My Vintage Wardrobe

Me, aged about 3, I've always loved to dress up!

If you have been following my blog for a while, you would have noticed, that am a hoarder. I come from a long line of hoarders, and that's no bad thing. 

I think its more to do with my families love of 'make do and mend.' 

With a little love and care, things can kept going from generation to generation. My house and my wardrobe is full of family hand-me-downs, from my Grand Grandmothers shoes, to my Nana's cooking pot! My boys are in their 80's jumpers (hand-me-down gift from a friend) running around with my push along, (30+ years old) while my daughter was wearing her Gigi's vest and playing with my old MLP's. 

I've always loved to wear vintage, I have a saying 'if you cant bet them, wear vintage!' Having been to some mega posh dos, and not being able to buy a new flock, I would go in my Great Grandmothers ballgown and feel amazing! 

I've always mixed old and new together, and created my own style. So many friends, would just buy and wear what was in, but that didn't make any sense to me. I liked to wear things which I felt suited me, just wearing what was in at the time, wasn't necessarily what looked good on me. 

'Retro' and 'vintage' have become very popular over the last 10yrs, its harder to find mega cheap bargains. Many items are miss dated, damaged and over priced. Am not saying they are not worth it, as they maybe the only one in that style. It does upset me though when people are only buying an item to make money from it, without the love of that item. To want and use it! You would be amazed at how many people buy and sell retro caravans, having never slept in one! Pushing prices up and sadly, not understanding them fully. So not explaining how to use and look after them to the person they are selling them too. Terms like 'Shabby Chic,' have become buzz terms. So often though, original finishes are lost forever by rushed paint jobs. Now don't get me wrong, better to be used and loved than rotting in field but some truly perfect original condition caravans have been forever changed. If an item is broken, then yes save it. If an item is not the very last of its kind and you are going to keep it and love it. Do what you like. But just trying to turn a profit and destroying it forever, am not happy about :(

Same goes with clothes. I've seen some beautiful items made from old sheets. Am going to blog about it soon but please don't go cutting up the last of its kind! People like me still use and love old sheets, quilts etc. If it's broken, and not repairable then yes, I will show you many ways of reusing and loving it. 

Many clothes can be re-sized and altered to fit, changed in subtle ways. If you care for an item, it will keep going! 

So what's in my wardrobe?

At last, am starting to lose the baby weight, and soon to be stopping breast feeding so I should be able to get back into my old clothes. For years I have been holding off buying new clothes until my weight was back down. I started to look for some new clothes and thought to my self, what am I doing?? I don't really like new clothes, yes, the odd thing here and there like some winter boots or some leggings, but am much more a vintage girl! So my wardrobe is already filled with 1950's dresses, but buying our 1960's caravan I thought it was a good idea to think of some good matching outfits for our trips away! 

Well, am not really a huge lover of your typical 1960's mod look. Its not me at all. But I love the big hair and hippy style of the early 70's so am off vintage shopping!!

Am very lucky that my Great Grandmothers dresses, and my Granny's outfits are all kept safe in my Grandmother in laws 1940's wardrobe. Its not everyone style, dark, big, and solid, I thought it was going to fall and swish me getting it up the stairs!! We have the matching dressing table, I have been after a vintage one for years, its perfect. 

I guess its partly a mind set, I don't see things as junk but beautiful. Don't worry am not completely crazy (hubby may not agree) I don't keep everything and I do give away a lot! (Am like a hoarder stuck in a body of someone who likes clean, minimalist homes!)

Here's me at a family wedding, wearing my Granny's dress. This has to be one of my favorites! It has coral beads threaded onto the dress with gold thread. I've never seen another dress like it. It's breathtaking beautiful. It was brought to wear to a wedding, I need to double check as I think it cost a months worth of my Grandfather's wages-my Granny has very good/extortionate taste! 

When I dropped it off to the dry cleaner, I think I was in a state of panic all day waiting to hear....(Don't wash your vintage dress until you have taken proper advice....)

Most of the items which have been passed down are special occasion dresses. So I don't have many every day items which have been passed down. (Am going to be taking you on a vintage shopping trip for day wear!)

Now something which I love the most about vintage, is underwear. I think I will need to do a post just about underwear! Why I bring it up, is many styles rely heavily on what you wear under them! Petty-coats, corsets etc, help to keep the style and shape of the item when your wearing it. A dress will carry its self much better if its pared with the correct underwear. 

