By Stevi Costa

Trixie Lane and Lance Wagner have devoted their lives to recreating classic mid-century beauty. As a hair and makeup artist, Lane specializes in the hairstyles of the 1940s, 50s and 60s while Wagner, after working in a variety of photographic styles, found that the kind of shoots he most enjoyed were emulations of classic pin-up photography. Since 2002, Lane and Wagner have been shooting pin-ups together and, after moving their studio to a mid-century schoolhouse in Lake City, formed Old School Pin-Ups.

Old School Pin-Ups combines Lane and Wagner’s love of mid-century culture with their ample talents as a stylist-photographer team. Located in the Kindergarten room of the Paul Thiry-designed schoolhouse, Lance and Wagner have created a retro paradise with four permanent sets on which they shoot pin-up photography sessions. From a swinging bachelor pad, to an exotic Oriental bar, to a pink boudoir, to a kitschy tiki room, the standing sets allow clients to live out their own mid-century fantasies.

Wagner believes the standing sets provide a unique experience for both client and photographer. In other studios, like the one Wagner used to share with another photographer in Pioneer Square, props, backdrops and other set pieces must be moved in and out for every shoot. “Here we were able to build the sets that we wanted to build and leave them up,” Wagner said, “like a television set.”

When clients enter the Kindergarten room, they are immediately transported into the world of retro glamour and the lifestyle Lane and Wagner are so fond of. In addition to shooting on Wagner’s high-quality sets, clients also get the benefit of Lane’s styling skills. According to Wagner, the women who book shoots at Old School Pin-Ups are treated to “a spa-like, pampering experience” which includes retro hairstyling, makeup, wardrobe from Lane’s costume closet and refreshments.

The prevailing theory behind Old School Pin-Ups is that absolutely any woman can be one. Lane and Wagner enjoy helping their clients transform into iconic pin-up girls from the WWII era. Seattle has a vibrant burlesque, cabaret and rockabilly scene, filled with potential clients who already enjoy mid-century culture, but most of Lane and Wagner’s clients don’t come from that world. In fact, Wagner estimates that 60 to 70 percent of the business at Old School Pin-Ups comes from the wedding industry – a market they fell into purely by happenstance.

According to Lane, Old School Pin-Ups’ first bridal pin-up experience came when one of Lane’s friends came to her with a vintage wedding gown she had restored and wanted to have photos in for her own wedding. Lane did her friend’s hair and makeup for her bridal portraits, shot by Wagner. Seattle Bride Magazine featured the photos, and a new market for pin-up photography was born.

“The wedding market just popped up because our product worked so well as the perfect groom’s gift,” Wagner said. “And [pin-ups] never go out of style like a regular boudoir photo. I think that’s a major advantage we have over people who shoot with modern sensibilities.”

Indeed, Lane and Wagner and the brides the pamper aren’t the only ones who think that the pin-up photos produced at Old School Pin-Ups are the perfect groom’s gift. The editors of Seattle Bride Magazine voted Old School Pin-Ups best groom’s gift in 2008, and Seattle PI’s Monica Guzman ranked the pin-up studio as one of the five coolest booths at the 2010 Seattle Wedding Show, no doubt due to testimonials by former clients who volunteered their time to tell Seattle’s brides how much fun they had at their Old School Pin-Ups shoot.

For the women who’ve posed with Lane and Wagner, it’s not just about producing an amazing gift for their husbands-to-be, but about discovering their own timeless inner beauty. Lane enjoys seeing her clients react to how mid-century makeup and hair helps highlight their natural beauty, playing up their best features to give them power and confidence. “We like to show her how beautiful she can be and how beautiful others see her as well,” Wagner said.

Lane and Wagner’s commitment to making women feel beautiful and confident extends beyond pin-ups; they are currently working on a beauty book that will help women achieve the retro glamour they get from Old School Pin-Ups in their own homes with modern styling tools. “It’s such a thrill for Lance and I to turn women onto themselves and say, ‘Look at yourself. You’re amazing,” Lane said.

Because Old School Pin-Ups is located in a community of live/work spaces, they only accept bookings through their website. Visit www.oldschoolpinups.com for more information.