Over the years, I’ve done my fair share of experimenting when it came to my fashion sense and personal style. A peek into my closet will reveal a jumbled collection of bright colors, daring patterns and cuts, questionable trends from the past, everyday casual wear, and timeless classics alike. Much like my makeup- I’m not afraid to take the occasional risk and make a bold statement with my look and how I present myself.

There is always a type of fashion I never stray too far from, however. Vintage and retro style, sometimes referred to as “Pin-Up Girl Style”, is a look I’ve coveted since my days of playing dress-up with my grandmother as a little girl all the way ’til now. It’s always suited me: my figure, my wild hair, and even my personality. What I love most about this type of fashion is that it can be worn pretty much anywhere and is universally flattering. At work, I look sharp, professional, but still feminine- and when I go out for a night on the town, I look classy and sophisticated, without looking matronly.

I’ve mentioned my love of ModCloth.com in the past. It’s where I purchase a lot of my prominent pieces of clothing and accessories. The only downside to ModCloth, though- is that not everything is sized the same way, so there is always the possibility that something you’ve ordered, even after selecting the correct size, may not entirely fit properly once it arrives. Another downside is that what you’ve ordered might not look the same way on your body as you may have envisioned it when you initially ordered it, and while there are return policies and customer service options- if you needed the dress/top/pants/etc. for anything urgent, such a setback can leave you in a bit of a pinch.

Ideally, I prefer to try the clothing on, move around in it, see how it makes my body look, determine whether or not I like the feel of the fabric on my skin, so on and so forth. I’ve been hard pressed to find a local shop that not only carries reasonably priced vintage and retro style clothing, but also has a wide, diverse selection of quality products- and informed, friendly employees who will help me select the proper sizes and allow me to try the clothing on before purchasing.

Enter Bettie Page Clothing, who have a Boston location right on Newbury Street. They also have locations in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Santa Barbara, Philadelphia, New York City, Portland, and my home away from home- San Diego- right in the Gaslamp Quarter.

I first heard about BPC during the Dropkick Murphy’s record release party at McGreevy’s last month, when the store was advertised during a t-shirt giveaway. The name stuck with me because 1. I love Bettie Page, and 2. I hadn’t been shopping on Newbury Street in a while, and was wondering how I could have possibly missed the news of such a store opening in the area. I made a mental note to check it out.

Upon visiting their website a few days later, I was instantly smitten with their collections (and prices), and knew I had to go to the store to see everything up close. It’s been a few weeks coming, but I finally made it in last night to shop. The store is, for lack of a better word, adorable- from the front window display to the little lounge area by the fitting rooms in the back. The clothing is beautiful and truly well-made, and the staff were absolute sweethearts who were beyond helpful. I left with a gorgeous high-waisted flowing skirt that I can’t wait to wear in the Spring.

I definitely plan on returning within the next couple of weeks, specifically to pick up certain nautical style (another love of mine- nautical anything) and cherry print dresses that I saw advertised in a catalog of anticipated new arrival merchandise one of the saleswomen gave to me for a trip I’m taking at the end of next month.

Besides shopping, I had gone out for dinner with Sean last night, and we followed it up with a walk around town. We ended up by the Bunker Hill Monument and decided to take a few photos, the above ones being a few of my favorites from the bunch. The monument and the surrounding neighborhood is my favorite in Charlestown. It’s just beautiful, especially in the Summer, but it was still nice despite the chill in the air.