My 16th birthday party is coming up in a few weeks, and I’ve decided to have a pajama party. Meaning everyone has to wear pajamas, myself included. But I can’t find any cute ones! I’m looking for something retro/vintage-y and in a reasonable price range. Can you help? (Please nothing sheer/delicate, since there will be dancing and pizza.) —Zoe, 15, San Diego

Hi, Zoe! That sounds like an awesome pajama-pizza-birthday party! Since you want to go for a retro look, I’d suggest a cute, girly ’60s-style nightgown. I collect vintage nightgowns and I can tell you that they are perfect for dancing while holding a slice of pepperoni! Take a look at the ones I found.

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All of these nighties came from Etsy. Top row, left to right: Light blue pleated vintage nightgown, $24, 15 Madison Street; long pink-and-blue vintage nightgown, $18, Saylis. Middle row, L–R: Bright pink sleep shirt, $18, Jonny and Mags; frilly mint-green vintage sleep shirt, $16, TBonita Style. Bottom row, L–R: Light blue 1970s nightgown, $21, Queen of the Universe Vintage; vintage hot-pink PJs, $16.50, Revival Vintage.

Those all came from Etsy, but I suggest you try your local thrift stores first—that’s where I’ve gotten almost all of my jim-jams. You can also try eBay and/or specialty vintage stores, both of which I’ve had good luck with. If we had more moola to spend, I’d say get this babydoll nightgown from Domestic Dame. HOW CUTE IS THAT AAAH! But you might be able to find something similar at your local thrift. If you don’t want to go with a nightgown, these colorful polka-dot pajamas drum up a really fun vibe too. Good luck and have fun!

Next year I am going for an awesome holiday with my family to Florida, but as I’m from the UK I only have one pair of sandals and/or flip-flops for just bumming ’round the garden in. Can you recommend any comfy yet SUPER CUTE sandals that won’t fall off on roller coasters, are comfy and great for walking around parks all day, can get wet without being ruined forever, aren’t “walking sandals” (because I don’t want to look like my mother)? —Emma

Don’t worry, Emma, I won’t let you wear MOM SANDALS. Not that they are necessarily bad, (NO OFFENSE, MOMS OF THE WORLD) but I catch your drift, boo-boo. Obviously, we’re going to have to get you in something with an ankle strap, ’cause can you imagine a slip-on flying into the air and knocking somebody’s popcorn out of their hand?? RUDE! (But funny.) Let’s take a gander at my favorite sandals.

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Top Row: Worishofers. Bottom row: Salt Waters.

I personally LOVE me some Worishofer sandals. They are a bit pricey (generally $50–$60), but they’re a total investment. They will last a loooong time and are incredibly comfy because they are designed to give your footsies complete support while also letting them BREATHE. Worishofers also look cool with sheer knee-highs or cute little socks like these guys and the ones I’m wearing here:

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I am also a big fan of the Salt Water Sandal. They’re really cute and comfortable, but the Worishofers have a padded heel, so I’d probably go with those if you foresee a huge amount of walking. Hope this helps!

Are there any places that sell plus-size tights that aren’t hella expensive or only in black? – Kathleen, Edmonton, Alberta

Hells yes, girl. The two that come to mind right away are We Love Colors and Modcloth. We Love Colors has regular and footless tights in more than 50 colors, plus also come in bright tie-dye, splash color, and metallic. Modcloth has plus-size tights in a bunch of different prints—I love these blue floral ones, these skull fishnets, these peacock-feather ones, and especially these sexy lace tights. Torrid also has a good variety of fishnet-type tights like these zebra ones and these thigh-highs with a cute bow in the back. I also adore ASOS Curve’s tights. These heart suspender tights are a personal favorite of mine, and these sheer striped guys are BANANAS! Finally, Ragini mentioned these two sites in her “Because You Can” yesterday: Teja Jamilla and Sockdreams. Both have plenty of exciting options in larger sizes. Hope you find some you like, babydoll!

I recently bought a fake nose ring from Etsy and am in complete love with it. I just love the subtley of a slim, silver nose ring, and I think it compliments my face. Unfortunately, my entire family thinks otherwise. They always make faces when I wear it and say stuff like, “Ew, take that thing off.” Just today I was telling my mom that my friends like my nose ring and say it looks classy, and she replied, “Classy?! I’d call it more trashy for a 14-year-old girl to be wearing one of those.” These comments have started getting to me, and I don’t know what to do. Do you think a fake nose ring on a 14-year-old is “trashy”? —Ellie

No, I don’t think a fake nose ring is trashy. Basic nose rings—small silver hoops or studs—are pretty common, and I think most people see them as just like any other everyday jewelry in this modern time of 2013. Is your “fake” ring a practice run for getting a real piercing someday? If so, shouldn’t your fam be happy that you didn’t go and get it pierced behind their backs or take the dangerous risk of piercing it yourself!? I’d say it’s pretty normal for family members to hate on stuff that’s considered “edgy” in some respects, unless they are “edgy” themselves. When I was a teen my mom hated my colored hair and piercings, but I still tried to look how I wanted to (though I did take out the tongue piercing out when she threatened to never buy me anything again—I really wanted burgundy Doc Martens for Christmas!). Unfortunately, you’re probably going to get shit for your nose ring if you keep wearing it, but if you really love it and can deal with their trash talkin’, then keep on keepin’ on, my sista. Would it help if you told them someone awesome like Demi Lovato or Miley Cyrus had their nose pierced? No? OK, fine. Either way, hopefully they will get used to it after a while and lay off! ♦

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