This guide breaks down how to evaluate Second Wave Vintage and My Vintage shops using five key checks to ensure confident purchases of vintage clothing and homeware.

The 1950s are often reduced to one image: a sharply dressed man in a grey suit. In reality, the decade brought together formal tailoring, collegiate sportswear, youth subcultures and relaxed clothing shaped by Hollywood. That mix is what makes 1950s menswear so wearable now. You can borrow a single detail, such as a knitted polo or high-waisted trousers, without dressing head to toe in period costume. This guide explores the era’s most recognisable looks, what influenced them

Weddings and race days both invite a little extra polish, but neither calls for sacrificing comfort or wearing something that feels unlike you. A vintage dress can bring colour, character and a distinctive silhouette to the occasion; the key is choosing a style that suits the event’s dress code as well as its setting. This guide compares vintage occasion dresses by era, with practical ideas for weddings and the races. You’ll find ways to choose accessories, check comfort and

Denim is one of the most familiar fabrics in a wardrobe, but vintage jeans and jackets can be surprisingly different from their modern counterparts. The cut, construction and condition all affect how a piece feels and fits, and no single label detail can tell you the whole story. This guide will help you assess vintage denim, shop with confidence and bring classic pieces into your everyday style. Key takeaways Date by looking at several clues together. Labels, stitching, fabr

Discover how to identify genuine vintage Adidas jackets from the 70s to 90s, including trefoil track, ATP tennis, and colour-block windbreaker styles, with expert tips on authenticity and use cases.

The 1930s brought a new kind of glamour: long, fluid lines, softly shaped silhouettes and clothes that moved with the body. Yet 1930s fashion was not all sweeping evening gowns. Daywear, tailoring and practical separates each had their own distinct look. This guide explores the decade’s signature shapes, explains how they differ from the flapper style of the 1920s, and offers simple ways to bring 1930s-inspired details into your wardrobe. You do not need a head-to-toe period

Y2K fashion is firmly back in the conversation, but wearing it today does not mean recreating a head-to-toe look from a 2000s music video. The easiest way to make the decade feel current is to borrow its best-known details: think bootcut denim, a baby tee or a compact shoulder bag, and balance them with pieces you already enjoy wearing. This guide explains what Y2K style includes, how to choose a direction and how to put together outfits that feel nostalgic without feeling li

The 1980s did not have just one look. Power dressing, bright prints, statement denim and sportswear all shared the same decade, giving you plenty of ways to explore 80s fashion without dressing head to toe in a costume. This guide looks at what made those trends distinctive and shows you how to bring them into a modern wardrobe with confidence. Key takeaways Choose one strong reference at a time. A bold blazer, bright windbreaker or acid-wash jacket can anchor an outfit wit

The 1950s are often summed up by one image: a full skirt, a fitted bodice and a clearly defined waist. But the decade’s dresses offered more than one silhouette, and you don’t need to dress head to toe in period style to enjoy them today. Whether you’re choosing a dress for everyday wear, a special occasion or a vintage-inspired outfit, this guide explains the key shapes and how to make them work for you. Key takeaways Start with the silhouette you like: swing dresses bring

There are certain pieces of fashion that seem to belong to just about every generation, and the Chelsea boot is a particularly good example. Equally at home beneath a sharply tailored 1960s suit, a pair of well-worn jeans or a modern winter coat, this wonderfully uncomplicated ankle boot has managed to remain stylish for the best part of two centuries. Its distinctive elastic sides, neat silhouette and easy slip-on design are instantly recognisable, even if most of us probabl

There was a time when going into town meant more than simply buying what you needed. The high street itself was part of the outing: polished windows, carefully dressed mannequins, department stores glowing after dark and whole displays designed to make you stop in your tracks before you had even reached the door. You might have gone out for stockings, a birthday present or nothing in particular, yet still found yourself lingering in front of a window that had somehow transfor

Buttons are one of those tiny details that are easy to overlook until you really start looking at vintage clothes. After years of handling old garments, you begin to notice just how much personality can be packed into something no bigger than a coin. A row of glossy domed buttons, a carved Bakelite-style fastening, a delicate mother-of-pearl button or a sparkling rhinestone clasp can completely change the character of a dress, coat or cardigan. Sometimes the buttons are almos

There are some vintage fabrics you learn to recognise by sight, and others you know the second you touch them. Crimplene is very much in the latter camp. It has that unmistakable dense, springy, slightly textured feel, and once you have handled enough 1960s and 1970s clothing, it becomes surprisingly easy to spot. It turns up in shift dresses, neat day dresses, skirts, trouser suits and all sorts of wonderfully practical pieces, and it has a stubborn ability to hold its shape

Make-up has always been about more than simply changing the way a face looks. Open an old powder compact, look at a lipstick advert from the 1940s or remember the astonishing blue eye shadow of the 1980s and an entire little world appears around it: dressing tables, handbag mirrors, nights out, beauty counters, film stars and the wonderfully familiar ritual of getting ready. The products themselves have changed enormously, but the pleasure of applying them — and occasionally

Fashion has never existed in silence. Clothes may begin on a designer’s sketchpad or a dressmaker’s table, but some of their most important transformations have happened once somebody put on a record, cleared a space and started to dance. The dance floor has always asked something slightly different of clothing. A skirt has to move rather than simply hang beautifully; shoes have to survive an evening rather than pose for a photograph; fabrics catch light, sleeves fly, hems li

There are certain garments that manage to feel practical and dramatic at exactly the same time, and the jumpsuit is one of them. It has the simplicity of being a single piece, yet it can create an extraordinarily strong silhouette, whether sleek and minimal, sharply tailored or unapologetically glamorous. That combination has helped it survive one reinvention after another. At different moments it has been associated with workwear, modernity, bohemian ease, disco glamour, pow

Checks are one of those patterns that never really leave fashion; they simply change their mood. One decade they are neat, polished and almost prim, the next they are oversized, rebellious and worn with scuffed boots. They can look aristocratic, practical, playful, punk or completely casual depending on the colours, scale and garment, which is exactly why checked fashion has proved so adaptable. From tartan skirts and gingham dresses to sharp windowpane tailoring and the deli

Few fashion details have quite the same sense of movement as fringe. It sways, shimmers, flicks and catches the light in a way that flat fabric simply cannot, which is probably why designers have returned to it whenever clothes have needed a little more drama. Depending on the material and the way it is used, fringe can be glamorous, bohemian, theatrical, rebellious or playful. Beaded strands on an evening dress have a completely different character from long suede tassels on

There are few garments that tell the story of women’s changing relationship with fashion quite as clearly as the trouser suit. What now feels like an ordinary wardrobe option once carried far more weight, because trousers themselves were not always considered acceptable clothing for women outside very specific settings. To wear them could be practical, modern, provocative or quietly rebellious depending on the decade, and when trousers were paired with a matching jacket, the

Dive into iconic 1960s fashion trends and discover how to curate an authentic retro wardrobe that truly reflects your unique style.