The other week I was fortunate enough to land on a 1940s-themed vintage event held at Chesterfield Flea market. The town was populated by people in period clothes; smart suits, high heels, faux fur, dinky hats and lashing of red lipstick. The women looked good too….
What always strike me about vintage nostalgia is we’re craving something we’ve lost. We may have a uniform of cheap jeans and T-shirts but, as a result, we’ve abandoned old-school glamour.
Whilst I am not advocating we pitch up to the school-gates in a gas mask and faux fur; we shouldn’t have to wait for a vintage themed market to break out the retro fashions.
Why?
Over the decades clothes have become progressively sexless and shapeless. The beauty of vintage clothes (pre-1990s) is that they often give the wearer a chance to display a bit of ‘look at me’ dash.
Take Kirstie Allsopp – with her red lips, dirndl skirted dresses and coats with Gulliver’s Travel’s buttons there’s absolutely no way she’s going to get caught sartorially napping…the last time I saw at ‘at home with’ photo shoot of Kirstie, she was sieving flour in a leopardskin shirt-waister and killer heels.
It’s time to re-instate vintage class, style and elegance to every day life. It’s such a shame to hear one of my colleagues (who’ve we’ve all known for years) being described as ‘surprisingly gorgeous’ on a night out when all she’d done was turn up at the pub in a dress…
Let’s be fearless enough to be ‘surprisingly gorgeous’ everyday and, if you don’t know where to start, donate all those drab jeans and sweater combos to charity and start mimicking the style of these celebrity goddesses.
Starting with Ms Allsopp.
Vintage queen #1 – Kirstie Allsopp
She wears it well? Not all the time no. Sometimes her skirts are so wide; you could fit a Kensington Mews under there with ample room to park the Range Rover. But she is brave, confident, colour savvy and bold. We like it.
Signature style: No trousers – unless she’s on the ski slope. She loves shirt dresses with big patterns. Her favourite designer is Gaby Basora (American designer/hugely into prints). She’s also a little keen on handmade and ‘recycling’ and the attic is stuffed with clothes she intends to wear again, sometime soon – probably never.
She says; “I am not trying to keep up with whatever’s fashionable, but I do mind about looking nice and neat.”
Jolly Volley says: ‘Killer heels, cinched waist, shirt dresses with a ‘peek-a-boo’ under-slip worn by a sassy and extremely clever woman…we can forgive the odd fashion faux pas.’
Vintage queen #2 – Cat Deeley
She wears it well? With legs so long they have different postcodes at the top from the bottom – it’s an unmitigated YES.
Cat also styles her own outfits and, believe me, this doesn’t happen often on the celebrity circuit. Cat is the sort of vintage queen who looks incredible in finds foraged from the vintage flea market in LA or from her favourite vintage store; Shareen Vintage in Chinatown (Cat has since relocated to Fulham – so expect her favourite shops to be in and around North London).
Signature style: Short dresses or skin-tight jeans and a vintage inspired jacket (often military) to show off her tanned legs. Cat likes lace, glitter, feathers and looks fabulous in most things except those cleavage-required vintage dresses designed for the hour-glass figure (when it comes to vintage; you can be too thin).
She says: “Dress for the occasion. If you’re going to meet your bank manager, smarten up. Cocktails with the girls? Put a frock on. Clothes are like armour, so dressing for the moment means you’re ready for anything.”
Jolly Volley says: “This is a woman whose happiness glows out of her skin. It’s not really news to see her crop up on so many style blogs. Due to her time in the States, Cat has not been really seen on TV in the UK for some time and yet, in those clothes, she’s unforgettable…
Vintage queen #3 – Zooey Deschanel
She wears it well? This lady is so stylish, I can almost forgive her the annoying spelling of name. No one does retro’ high school dorky girl look like Zooey (okay, that’s not a fashion category – I just made it up).
Signature style: There’s a soft sweater, librarian-length skirt and sweetheart neckline going on here which is so cute – it makes you want to eat ice cream. Does it ever go wrong? Well, the vintage dungarees weren’t her finest hour as they look good on NO ONE.
She says; “At school the kids wore hippy dresses from thrift stores, and people made their own clothes. I’ve always enjoyed wearing old-fashioned clothes. I try to do a bit of research before I travel so I know where to uncover vintage finds.”
Jolly Volley says; “She’s a girly girl who knows what suits her. It’s all a little kooky and quirky – perhaps a little heavy on the cardigans and thick tights; but who cares? However, some of her outfits are more suitable for the Sci Fi convention; not your first date.”
Vintage queen #4 – Nigella Lawson
She wears it well? There’s always a constant media debate about whether Nigella is the curvy pin-up girl who gladdens the heart of salad dodgers everywhere. The fact is – she’s got near perfect proportions in that Marilyn Monroe-esque way of having an impossibly tiny waist to boob/hip ratio.
