I’ve never actually attended a Pinup Girl Clothing yard sale. I’ve seen it done online several times before, but never attended one. My sister has attended one and she’s picked up a purse and a dress when it was held in Anaheim. This is the first time Pinup Girl Clothing has had a yard sale in the Bay Area. I really did not know what to expect, only to be ready to spend more than I would think for. I mean, who could say “no” to $5 to $60 Pinup Girl Clothing branded clothing?
The Outfit?
Normally, I would post what I wore to this event, but because this was mostly about trying on clothes and shopping, I decided to be comfortable. My style is kinda inspired by Willow Piper from Fallout 4. I suppose this could be a Falloutbound? The coat is vintage from the original Burlington Coat Factory as passed down from my dad to me. This coat may have survived the ‘Blizzard of 78 under Duakakis’ watch. However, it was a cool day in the Bay Area, so I decided to bundle up. There were a few people who did dress in pinup style, but it wasn’t necessary. I did like seeing everyone’s pinup inspired hair and dresses!
The Shopping
The shopping event occurred at the Argonaut Hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a BART ride to Embarcadero and followed by a Lyft ride, I dare not take the F Market Street line from Embarcadero as it’s usually slow and the streetcars don’t come as often during the weekend. My Lyft driver was also a fan of Pinup Girl Clothing and I had told her about the sale. We spent the 10 minute drive from the BART station just lollygagging over pinup and retro fashion. The Argonaut Hotel is a very small hotel at the end of the wharf. I arrived at 10:30 and there was a line to get in. The line was not all too bad. They could only let in so many people at a time. I understood why they did this; it would have been a madhouse if they let in everyone all at once! After half an hour of waiting, I was finally let in!
I immediately found one of my “unicorns” (aka a rare dream dress). I’ve been eyeing the black and white military secretary for some time. I had many a missed opportunity. I also ended up picking up a pink dress and a cute sailor dress. I did try some other styles available including a yellow Mary Blair parasol dress and several other sailor style dresses. Much of what you can find on the racks are discontinued styles not found on the website, but if you’re lucky, you can find something from the last season. I actually saw a few girls picking up the saxon Jenny dress from the holiday season.
In the past, Pinup Girl Clothing had problems with customers being rude and greedy towards one another. However, people were very helpful. In the dressing area, people were giving each other compliments and helping zip up. Because I have a strange set of curves and T-Rex arms, this was very helpful to get the zipper past up the back.
The Haul
Unicorn acquired!
Love for nautical themed dresses!
I need more pink in my wardrobe
Free gifts? Free gifts.
The Wharf
I went around Fisherman’s Wharf after shopping. It was a nice day out; thankfully, it wasn’t raining. I haven’t been to the wharf in almost ten years. I think the last time I went was with my college roommate who wanted to explore the city. The wharf hasn’t quite changed much. A few photos of what to see and do while you’re in the area:
Maritime displays throughout the hotel. This ship is called the Snark – a ship after my heart.
San Francisco is home to the cult classic, The Room. Tommy Wiseau, the disaster artist behind this movie, did set up shop in the wharf to finance the project.
Um…I’m a pinup girl. Not a damn hippy.
Madame Tussaud’s wax museum
The Disney AP in me is sad this doesn’t give out free bread.
Alcatraz
Yay warships.
Sealions of Pier 39
Overall, I was quite thankful for this event. Though I have lived in Orange County while Pinup Girl Clothing was having sales, it’s nice to finally check one out and take home some fancy dresses to add to the wardrobe. No matter where I am after this, I really hope to see everyone I met at the yard sale again. Thank you for reminding me that the pinup lifestyle is one of the most positive and warmest fashion communities I’ve ever partaken in!
A Miss Called Vicky | IG: @afelineofspectre