This brings me onto my next point, what sort of look are you after? Many just love a set time period, and want the whole look to reflect that, from hair, make-up to shoes. Some just love a dress and match it to what they have. 

If its for a retro event, you will stand out more if you have insured your attention to detail! 

This is me at the the Goodwood Revival. You can see the difference to the photo of me at a family wedding. My make-up, hair and accessories are all within the time period. The only thing which I couldn't match was the shoes but by sticking to a light tan shoe its hided their modern look a little. To read all about this look, check out my blog all about Goodwood Revival. I highly recommend going to at least one Goodwood Revival, its an amazing step back in time! 

So what sort of vintage lover are you? I almost wrote gal, but I want to note that vintage/retro clothes are not just for the ladies! My husband and Grandfather looks rater spiffing, I must say! 

Like I have said many times, our children are always dressed in hand-me-downs, playing with vintage toys. Now I have to note, that somethings really should be packed away and not played with but having said that, look after them well and they will keep going!

We are so lucky in the 2000-2010s that we can mix and match old and new, like never before. Styles have always been reworked, reused. Sometimes dating something can be quite hard as it maybe a cut of dress used over and over. 

I find it so interesting that styles of ladies outfits through the years, are mostly down to what was happening in the world at the time. Like in the 1940's with rationing. Less fabric was used, so tight skirts, and clothes designed to go right through the year. Women wearing very masculine styles and work-wear. Then came the fifty's, where in one dress 15m of fabric was used!!! This was to show an end to rationing (even though it lasted into the 50's) I found it really interesting that sequins where not rationed, so that's why a whole dress could be covered! 


Shopping retro
There are many places you can find beautiful vintage dresses, shoes, bags, jumpers etc. From boot fairs, charity shops, vintage shops, ebay and fairs. But you must always, first check for horrible little eating bugs. Now don't get me wrong, am friend to all animals, be that big or bug like but when it comes to whats inside my wardrobes filled with my family's clothes......ant no bug getting left to eat in there! So are few ways to be smart about it:

When bring home that new beautiful find, check all the seams, for bugs and tears. 
Shake the item outside the house. 
Carefully, wrap in acid free paper, place into a plastic bag and into your freezer for about two hours. 
Be very careful when you remove the item, it will become very brittle. 
(This will kill any harmful bugs, don't shot me, I gave them a chance....) 
Why not hang some lavender bags inside your wardrobe too. 


When you bring home your finds, they will most likely stink. Its best to hang them straight up to air. If you can (weather dependent) hang them outside to air. I have been hanging up about 7 dresses in my hall to air. Do this before you wash them. You will be amazed at the difference this will make. Hang them on good thick hangers, not metal.

Washing.....Now this is a bit of an art. A purely cotton item, with good thread holding the seams, will most likely be fine on a gentle wash. Without any hard powders etc added. I use Soap Nuts, natural and much better for your skin. Fabric wont last for ever so every time its washed or used, check seams, some will need to be reinforced. Am going to video different this in more detail as to what items I wouldn't wash. 

Charity Shops, people can be really fun about them, whats not to like?! You never know what you find, its helping others and you can get some real one of items you wouldn't find anywhere else! 

So my husband giggled at me the other day, as I said I had been to one of my favorite shops. He asked me what that shop was? Oh its a charity shop in Chichester! He giggled, your favorite shop is a charity shop?! Yes, Yes it is!! Its called Retro & Vintage, and its amazing!! Its all in aid of St Wilfrid's Hospice. Go, its amazing! All retro, all laid out well, with a lovely changing room. From retro kids toys, to china, to clothes. Its one of my 'happy places!' I could spend a lot of money in there, what I like, its not over priced too! Lots of 'retro' shops can be very expensive! Don't get me wrong they are often the correct price, just out of my budget! 

A beautiful dress for only 12 pounds!! With matching earrings! Almost have an outfit for Goodwood, hoping we can go again this year. If not it will be one of my outfits for Retro Fest! Yes there are a few marks but I have its beautiful! Whats the last dress you brought for 12 pounds, that no one else had and looks amazing? I love charity shops! 

Vintage every day! 

Yes, you can wear a vintage dress on the school run! My favourite shoes for the summer school run, where my Great Grandmothers 1970's red amazing shoes! The glue has gone again :( Am so sad, I need to find a specialist to fix them. Last time they broke I ended up walking barefoot into the shoe repair shop and getting a lot of odd looks......I am a barefoot gal in the summer so quite used to that, but it was raining.... 

