Vintage Special
Love vintage clothes but can’t afford the real deal? Here’s how to get the look for less – with a dash of creativity and just a few simple alterations you can transform even the frumpiest charity shop buys into contemporary vintage-style outfits...
50s A-line Dress: In the 50s the whole silhouette of fashion changed. Dior’s A-line, with its feminine cinched waist and full skirt, is a typical 50s look (which Jackie Kennedy famously adopted in the 60s). This belted skirt dress had the making of a Jackie-O classic – all we had to do was shorten it to bring it up to date.
30s Sweet Heart Dress: The 1930s saw hemlines rise, corsets come off and shoulders come out. This new found freedom was expressed in loose, draped details like bows and neckties, decadent fabrics and elegant silhouettes. Here we’ve emphasised a classic 30s V-shape neckline with sheer fabric and a bow.
70s Maxi Dress: There was more to the 70s than flares and mini skirts – maxi dresses were big news and the granny dress, with its pie-crust frilled high neck, exotic sleeves and draped floral print, was just as popular as its short hemline contemporaries. The look might be a bit much today though, so we kept the essence in a retro blouse with a stylish bow.
80s Pleated Dress: Invented in the 70s with the introduction of new synthetic materials, pleats made a big come-back in the early 80s and have dipped in and out of fashion ever since. As a skirt this looks frumpy, but as a T-shirt topped dress it could be straight off the high street – only difference is, you’ll be the only one wearing it!
Full details of how to customise each of these vintage looks in Issue 2
