How does one come upon the opportunity to time travel? I truly believe there are numerous ways and endless possibilities. I guess you could say that for me, it was thanks to a recent hair cut. While at my friend’s art exhibit I was approached by Celia Miller, the photographer and owner of her company called Nightlight Digital. With my hair recently cut shorter, I carried the look of a WWII era pin-up girl and she saw me as a prime candidate for modeling in her upcoming photo shoot!
In the weeks following, I was more and more like a little girl anticipating a party of dress-up. The shoot was to take place at the Pueblo Air Museum as part of their annual calendar that raises proceeds for the exhibits. Getting ready for the shoot did not take a lot on my part, but I did come to realize that I already personally own quite a few fantastic vintage outfits and 40’2 and 50’s style shoes. From army-green pencil skirts and button down collared blouses to Mary Jane shoes and wedge heels with stitching and patch patterns, the WWII era woman in me seemed to already be coming out even prior to this serendipitous photo shoot.
Even when in my US home of Denver, I consider new experiences and meeting new people as another form of travel. Our group for the shoot was small and made for a grand fun time of getting to know each other and learn so much history regarding the planes and era that we were working with. Celia was kind enough to pick us all up so we could ride together the few hours down to Pueblo from downtown Denver. Along with myself, the rest of the crew was made up of Celia’s photography assistant Greg and the other model, Daily. Greg is also an advent lover of history, specifically WWII and aviation, and he makes videos and documentaries. At the young age of 19 years old, Daily is already an active pilot! That’s right….you didn’t misread that. She already has her private pilot license and is now going to school for her commercial pilot’s license. You can see her passion for flying when she was posing with the many different planes…her face would light up like a kid in a candy store! And boy, does she know her stuff about airplanes.
We spent the day inside one of the two hangers at the museum, both of which are full of fantastic displays that teach about WWII. It was amazing to spend time in the historic planes, such as the B-29 Bomber Superfortress, which is the same model that dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The staff at the museum was some of the kindest gentlemen who are to this day dedicated to our country and the commemoration of how much we have fought and sacrificed for the liberties we have today. They made sure we had lunch and pulled out one of the smaller historic planes that we used out on the runway. With the sun shinning down hot and bright, the plane was hot to the touch, making our poses in the seats and on the wings pretty hysterical and “touchy” to say the least.
I loved the rompers and skirts, lacy under garments and lingerie pieces that we got to wear and pose in. It’s pretty fun and I think encouraging for a woman to dress up and come alive in front of the camera. Throughout the day, we all had a great time, recounting stories and learning about history and the aircraft that we were getting to play with. The whole day and experience was like a trip back in time. Our thoughts, clothes and posture, were all focused on a time of pin-up girls and fighter planes in WWII, battles occurring across seas and women being women during a drastically changing and uncertain time.
It was especially neat to enjoy meeting new people and making new friends through this experience. Within our own group of four, each of us has traveled extensively and even lived outside the US. Europe specifically holds a common place of love and great experiences for us all. As the day went on, I felt more and more as though I was in the WWII era, as it was in the US and in Europe. To top it all off, we even stopped for dinner at an amazing German restaurant on our way home. The Edelweiss German Restaurant is located in the southern part of Colorado Springs. As soon as we walked in, I felt like I was back in wonderful Germany. Although we ate inside since the temperature was getting cooler, I got a look at their authentic beer garden that was full of people and covered in dark green ivy growing everywhere, wood picket fences, and hanging baskets of bright-colored flowers. The bratwurst I enjoyed was so delicious, with an incredible mushroom sauce, sauerkraut, and fresh salad. Even their french fries were piping hot and took me back to amazing meals I’ve relished during my visits to Germany. This restaurant is truly the only place outside of Germany where I have experienced such deliciously, authentic German food. Wherever you live in Colorado, it is certainly worth a road trip.
By the time we got home, we were all exhausted, especially the photographer Celia, who truly puts so much amazing work into her shoots. She even hand sews a lot of the costumes! When the next day came around, I found myself wearing my heels for riding my vintage 1954 Hercules cruiser bike…I want so much to keep one foot in the magic of that amazing time, while still living in this current time. Oh, but wait…I already ride my cruiser bike in heels and a skirt all the time! Perhaps I’m a WWII pin-up girl at heart and it’s today’s time that I am visiting and traveling through.
Enjoy more pictures and check back soon for the professional photos that will added to this album: Time Travel as a WWII Pin-Up Girl