Daily Archives: August 6, 2012

Our trip to the Viva Rockabilly Weekender was full of exciting new adventures. One of which I was uber excited for was visiting the Bettie Page Clothing stores. Why? As long as I have been passionate about this lifestyle, I have ALWAYS purchased everything online! There are absolutely no boutiques that cater to the pin up/rockabilly style anywhere close to where I live, definitely very depressing. Needless to say, I felt like a kid in a candy store walking into Bettie Page. Knowing all the styles and names was quite funny to my fiancee, but to me…this was a normal. We visited both Las Vegas locations of course and was thrilled to scoop up the Illusion Dress on the sale rack for $65…but it gets even better, there was another 25% off at the register!!!

Although the Illusion Dress is now discontinued, you can snag the new Alika Dress either in wiggle or circle skirt in a variety of colors. Available in S to 4X – MSRP $134-140USD.

When it comes to sizing in Bettie Page, I am all over the place depending on the style and fabric. It came as a total surprise the Medium fit perfectly in the Illusion Dress since it is not made from a very stretchy material (polyester/rayon mix) like bengaline. According to their size charts, I should be a Large based on my waist 29 and hips 41. Let’s just say I am so happy a certain someone told me to give it a try, I was convinced it would be too small. The length was perfect, no need to hem although I am only 5ft 4 inches. I would like to add that no alterations of any kind where required, it fit fabulously right off the rack.

The lovely netting around the nape of the neck is super elegant and not scratchy but comes with one small downfall…bra selection. You will ruin the classic look with a dark bra strap of any kind, it calls for a strapless or clear straps without a doubt. The Illusion Dress features capped sleeves with plenty of arm room and a contrasting belt. Since this particular one was on clearance and missing the belt, the Bettie Page clerk grabbed a lovely grey one from their back room to ensure I was not missing a complete outfit. Kudos to the staff at the Planet Hollywood location, they were so friendly and beyond helpful.

When it comes to accessories, I suggest to keep it very simple. The netting gives it a unique look and does not require much more. Pair this with your favorite Mary-Jane heels and vintage stud earrings. That’s it, you’re done! As for shapewear, you can get away with something with light support since the material is very forgiving. In these photos, I opted not to wear any shapewear at all so you could see how great it looks even without.

The best part of the whole shopping experience was the staff at the Planet Hollywood location, they truly care about their customers and offer them top notch service. I could have stayed there the entire day…fabulous customer service goes a long way these days! If you are not able to visit their stores…I highly recommend their online store as well. Their International shipping rates are very inexpensive (they offer free shipping promos often as well) and normally takes under 2 weeks to arrive to Canada. If you really love the Illusion Dress, search the internet as there are quite a few boutiques clearing them out!