From My Vintage VogueWhen I invited readers to submit their questions (ages ago!) I had a couple of requests for advice for girls just starting out in vintage and wanting to build some vintage style into their wardrobe. So now I've finally got around to tackling the question, and put together a series of posts concentrating on Vintage For Beginners. Posts over the next couple of weeks will include advice on building a vintage wardrobe, an overview of 20th century styles, and identifying and dating vintage clothing, but please let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see me address!
Let's get startedTo begin with, it might help to define
why you want to start wearing vintage. Is it because you admire the glamour of past fashions and want to incorporate some of that into your everyday life? Perhaps you want to mix vintage pieces with modern to create a unique look. Or do you admire those who dress head-to-toe in vintage every day, but are not sure where to start? Even if you just want to be able to say "what, this? Oh, it's vintage," this week will hopefully give you some pointers on how to get started.
Adding vintage touches to your everyday styleFor the true vintage beginner, it may be best to start small. Vintage accessories can look great with pretty much anything. Whether it's an armful of bakelite bangles, a 1950s rhinestone brooch, a hat, or a 1940s handbag, little vintage touches are a great way to get some
instant fabulous into your outfit.
Step it up a notchIf you're ready to step it up, you could start incorporating some vintage garments into your regular wardrobe to give it some edge. If you want to wear vintage and still look "of the moment", take note of what the current trends are and seek out similar items in vintage stores.
Take inspiration from hip, vintage-wearing celebrities like Sienna Miller, Agyness Deyn, Alexa Chung, Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, Rachel Bilson (the list is long!), and experiment with mixing vintage with modern elements: layer a "Mad Men" sheath dress with a slouchy cardigan and tights to de-formalise (yes that's a word!) it; team a lace trimmed Peter Pan collar blouse with skinny jeans; wear a giant arran sweater with tweed cuffed shorts and over-the-knee socks; or a 50s beaded cardigan with a flirty mini skirt and patterned tights. To be honest I'm struggling to write this section because I have
no idea about modern fashion. But you get the picture!
Above, Rachel Bilson and Casey of
Elegant Musings combine vintage with modern for a look that's so 'now'.
Modern with a vintage twistWhich brings us to more familiar (to me) territory. If you like the look of vintage styles but don't want to go all-out, you might choose to go down a route of a vintage/modern style, that is, modern pieces - or a mix of vintage and modern - worn with a retro tone.
A lot of modern clothing can be styled up for a vintage look, with the added benefits of being affordable, available in all sizes (if you buy high street), and easy to care for. I often wear an outfit which, though composed (almost) entirely of modern elements, has a definite retro bent.
If dressing conservatively for the office is a concern, the two outfits above are both pleasingly vintage and perfectly wearable in a modern setting. Items like pencil skirts, demure blouses, and simple fitted cardigans are your wardrobe basics.
Total immersion vintageDo you yearn to go all-out vintage but aren't sure where to start? We'll cover the topic of building a vintage starter wardrobe later in the week, but in the meantime, if you're just starting out it might be worth figuring out
which fashion eras best suit you. Of course, as with anything, rules are made to be broken, and most things can be made to work if you love them.
Solanah of Vintage Vixen does 1940s · Me in a 1950s lookEven here, you can choose whether to go vintage purist or play fast and loose with styles; to wear only vintage, or mix it with vintage repro and modern, thrifted finds. Some ladies favour a specific period, but while I admire the likes of the
Vintage Baroness and Lauren of
Wearing History for their dedication to the 1930s, there's so much gorgeousness out there you needn't confine yourself to a particular era. You can be forties one day and sixties the next. You can even mix and match different eras for a unique look. In vintage, there are no rules.
Continue reading: » 20th Century Fashion Eras» Dating Vintage Clothes» Building a Vintage Wardrobe
Bat costume, 1887 - okay a bit earlier than 20th century! (source)
From Woman's Life magazine, 1906
Extravagant carousel costume, ca. 1910s (source)
Moon witch costume, 1920s (source)
Gay disguises for Halloween revellers, 1920s (source)
Dennison's Bogie Book, 1923 (source)
Witch costumes, 1920s (source)
1. Vintage 1940s cranberry wool knit dress $80, Commissar Vintage
1. Corn yellow fairisle cardigan £29.99, New Look
Because I need more suitcases. Ahem...
