Fashion Inspiration: Frenchy from Grease! (or "How to look like a Beautiful Blonde Pineapple")

Hey Belles! Sophie (@missfifivonfosse) here.

While many young girls in the 90s aspired to be Britney Spears or Baby Spice, there was one girl who wanted nothing more than to be a pink haired, roller wearing, bubblegum chewing, beauty-school-dropper-outer.

That girl (you will be shocked to hear) was me. Yes, I was am a Frenchy wannabe.

Now that I'm in my 20s and have tried every pink dye and foam roller out there, I am going to share with you my definitive guide to everything Frenchy.

Along with the staple Pink Ladies jacket (which we all should own, imo) Frenchy wears lots of pastels. From the peach Blouse and Skirt ensemble on the first day back at school, to the Beauty School Dropout pink dress to that pale yellow layered prom dress, her wardrobe truly is enviable.

I can't promise you exact replicas, but here are some pieces to help you create a look a-la-French.

Summer Lovin'

Amazon; £2.99

Collectif; £25

Lindy Bop; £19.99

Vivien of Holloway; £59

Beauty School Dropout

Vivien of Holloway; £59

Collectif; £15

Erstwilder 'Dolly's Diner' brooch via Audrey Star's Boutique; £16.95

Amazon; £6.99

Sleepover

Glamour Bunny; £35

Amazon; £2.99

Boots; £1.79

National Bandstand

LindyBop; £29.99

LindyBop; £21.99

Graduation

Collectif; £50

Lady Luck's Boutique; £5.95

An Honourable Mention...

How could I write a post about Frenchy without mentioning the brooch that everyone is talking about at the moment?! Unfortunately, Atomic Mingo's 'Beauty School Drop Out' brooch is out of stock at the moment, bust rest assured it will be back soon.

Now, go forth and find yourself a Diner (I'd recommend Bobby-Jos in Southend-on-Sea and JBs in Brighton), a gang of sassy ladies, a pack of Hubba Bubba and voila! You are practically Doody's gal.

Have fun, Frenchettes!!!

Lots of love,

on behalf of The British Belles

The British Belles Bibliography of British Brands

(We do love a bit of alliteration at The British Belles.)

Here you will find the ultimate list of Vintage & Repro brands and boutiques based in our very own land of hope and glory. This list will be ongoing and if we have missed out your UK based brand or boutique, just let us know on our instagram @thebritishbelles or through our Contact page.
List after the jump!

Ask the British Belles - #2

Hello beauties!

A few days ago, we asked our followers on Instagram to ask us questions for our weekly feature, Ask the British Belles (#asktheBBs!)


@victoriana22_ asks: Are there any pinup style online clothing shops for petite girls?

Alice: Vivien of Holloway go down to a 24" waist, and even have 22" in store (limited to 2 styles of circle skirt). Also, Collectif size 6 fits me snug. 

Olive: Heels are your best friend. Even comfy mid heels you can find in Primark can give you a good vintage look! Also for clothes, being able to alter clothes or knowing a good haberdasher helps a lot. 

Miss VV: I use 'Stitches' in Birmingham if I'm too lazy to do it myself! Costs usually under £20. Ooh, and belts are your best friend! 

Fifi: I am no where near petite but I know BB favourite (and UK brand!) Lindy Bop do a fantastic petite range.

@m.loisel asks: Can you please plan something fabulous for us UK ladies who aren't going to Viva Las Vegas this year! The jealousy is too much haha!

Fifi: What a fabulous idea! We have all had a little natter about it and are pleased to say that we are going to arrange The British Belles Present: The Pinup Picnic for fabulous vintage vixens who aren't going to VLV! More details to come in due time...

Miss VV: Yay! How exciting! 

@frizzylois asks: Do you have any tips for styling curly/frizzy hair in 40s/50s styles?

Amber: I'd say do a head set with heated rollers to smooth out and get shape, then prolong it by doing pincurls with a good setting lotion like Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion and brushing out with a Denman brush. Finding a good oil or serum is essential of keeping frizz at bay.

We will be answering 3 questions a week so if yours isn't shown this week (and it hasn't already been answered on Instagram) just hold out for next week's installment.


Love always,

The 12 Day's Of Christmas - Atomic Amber

Aloha Peaches!

 My name is Amber Rose and I am a lipstick-loving tea-drinking part time blogger/full time cafe worker (yaaawn!) with a lust for lurex and bargains! My real passion naturally lies in my blog which is www.AtomicAmber.blogspot.com - I write about all things Pin Up, including lifestyle and fashion with the occasional hair tutorial! The aim of my blog is mainly to show your everyday girl that you don't need to spend £££+ to achieve that perfectly polished Pin Up style! I live by the seaside in East Sussex with my lovely boyfriend Patrick and my miniature Jack Russell - Django. 

I have loved vintage for around 5ish years but leaned more towards mid-century about two years ago and I have never looked back since. To be honest, I can't actually remember why I decided to switch eras but I do remember the first day I wanted to! It was when I was meeting my Dad and I just had the desire to try bumper bangs. I instantly fell in love. I will hunt down the selfie I took from before I went out for dinner that night!

No laughing! This was exactly 96 weeks ago! And the Instragram caption was 'I want to be a Pin Up!'

There are many reasons why I adore Pin Up style... The sense of community, how feminine it is and the fact that it's a style for everyone, no matter what size/race/age you are. It looks just a good on a size 18 20 year old as it does on a size 8 45 year old! I also like the fact there aren't any solid rules here. Just wear what you like and OWN it! I do think you naturally become more confident as soon as you start embracing the vintage style because let's face it you can't be a wallflower in a killer wiggle dress and a bright red lip!

My most vintage idols are Diana Dors (Of course!), Jayne Mansfield and Betty Grable. My modern day icons are Micheline Pitt, Doris Mayday, Tina De Vere, Vintage Vandalizm and WitchyBabyPinup. If you want some fabulous hair inspiration then my top two are Diablo Rose and His Vintage Touch - who are both firm Bombshell favourites!

For Christmas I'd really love Santa (or my lovely boyfriend ;D!!!!!) to bring me a mesh waspie corset from Orchard Corset, some gorgeous sparkly's from Bow And Crossbones, Hug Me Baby Jeans from Lady K Loves and some B.A.I.T shoes. Not asking for much, right? Hahah! I have done a blog post with my full Christmas List (http://atomicamber.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/christmas-wish-list.html) and if you're stuck for ideas, I have also done a couple of gift guides over on Atomic Amber too!

Find me:

Instagram - @AmberRoseTheron 

Facebook - Atomic Amber

 Blog - www.AtomicAmber.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for reading my little peaches! I hope you got to know Moi a little bit more ;)

All my love, hugs and mistletoe kisses,

Amber Rose, xo