Hanging up to air, lots of new vintage dresses! 

Like I have said, a dress on its own, may not look like a vintage item. Teaming it with the correct hosiery, handbag and shoes, you have stepped back in time!


What I love is when I wear something which belonged to a member of my family, I think of them. (Just as I do when I say use a cooking pot or one of the many other items I have.)

 This year I lost my Nana. I've been very lucky that I have not lost many people and that many have lived into their 90's so I have got to know them. My Nana, was working still at 91, right up till she fell ill. Am very lucky that she was also a size 4 so I have some lovely shoes added into my wardrobe. The other day, I had on her shoes teamed with her scarf and had so many complements. 

Some items, I have had to pull from my every day wear wardrobe. This is down to wear and tear. As the fabrics are older they can become much thinner, but with gentle repairs and care they can last you for many, many more years. So keep an eye on your vintage every day wear and check seams when you wash them. Most of my outfits you wouldn't even spot the vintage item! I have a beautiful 1950's top, which looks really smart with a black pencil skirt or dressed down with jeans. So don't worry about mixing in vintage with your modern clothes. You will most likely turn out like me, where you go shopping for retro over modern! 



So this brings us onto, modern retro/vintage. 

Styles are repeated over and over, so sometimes you cant tell if something is true vintage by cut alone. Classic cuts and shapes are used again and again, throughout the generations. So I've been finding it hard to get some 1960/70's outfits to wear when showing our 1960's caravan. Am finding it hard, as when people think 1960's they think of the really extreme styles, plastic boots and mini skirts.

 Thats not really me, am more into the hippy style. Pretty much my mother back in the 1970's. So I have been working on getting my hair and clothes right for 60/70's. Not only in that style but also to look like that true style. As like I said, often you could be head to toe in vintage, but you wouldn't look like it was vintage. So its a hard balance. Am much more at home with 1950's but am falling a little in love with beehives and floaty dresses! If you have a keen eye, you can spot some really great modern retro look items, click here for my review of everything for 5 pounds. I found a jumper and a beautiful dress, which have a real retro vibe. 

If your new to vintage, you most likely have been wearing vintage styles for years without seeing that its repeating. There are a lot of 'new vintage' companies out there. Some are amazing and have a great line of dresses and other items. Having said that, the thing I love about true vintage is, its highly unlikely you will walk into an event and be wearing the same outfit as someone else! There is something so much more meaningful about a vintage item, than a new reproduction. Often the older item, was made by hand, I love finding vintage homemade items! There are some amazing new, items, which you can mix in and make your own style! 



Handmade

There are lots and lots of old patterns, you can find them on ebay etc. Many companies are now re-printing their old 1950/60/70s patterns. This is fab as you can make a new item, from the colours and fabrics you want, fitting you perfectly and still in a by gone style!

Here I am at my boys school's sports day, in a handmade in the late 1960 dress. I love these, I call them 'day dresses' or 'house dresses' they are so easy to wear. They are one of the main items of everyday wear I have. With tights and boots for the winter, sandals for the summer. Like I said so easy to wear. Quite often people just go for the 1950's full skirt dresses and miss out on these more plain designed dresses. By plain design I don't mean patterns and fabrics, I mean cut. 

As you can tell I love this dress! So easy to wear. Teamed here with my Nana's 1960's apron. 

I wear these easy 1960's day dresses, almost every day. Here with my Nana's shoes, very lucky she was a size 4 too! But looking at me, you may not spot that this is a 1960's dress.....

but put it with matching earrings, red lippy, matching hat and coat - then like my friend said, I look like I have walked off the set of Heartbeat. 

Vintage and retro clothing are getting harder to find, but patterns are not. Think you wont fit into that tiny dress, don't worry make your own! You van even use vintage fabrics. 

Here I am in one of my best dresses, a 1940's one. I didn't think I would look good in 1940 style, but with hair, lips, nails to match (only a handbag to find.) I loved it! 

So there you go, I wear vintage every day, but only when I team it with matching hair or items does it really show. I guess am a retro gal, living in a little vintage life bubble. In fact I just come from a long line of hoarders to fixed things, not just throwing them away. Slowly new items in my house are being replaced with better made items from over 50 years ago. They really don't make them like they used too. 

I will be up dating this blog soon with lots more hints tips and videos on how to make the most from your vintage wardrobe!!

Xx