These are samples of some kind of laminate surface - there were a few more, but they were selling them at a quid each (I got a small discount because it was the same stall where I bought the suitcases) so I didn't get the lot. But I just loved the midcentury graphics - thought they might be worth turning into a fabric design. 
Isn't this fabulous? A (1960s? 70s?) pink hairdryer with attachable hood. The instructions and even the matching pink hairnet is still with it. 
Check these books out for 50p each! (Trust me, you never find anything for 50p at Ford car boot). I've been after a bit of Wodehouse for my library, and the other book I just couldn't resist for the cover illustration.
Yes the weather's dreary, but in my fabulous raspberry cape I won't let it get me down. It's so much fun swishing down the street in a bright pink cape - everyone should have one. Plus, pink and red together is awesome. I think it's going to be the basis of my autumn/winter palette - I want to try and avoid wearing too much black. 
Wool beret, Accessorize; Cherry umbrella, New Look; Vintage (60s?) wool cape, charity shop (£5!); Cashmere cardigan, hand-me-down from Mummy; Gloves (they're actually pale green, you can't really tell in the pictures), Sandra's Vintage in Chichester; Handbag, hand-me-up from my sister; Fishnet tights, can't remember; Shoes, Hotter.
From My Vintage Vogue
Above, Rachel Bilson and Casey of Elegant Musings combine vintage with modern for a look that's so 'now'.
Solanah of Vintage Vixen does 1940s · Me in a 1950s look
Phew, an evening of frantic hemstitching, and my circle skirt is ready for Casey's sew along party! I actually missed the entire sew along, but since I'd been planning this skirt for some time (I've actually had the fabric since early spring!), when I read that she was planning a second 'party' post I thought I'd join in. So here we are. 
I was ages deciding how to embellish my skirt - there were so many designs I wanted to make, but many of the applique ideas I liked wouldn't work on the dark grey background. Then, looking through some of the pre-cut felt appliques available in the 1956 Sears catalogue, I remembered a celluloid brooch I'd seen once in the shape of a telephone, with the cord forming the word "Hello". I found a picture of the brooch (it's quite a common design, and comes up quite regularly on ebay) and digitally sketched out the template. 
I ordered soutache braid to use as the cord, but as I knew it wouldn't arrive in time for me to finish the skirt for the party I bought ric rac to stand in temporarily. But having attached the ric rac, I've decided I like it so much I'm going to leave it as it is. 
To sew the appliques I used the machine, but hand-turned the wheel to sew ultra-slowly for more control, repositioning the fabric frequently to get round the tight curves. The buttons on the telephone dial I stitched on by hand, and the same for the ric rac (I would have done it by machine, but I wanted it to be easily removable as I intended it to be temporary). 
So here we have it, the London Calling circle skirt. I'm very pleased with it and I think it's going to be a winter wardrobe staple - it's basically a wearable blanket. 
Bowling Pin Ball
The Sweet Art of Seduction
Southern Belles
Milk Maids
I went with a tried-and-tested ensemble, the same one as I wore for Vintage at Goodwood last year, with the addition of a record hat and bodacious victory roll by Ruby Rose (unfortunately the carefully-set curls mostly fell out due to the wind and humidity).
We met up with the gorgeous Gemma, who was working in the mock-up "Ops Room" in the hospitality suite (to which we didn't have a pass, so she had to sweet talk the bouncers into letting us in to see). 
We chatted with Spitfire pilot Charlie Brown (and his moustache), and Claire got to sit in a spitfire, lucky girl!
It was nephew Teddy's third birthday weekend, so on Sunday we attended en famille. He really enjoyed it - he liked looking at the planes, and bopping to the swing band (quite cute). 
That's me with Josie of the Chequers Inn - she organised the week's vintage events there.
