The Pin up Plan -The Art of Seduction

The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene has been in my literary arsenal for some time now.  One of my many "phases" involved a fascination with courtesans..which led me to this book and also a love of burlesque.

Art of Seduction - Robert Greene

I am a big fan of empowered women, and I think that courtesans and burlesque performers get a bad rep.  In reality, courtesans had far more freedom, education and power than their married couterparts, and burlesque (in my opinion) takes a certain level of comfort in your skin and self confidence.  (Not to gloss over the fact that there was indeed some ugliness in these professions as well..but I prefer to focus on the positives ;)

Veronica Franco, Courtesan Extraordinaire (The movie Dangerous Beauty was about her.)

Dita Von Teese, Burlesque performer and vintage darling

But I digress.  I had considered doing just a book review of The Art of Seduction for the Pin up Plan, but then it struck me that the different seductive characters addressed in this book can correlate to your pin up style.

For the purpose of this blog, I will only address the female seduction styles as follows:

• The Siren
• The Ideal
• The Natural
• The Coquette
• The Charmer
• The Charismatic
• The Star
• The Anti-Seducer

My intention is to relate each style to a pin up (past or present) and/or historical figure, to break it down as it relates to style preferences and to give examples of how you can use it to enhance your personal style.

..and before you think I'm advocating that you go out and seduce the world (though I'm certainly not opposed to that ;) I think this book can be read many ways.  It's not only a tool for "seduction", but insight into how you interact with others, what your strengths are and how you can use them to communicate to your best advantage.  After all, successful communication is flirting at it's best ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Style It - The Golden 50's Hostess Shoe

Today's Style It features an adorable pair of golden hostess shoes from the shop.  I fell in love with these shoes (mainly because they remind me of my favorite Disney Princess, Belle ;) but also because they're such perfect party shoes!

Look number one would be great for a black tie holiday event.  The gorgeous Dita exemplifies the perfect hair and make up for this look, and just look at how cozy and luxurious that coat is!

Untitled #26 by constantlyalice featuring black cocktail dresses

Look number two is a little more playful and colorful.  Great for a fun party with friends (especially if you're the hostess..they are hostess shoes after all!)

Hostess Shoe - Fun by constantlyalice featuring betsey johnson necklace

Take a look at Belle's footwear here..pretty close, right?

How would you style the golden hostess shoe?

Hugs and Smooches,
D