out of your shell). Lola Blaine asked for help in deciding her pinup name inYet another plea for help with the pin up name! Personally I like the ring of "Lola Monroe" :)

Lastly, Suzanne Stevens asked for anyone who could help about New York City, What to see and where to shop?. I've never been myself but I would LOVE to go there one day, especially for a PUG meet & greet.

In Conclusion

Viva Las Vegas was exactly what I needed to be a part of. I feel so recharged now, I'm happier than I've been so far this year and I really do believe more than ever that 2013 is going to be an amazing year.

My friend Mz Kitty Demure (my mentor and burlesque mom) told me once the trick to self improvement is to surround yourself with people who are better than you in something you want to be better at, that way you're always learning. I feel like that's what happened to me over the four days, learning new ideas and inspirations from burlesque dancers on Friday and Saturday night, and learning about what it takes to be a pinup model from Cherry Dollface and Darla Doherty.

One last thing that I want to say about Viva is that the best experience you will have there is meeting people. Whether it's a father & son rockabilly band at the pool party, a group of photographers from Texas who happen to be as big Steampunks as you and your hubby, or a woman who you stop to compliment on her bikini shorts and she ends up telling you how unlike her home town, Viva is the only place she feels comfortable wearing bright lipstick and blush and not being looked at as a.. well... you get the picture.

That was my favourite part of Viva, and that's why I'm going back next year :)

There's a heck of a lot that I have to get working on now, and I'm so excited to be doing it. I'll was just a burlesque show this past Wednesday and I promise to have the video for you up as soon as I can.

The last thing I want to say is my own little thank you to Pinup Girl Clothing to letting me be a part of this community. My friend Kara Rexx said it best this weekend when I heard her say "I just want to say thank you PUG for showing me how to feel beautiful".

Take care guys and hugs,

Tahitia