Saturday 1 November 2014

5 Ways to Flatter your Figure with Vintage Clothing

No matter what age, height, size or shape, we all want to flatter our figures and look our best. There is no shame in wanting to make the most of your best features and with vintage clothes and retro fashion you can seriously tap into this with the right know-how.

Here is the My Vintage Top 5 Guide to using vintage clothing cleverly to flatter your figure...

1) 1950's Dresses


Grey sunflower print 1950's style dresses on two models


Whether original vintage or brand new retro, the classic 1950's swing dress is one of the only styles that really does flatter every kind of figure. With a fitted top, nipped in waist and full skirt, it is my go-to shape for all women.
If you have a very slender, athletic body, these classic vintage dresses create that killer hourglass figure and give you a curvier outline.
If, like me, you are on the plus size end of the spectrum, these beautiful dresses bring you in at your smallest part and skim over the rest, thus giving you a slimmer outline.
For ample busts, go for a v-neck or plunge neck top and for smaller busts, a classic straight Audrey neckline is perfect.

2) Fitted Cardigans

Black fitted cardigan with tiny cherries, perfect with skirts


Again, you can easily find beautiful fitted cardigans in both original vintage and brand new retro clothing ranges. 1940's and 1950's fashion gave us the fitted, waist length cardigan. Often in a twinset with a matching top and most usually in pastel colours. In modern retro and rockabilly fashion, the fitted cardigan is a big player and colours are bolder - reds, blacks, greens and blues in the main.
The key here is avoid loose, baggy boyfriend cardigans. These can of course look cool in the right context, but if you are wearing something that hugs your arms and top half, it is always going to be more flattering. These cardigans look great with so many outfits too - jeans, cigarette trousers, pencil skirts, circle skirts and all shapes and lengths of dresses.

3) Half & Half Dresses

Marilyn Monroe half spotty halterneck dress from My Vintage


If you are fortunate enough to be completely happy with both your top and bottom half, this might not help you, but most of us prefer one or the other. Half and half dresses are perfect for this, you want to go for plain fabric on your least favourite half and something brighter and/or patterned on your preferred half! The eyes will be drawn to the bright/patterned part and this will therefore be accentuated. Easy peasy!

4) Vintage Belts

Lilac vintage belt with vintage skirt and vintage top


I do often hear women saying that they do not have a waist. Well, we obviously all do, but for some women it is more defined than others. With the same principal as the 1950's clothing, a vintage belt brings you in at your smallest point, thus creating that hourglass holy grail. There are so many different types of vintage belt, the wide stretch elastic belts are particularly good as they can be worn easily at any point on the waist, or even on the empire line if this is the place where it is most flattering on you. These can be found in all good retro and rockabilly ranges but there are also some gorgeous examples in 1980s vintage, with decorative buckles and sparkly finishes.

5) Sharpen your Pencil

Stunning black fitted halterneck pencil dress perfect for occasionwear


Aaaaaaand finally, it is my one woman mission to ensure that every single woman owns at least one pencil dress or pencil skirt. They are a must for all figures and I absolutely guarantee you that despite how big you think your tummy or your bum is, if you wear the right fitted item then your figure will be well and truly flattered! Still don't believe me? Just wait and see how many compliments you get...



Tuesday 28 October 2014

The Novelty of the 1950's

The 1950's, as many of you already know, is my absolute favourite fashion era. It was a decade awash with imaginative, creative prints and surfaces adorned with beading and embroidery, not limited to evening wear but also popular with daywear fashion.





It was in stark contrast to the drab and constrained 1940s, a real celebration of all that was new, stylised and modern. America was the instigator of the explosion of prints being used for dresses, circle skirts and blouses.

Circle skirts were one of the first items that came to the fore of 50s novelty prints - not least influenced by the wonderful Doris Day!



The most popular graphic prints incorporated cowboy and western paraphernalia, animals (most often poodles), furniture, playing cards, tickets, postcards and text. There were also the iconic atom prints - starbursts, atomic patterns, rockets and all things space age and futuristic.




We have had a wonderful array of novelty print 1950's vintage clothing at My Vintage over the years but just recently this Mexican inspired novelty print dress came into stock and has fast become one of my absolute favourites...



It is of course, a classic 1950's shape with a cinched waist and full skirt. I simply adore it's magical whimsical print of various cacti and plant pots in cerise pink, finished with bold blue striping.

So much of the 1950's clothing that I find on my travels is quirky and unusual, the real epitome of kitsch. Maybe tat is why I love it so much, as I truly am a quirky girl at heart :)

I'd love to see your favourite bit of novelty 1950's clothing, tweet me or link me in the comments below.

Over and out!
Em
x