Vintage Fashion 1920s – 1980s

There are a lot of different definitions for the word vintage: people use the word vintage to refer to anything from 2nd hand thrift-shop clothes to retro-inspired fashions, but what does it really mean?

Any item of clothing over 100 years old is Antique (so pre-1920s) and anything 20 years or less counts as Modern, so Vintage is basically everything in between: from the 1920s through to the early 1990s. Vintage is also used to refer to retro-style clothes and fashions but this is really repro (reproduction) or retro…

Anyway, enough semantics, pick your favourite decade and get browsing!

1800s

Tiny Waists and Steel Corsets: The Tough Body Expectations of the 1900s

The Victorian era, a time of corsets and crinolines, the Yorkshire Ripper and when Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

1900s

Fabulous Stage Costumes from Times Gone By…

The Edwardian decade marked the last of corset-wearing fashions, a sleeker silhouette and the start of great social change.

1910s

Fanny Brice pin up photo c.1915

The decade between the Edwardian era and the start of WW1 which laid the basics for the roaring 20s. The corset disappeared, hemlines rose and long hair was bobbed short for the first time.

1920s

Vintage Performers: Ruth St. Denis

Flappers with sleek bobs, cupid blow lips, long strings of pearls and lots and lots of sass, the roaring twenties were the place to be! In between the 2 world wars the bright young things of the nation really let rip!

1930s

5 Photos Which Prove the 1930s Were Impossibly Stylish*

A decade of Hollywood-inspired sophistication and grown-up glamour sandwiched in between the decadence of the 1920s and the war-enforced austerity of the 1940s.

1940s

Fashion Inspiration: Katharine Hepburn

The hardships which were caused by a world at war dictated the fashions of the 1940s. Once again Hollwood had a major influence of the style of everyday women who were encouraged to look good despite rationing and shortages to keep up morale.

1950s

Vintage Fashion Photographers: Toni Frissell

After the hardships of the wartime years, the 1950s exploded in a riot of colour. Women embraced the hourglass figure of Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ and wore big petticoats to make their skirts larger, and for the first time teenagers developed their own fun sense of style.

1960s

A gorgeous 1960s bikini

The 1960s was a time of Mods, Rockers, Mary Quant and miniskirts. There was a real youth-culture in the swinging sixties, symbolized by iconic models Twiggy and Peggy Moffit. On the more grown-up side of Sixties fashion the ‘Mad Men’ style of dressing was smart, sophisticated and luxurious…

1970s

1970s Style Icons: Jaclyn Smith

Charlie’s Angels, bell-bottom jeans and the Farrah Flick, not to mention the decade of corduroy, velvet and rainbow-patterned roller boots.

1980s

Britt Ekland looking a bit wierd, 1980s

Power dressing, Dynasty and Joan Collins in those huge shoulder padded dresses.

One Comment

  1. Adele Scottish

    Great blog I love anything vintage, have you seen the new vintage trends this summer http://goo.gl/fuqAnW

    Reply

Please Leave a Comment! I Love Hearing From You!