Vintage Style by Era

The 1930s

The 1930s was the decade of “The Great Depression”, WWII and trying to escape from all the worries of war. The most popular ways to escape real life was by reading mystery novels written by the likes of Agatha Christie, listening to the “Andrew sisters” or Billie Holiday on the radio and watching the Movie stars act out fantasies of a happier time.

1930S ICONS: Amelia Earhart, Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Vivien Leigh, James Cagney, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow.

1930S FILM INFLUENCES: “Gone with the Wind”, “They Won’t Forget”, “Top Hat”, “Bringing up Baby”.

1930S FASHION: Fashion in the 1930s was the first time women and designers were looking to Hollywood for inspiration. Women were starting to embrace their femininity and wore styles that were flattering to their figures. Dresses were designed with fitted mid riffs and worn with short gloves. For the first time tight fitting sweaters were worn to show off women’s waists and busts. The 30s was also a time for exaggerated shoulders; they were very pronounced and gave ladies a square silhouette. For the evening, women wore elegant backless gowns or floor length prom dresses with opera length gloves and a clutch.

The 1940s

The 1940s was dominated with WWII, women were replacing the men at work who had gone off to war and rationing meant that there was very little for food, toys and fashion. Women started to re-use what they already had lying around the house. With the men at war, the now working ladies needed suitable clothing to work in so re-used the cloths from men’s suits to make Cloche hats, jackets and trousers.

1940S ICONS: Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn.

1940S FILM INFLUENCES: “Casablanca”, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “The Philadelphia Story”.

1940S FASHION: With rationed fashion, pattern companies suggested women start to reuse pieces around the house to create the latest fashions. As women had to work they needed strong materials to make jackets and trousers. Hair went high up on heads and was braided, out of the way of the workplace. The 1940s was when synthetic fabrics started to appear such as Nylon and there were “Nylon Riots” for stockings! Shoulderpadded jackets with belted waists also started to appear in ladies fashion after Lauren Bacall and other actresses were seen sporting a more feminine military look.

The 1950s

The 1950s brought Rock n Roll, Teddy Boys, Brylcreem, Teenagers, optimism and the baby boom!

1950S ICONS: Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Diana Dors.

1950S FILM INFLUENCES: “The Wild one”, “Rebel without a Cause”, “Some Like it Hot”, “Singing in the Rain”, “High Noon”.

1950S FASHION: Rock n Roll brought rebellion with rebellious teens who wanted to dress like movie stars, dance with rock n roll stars and behave badly. Teenage girls wore fitted sweaters, full calf length skirts and A-line shift dresses with neck ties and beehives. Ladies wore Christian Dior who designed a “New look” with a fitted jacket, nipped waist and full calf length skirt. Evening versions of this look were strapless, boned calf length full skirted dresses – the Prom dress was born! Rebels like Audrey Hepburn and Leslie Caron both often wore simple black tailored trousers with flat shoes, sweaters and a short cropped hair do.

The 1960s

A decade that broke all fashion traditions! The birth of the Bikini, the pill box, scooters, no bras, tie dye – what’s not to love!

1960S ICONS: Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, Jackie Onassis, The Mods, Twiggy.

1960S FILM INFLUENCES: “Psycho”, “Breakfast at Tiffanys”, “Cleopatra”, “Promises, Promises!”

1960S FASHION: In the 60s it was British fashion that was leading the way! With the rise of The Beatles, The Rolling stones, The Mods, The Rockers and The Hippies a new exciting, radical time had approached fashion and the world. Fashion had started mirroring social movements. The early 1960s was dominated by Jackie Kennedy who brought pill boxes, shift dresses and oversized sunglasses to the White House. The rest of the decade was influenced by Twiggy, London’s Carnaby Street, Go Go boots and even the Skinny Jean! The very late 60s was the “Summer of Love” in San Francisco where the fields were full of bare feet, bandannas, denim and paisley prints.

The 1970s

The decade of DISCO – Spandex, glitter, sequins and leotards!

1970S ICONS: Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm Mclaren, Blondie, Elton John, The Ramones, Patti Smith, The Partridge Family, Charlie’s Angels, David Bowie & Punk.

1970S FILM INFLUENCES: “Jaws”, “Star Wars”, “Annie Hall”, “Monty Python”, “Saturday Night Fever”.

1970S FASHION: The 1970s saw the rise of Disco. The sounds of disco and glam rock stars such as David Bowie and the Bee Gee brothers started influencing fashion with skin tight spandex trousers, tube tops and glitter. “Saturday Night fever” influenced Men’s fashion with gents beginning to wear colourful three piece suits with wide lapels and flared trousers. Farah Fawcett who starred in “Charlie’s Angels” became a sex symbol for all 15 year old boys when she was photographed in a one piece swimsuit which became a staple piece of a girl’s wardrobe for the late 70s. The swimsuit also helped the rise of the leotard which was worn as dance wear in nightclubs. The late 70s also saw the popularisation of denim, waists were lowered and more often than not a pair of denim jeans would be matched with a denim jacket. Platform shoes and boots would often be worn with colourful spandex jumpsuits. So grab your disco stick and get your best John Travolta dance routine licked!

The 1980s

It was acceptable in the 80s...

1980S ICONS: Madonna, Dallas, Dynasty, Michael Jackson, Olivia Newton John, Duran Duran, Princess Diana.

1980S FILM INFLUENCES: “Fatal Attraction”, “Working Girl”, “Top Gun”, “An Officer and a Gentleman, Dirty Dancing”, “Flashdance”.

1980S FASHION: Only a decade, but so many looks! The Valley girls who wanted to be Madonna wore leg warmers, ra ra skirts with dolly shoes and big hair. The power dressers wore pinstripe suits and power dressing was all about colour and the box silhouette. The TV soap Dynasty had a lot of followers in the 1980s and the show taught women to power dress their economic status! The Miami Vice look saw men wearing colourful hawaiian shirts with blazers and rolled up cuffs to the office. With films like Flashdance and Olivia Newton John’s Physical video the popularity of dancewear skyrocketed to become street wear and every girl became a dancer. Ripped jumpers bearing a shoulder, and trousers ripped at the knee became staple pieces in every girl’s wardrobe. Dr. Martens became popular with people other than punks and skinheads. Ladies hairstyles were big and un-groomed, leather and leopard print was in and Princess Diana was a fashion icon. – Did I leave anything out?