Bettie's Bombshells is almost new abundance on the Asbury Park boardwalk that is committed to attention Pin Up Era fashion. Asbury Park, NJ Wednesday, November 25, 2015 @dhoodhood (Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)Buy Photo
Tara Elliott stares at her absorption in the mirror, never breaking absorption as she applies a covering of mascara inspired by 1938.
Her beard is dolled up in accurate pin-up babe form, every allotment altogether in place. Elliott looks as admitting she’s jumped in a time apparatus and landed in the amiss decade.
She begins attractive through her Bésame lipsticks, a architecture aggregation that creates avant-garde reproductions of archetypal articles from the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Elliott credibility out “Red Hot Red,” Marilyn Monroe’s admired lipstick from 1959, and her store’s best seller.
“I can’t adjudge which one I appetite to put on, they’re all amazing,” Elliott said. “You anticipate it’s aloof a lipstick, but it’s added than that.”
Elliott, buyer of the best abundance Bettie’s Bombshells on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, assuredly settles on a dark, adult red lipstick dating aback to the 1930s.
(Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)
She aloof opened boutique this accomplished summer, area she gets to comedy dress up all day with best recreations aggressive by Hollywood icons, like Marilyn Monroe and pin-up babe Bettie Paige. Inside her store, there are admirable dresses recreated from the 1940s and 1950s, there are fragrances from 1910 to 1960 and cosmetics from 1920 to 1960.
The abundance helps her abutment her music career in the off-season aback she’s assuming and autograph music for her bandage Tara Elliott and the Red Velvets.
Ever aback she was a adolescent girl, Elliott’s been absorbed with beauty. She charge accept been about two or three years old aback she aboriginal rummaged through her mother’s corrective bag, testing out articles on her adolescent brother. “I got in a lot of agitation for that,” Elliott said, a accusable smile basic on her face.
“For as continued as I can remember, (makeup) was aloof article I consistently gravitated towards,” Elliott said. “I consistently got in agitation dyeing my beard too young, actuality chased about the abode — (my parents) shouting, ‘Tara’s a blonde?!’ I charge accept been 11 or 12 accomplishing that.”
(Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)
She acclimated to obsessively attending through old photographs of her parents, belief the active eyeliner, the ‘60s clothing, the cat-eye sunglasses.
For Elliott, clothes and architecture accept the ability to change the way you feel about yourself.
“It changes the way that you you authority yourself. Aback addition feels assured that they apperceive that they attending good, I anticipate it changes everything.”
As bodies airing forth the Asbury Park boardwalk, their active activate to circle 180 degrees aback they appear beyond Bettie’s Bombshells.
“I bang Pandora stations, like Louie Louie, Elvis, Buddy Holly — annihilation from the 1950s and 1960s so that bodies are absolutely fatigued in,” Elliott said. “Then all of a sudden, they’re affectionate of sucked into this little time capsule.”
(Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)
Inside, pictures of the 1950s pin-up archetypal Bettie Page band the walls. Growing up, Page was her idol — she alike partly called the abundance afterwards her.
“(Bettie Page) aloof reels you in. She’s the best photographed pin-up from the 1950s,” Elliott said. “Just her energy. You can see she acquire abounding qualities. It’s not aloof sexy. She can be funny, she can be quirky. She has all these altered facets I don’t anticipate addition archetypal has possessed. She’s absolute about it. It doesn’t feel contrived. It’s actual genuine.”
More than a dress
Elliott makes a point of accouterment to all altered sizes of women, accustomed anniversary of her dresses with sizes aught through 26.
“Being additional admeasurement myself, I was absolutely never able to acquisition the appropriate clothes that did fit. I consistently capital to dress this way and now that I assuredly accept the boutique with the appropriate clothing, I’m able to do that,” Elliott said. “I can advice addition who isn’t well-endowed chest astute or addition who is. I can advice both abandon of the scale.”
When arcade at Bettie’s Bombshells, don’t apprehend a dull, quick in-and-out trip. At Bettie’s, it’s all about the experience.
She’ll accept audience archetypal clothes, again ankle and ball bottomward her mini carpeting runway. She’ll advice you acquisition a lipstick that matches your bark tone, an accent to bout your dress.
(Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)
“Any babe can be a pin-up already they put on some clothes and some makeup, they can transform,” Elliott said. “(I adulation to) get women out of their abundance area and feel feminine.To accompany out that aplomb in women who aren’t acclimated to it or a woman that’s never beat a lipstick afore — it’s actual agitative for me to do that and again aback they airing away, (many) say it’s an awakening.”
“It’s aloof attractive at that accurate being and absolutely alert to them, and what they’re attractive for,” Elliott said. “I absolutely try to key into their personality. I appetite it to be added like a ‘let’s comedy dress up’ affectionate of vibe.”
How absolutely does Elliott consistently accumulate her abundance abounding with some of the best accepted awakening dresses and accessories?
“Lot’s of homework.”
There accept been nights area Elliott’s been in her abundance accomplished 4:30 in the morning, researching and perusing the Internet for high-quality made-in-America dresses that accentuate women’s beauty.
(Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)
When she aboriginal opened, she was bringing in new styles every anniversary to accumulate up with the summer crowds.
“These are all recreations. I accept earlier bodies who appear in actuality who are bathetic eyed and mesmerized. They’re like, ‘Oh my god. I bethink my mother cutting this or my grandmother.’ It brings aback so abounding memories for bodies so that’s my admired allotment about it,” Elliott said.
Her abundance alike has a “man couch,” area boyfriends, husbands and accompany can sit and watch the women they adulation go through a “beautifying experience.”
“I capital to actualize a job for myself area I’d absolutely be happy,” Elliott said. “Doing article that I love, allotment women.”
Specials
Bettie’s Bombshells is alms a anniversary auction that will affection 25 percent of clothing, shoes and handbags until she closes for the division Dec. 23.
The abundance additionally offers a pin-up acquaintance for $250. Her aggregation of stylists, architecture artists and photographers will transform audience into a accurate pin-up model, again booty her out for a photo shoot. Get 50 percent off the photo shoot aback you buy a dress or bathing suit.
BETTIE’S BOMBSHELLS
WHERE: 1100 Ocean Ave. Unit E, on the boardwalk in Asbury Park
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