Signature style; Boy, Nigella know how to emphasise those assets with her twin sets and impossibly tight skirts. She looks like she’s just stepped out of a cocktail party circa 1952…an era when famous women were allowed to eat bread. Nigella only gets it wrong when she tries to conceal those curves.
She says; “‘If (when asked if she had a style icon) anyone it would be Gina Lollobrigida, but actually I pretty much tend to dress with what suits me.”
Jolly Volley says: “Forget the side-swipes at Nigella being ‘ample’ or ‘curvy’; she’s lost weight and has been slim for some considerable time. As for style, she’s got Audrey Hepburn chic with a little pinch of saucy head teacher with a dash of frosty Downton Abbey duchess…and I defy anyone to find a celeb’ who looks better in a little black dress.”
Vintage queen #5 – Pearl Lowe
She wears it well? Mother of model Daisy but famously chic in her own right.
Pearl is the queen of all things vintage from personal style to interior design (she has her own line of vintage inspired clothing).
Here is a woman whose entire wardrobe is vintage; her only gripe is the current vintage trend; she could once buy a whole bag of vintage frocks for the price of one new dress – now it’s the other way round.
Signature style; This one-time rock chic and member of the Primrose Hill set (Kate Moss/Jude Law) admits to having a massive collection of floral tea dresses.
She says; “I have hundreds of 30s and 40s dresses, and have thought about archiving them and saving them for my daughters.”
Jolly Volley says: “An enviable collection of dresses – so elegant, she often displays them around the home. This lady is the epitome of bo ho chic and her recent admission of being a bit ‘bored’ by her style sends ripples of shock down my spine. This is one lady who should not be for turning.”
Vintage queen #6 – Alexa Chung
She wears it well? Ms Chung is one of the most copied female celebrities on the planet. Even beleaguered M&S can run out of stock if they put her name on a design. Alexa Chung also likes to shop vintage with the 1960s her favourite era.
Signature style; A vintage tom-boy with a little Bet Lynch faux fur thrown in. She likes ‘weird’ – torn denim cut-offs, flat shoes and slouchy boyfriend jumpers. It’s not a look for anyone who is not insanely beautiful as there’s a whiff of bag lady about this style.
She says: “Sometimes I like the challenge of having to slot in something that’s uglier and figure out how to make that look nice. Sometimes, if it’s a vintage thing, I’ll buy it and I’ll be like, ‘That’s not for right now but in the future I can imagine that working.”
Jolly Volley says: “Stay clear unless you are a super model with cheek bones like glaciers. Trust me. Only super models can get away with granny chic..”
Vintage queen #7 – Dawn O’Porter
She wears it well? This TV personality/author/presenter has done whole TV shows about vintage. Of course she wears it well.
Dawn admits to having a huge collection of easy-to-wear vintage dresses in ‘bonkers colours’ that go with anything and provide a bit of coverage if she has eaten the odd muffin.
Signature style: Big smoky eyes and THE BOB – worn with vintage dresses; in fact, she now designs vintage inspired clothes available at BOB.
She says: “I’ve fallen into my style. I don’t take massive risks any more: I used to try to do things that were really different, then go out and just feel awkward, uncomfortable and embarrassed. I don’t do that to myself any more. I know what works.”
Jolly Volley says: “Get her signature book ‘This Old Thing; Fall in Love with Vintage Clothes‘ – an ode to vintage fashion. In it explains how she went from ‘fashion disaster’ to style icon thanks to vintage clothing.
Dawn is the go-to-girl for vintage inspiration and how to ‘avoid dressing like everyone else’.”
Fancy getting some vintage celeb’ style – these shops can help
Top of the Town Vintage
A lot of all things retro led Sophia Rosemary Barrese to open her vintage shop – a celebration of all things eternally cute and slightly kooky from the 60s and 70s.
And if you’re wondering about the ‘celebrity’ connection, Sophia is not only a celebrated – if reluctant – fashion influencer but she’s half of a Stockport power couple; boyfriend is Joe Donovan, drummer with Stockport band Blossoms.
But don’t be intimidated; Sophia is super nice and dedicated to making her collection accessible to all ages, all shapes and, if you’re very lucky, you’ll get a greeting from occasional sale assistant Pep, the Golden Retriever.
17 Lower Hillgate, Stockport SK1 1JQ
Cow
Just outside Birmingham’s main shopping area is Cow, known to locals as Big Yellow Vintage due to its bright yellow exterior. It is one of a chain of four stores in Britain. Go to Cow for great tea dresses, denims and collectable sportswear.
82-85 Digbeth High Street, Digbeth, Birmingham
Lizzy Pollard’s shop is laced with wiggle dresses, cotton shifts, fringed cocktail numbers and grosgrain gowns. There are thousands of dresses (such as this 1950s one, left) in 1930s to 1970s styles – and hundreds of hats. She’s dedicated to genuine quality vintage with no retro-style pieces. If you can’t visit the bricks and mortar shop, follow the link to the Etsy shop.
12 Bank Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire
