If Reno could dress itself up it would wear classic Betty Page pinup style circa 1940s and 1950s.
The town is a rockabilly paradise with slicked back hair and retro girls ready to head out to Hot August Nights to check out the cars or just a night out on the town at any one of Reno’s night clubs.
Looking to get that hot pinup look? Cynthia Lewis, owner of Dress Like That! (711 S. Virginia St., 775-742-2931) has everything to transform any woman into a sexy retro girl.
“I think it is a great style,” says Cynthia, 54, who is also an esthetician, about opening the store in January 2011. “Feminine and sexy.”
“The women of that age were so classic and beautiful and timeless,” says Cynthia, who has called Reno her home for more than 35 years, gushing. “You can look at a picture of those women today and they are stunning. It inspired me.”
Chasing her dream she started online buying and selling retro clothes until she sold her salon. She opened Dress Like That! a year and a half ago to fill a gap in Reno’s fashion offerings. Up to that point women dug through thrift store racks searching for the clothes to create the look or ordered online, but were disappointed when the product arrived because it either didn’t fit or wasn’t what they expected.
“Here you can come in and try it on, look at it, touch it, and see it,” says Cynthia about the blouses, dresses, skirts, pants, and accessories such as handbags, hats, and gloves that she carries in the shop. Unfortunately, she doesn’t stock lingerie or men’s retro clothing in her small shop that is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
The store has been a hit. Cynthia estimates about 100 people, new and returning customers, a month shop at Dress Like That!
“It’s been better than what I imagined what it was going to be. The response has been bigger than I thought,” says Cynthia, excited. “I really love what I’m doing right now. I’m really happy and pleased with the way it’s going.”
“Part of my passion in this is for women to feel good about themselves. I feel like … your inner beauty comes out when you outwardly feel good and look good,” says Cynthia, who feels that women have lost that a bit and have gotten trapped in a rut with jeans and sweats.
She mourns the time when women took more “care about looking good and getting out there and taking care of ourselves,” she says.
That doesn’t mean that she doesn’t wear jeans and sweats on her days off.
Pulling off the look
So what does it take to pull off a retro pinup girl look?
Cynthia says there is definitely an attitude and confidence that finishes off the look.
“You have to own it,” says Cynthia.
The other key factor to carry the cool, sexy attitude is to have fun with the clothes. Play around with it and explore the different pinup styles to find what works for you.
To get the look, visit Dresslikethat.com.
To purchase reprints, contact ">editor [@] girlsthatroam [.] com.
