Revitalize your Style with Timeless Vintage UK Fashions
October 26, 2018Get inspired by vintage UK clothes, accessories and shoes that are classic, timeless and always on trend and inject standout retro style into your wardrobe today.
Some vintage clothing trends and styles never go out of fashion. Check out vintage UK online shopping sites or brick-and-mortar thrift and consignment stores to find those perfect pieces to amplify your individual fashion flair and stand out from the crowd in retro glam from day to-night.
Couple in 1968s wearing flared trousers. FOTO:FORTEPAN / Sándor Dávid [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Vintage UK fashion lives on!
Retro fashion styles and trends come around every fashion season and there are certain vintage clothing looks that get reimagined and reworked for each new age and yet stay true to their roots.
Go treasure hunting at your local vintage UK thrift stores or consignment shops and look for those special pieces that never go out of style and that work as well today as they did the first, second or third time around. Or take a virtual walk through vintage UK online shopping sites to access globally-sourced collections of vintage clothing from all the past decades. You will find tons of inspiration and options at all price points to really glam up your look.
Photo, three people in front of Cola ad posters, 1972. FOTO:FORTEPAN / Sándor Dávid [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Fit-and-Flare Forever
Of all the vintage clothing trends that never goes out of fashion, the fit-and-flare dress or skirt and top combo are eternally flattering for all figures, shapes and sizes. Visit your vintage UK fashion stores to find authentic one-of-a-kind fit-and-flare dresses from the 30s, 40s or 50s, each with their own brand of style.
Vintage clothing fit-and-flare outfits from the 30s were all about the puffed sleeves, made even bigger with shoulder pads. Vintage UK sites will offer you the ladylike silhouettes embellished with flounces and frills to finish the look.
Or check out vintage UK online shopping sites that offer modern takes on the classic 50s fit-and-flare, made with today’s fabrics and prints.The 50s fit-and-flare look was all about the full pleated or gathered skirts, worn with large brightly-coloured belts and finished with net petticoats of many layers and, if you are feeling adventurous, of multiple colours.
French fashions, 1947
40s throwback
The fit-and-flare vintage clothing look of the 40s emphasized a nipped-in waist with a full pleated, flared or gathered long skirt that fell below the knee, and belts were once again used to emphasize the hourglass figure that Dior made famous.
Take a virtual tour at popular vintage UK shopping sites online and look for another take on the 40s fit-and-flare look – the classic shirtdress. Vintage clothing shirtdresses had those elements that make the shirtdress what it remains today – a form-flattering, flexible and timeless look that everyone can wear.
Visit your local vintage UK thrift store to find shirtdresses from all the past decades in the fabrics, prints and patterns of their time, and pick the one that speaks to you.
Then give that vintage clothing shirtdress a modern look by popping the collar, pushing up the sleeves and knotting a patent belt around your waist. Finish your outfit with wedges that lace up your ankles and top it all off with a structured bag.
The Ladies’ home journal magazine cover, circa 1945. By Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons
Polka Dots All the Way
Another vintage clothing look that comes around every season are polka dots on everything. Pull up your favourite vintage UK site and look for dotted blouses, dresses, bags and shoes. The classic, timeless polka dot style is white dots on a navy or black background, with the size of the dot varying by the decade.
Vintage clothing dresses and swimsuits in polka dots are another forever-on-trend look that you can never go wrong with. Red and white dots are so retro in tops, dresses and swimsuits and yet so very flattering and feminine to wear!
Don’t forget to drop into your local vintage UK thrift store to find dotted scarves, bags and shoes. Again, look for classic colour combos of navy, black or red with white dots and you have yourself a retro-yet-modern chic piece that goes with everything!
Gingham dress illustration from the Ladies home journal. By Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons
Vintage UK – Girly Gingham
Once you’ve curated those perfect polka dot pieces from vintage UK online sites or local thrift stores, look for that other retro staple that never goes out of style – gingham! Find it in tops, skirts, cigarette pants, shoes and bags. Pair your perfect black-and-white gingham with blue jeans for a mash-up of modern and vintage clothing.
Think of gingham as a neutral that makes everything you have in your closet look extra special. Wear your vintage clothing gingham blouse tucked into a khaki mini skirt, or you could add a classic white T-shirt to your gingham skinny cropped pants. The combinations and looks are endless!
Edna Rice (Left) wearing button up dress with upturned sleeves and Majorie Kersley in brick red dress with upturned sleeves, pintuck and a peter pan collar.Brisbane, Australia, November 1939. By Contributor(s): Truth (Brisbane, Qld.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Peter Pan Collars and Oversized Buttons, Oh My!
Scroll through vintage UK online shopping sites to find blouses with peter pan collars and oversized buttons for a look that is retro-cute yet goes so well with your modern separates.
Vintage clothing had charming touches of style like these two favourites, which come back year after year in new and interesting ways. Big buttons embellish classic shift or shirt dresses and peter pan collars equally flatter fit-and-flare outfits or snug cropped cardigans.
Curate your finds in primary colours like red or navy with white buttons, and once again, you have a timeless piece that works with throwback styles or modern separates for a unique look.
Publicity photo of Model dressed in Persian lamb coat, black hat with veil and kitten heeled pumps. Erik Holmén, Nordiska museet / CC BY
Vintage UK – Oxfords, Pumps and Kitten Heels
Complete your timeless classic vintage clothing look with the perfect pair of shoes. Visit vintage UK fashion sites that offer retro styles in modern materials and sizes and look for block-heeled oxfords in brown or black that go perfectly with vintage clothing dresses and skirts.
Or browse through vintage UK sites to find kitten heeled sling backs in pastels, primary colours or playful prints. Wear them with your favourite skinny jeans and watch the whole look get elevated with one accessory.
Pumps with block heels are always comfortable and yet so stylish – look for them in nude, black and grey for maximum versatility. Wear these vintage clothing classics with solid toned tights and pencil skirts in the winter, or with fishnets and frilly dresses in the summer – they go with everything and are so easy to walk in.
Couple in double leather and double denim (right) dancing in disco in 1977. Deutsche Fotothek, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Vintage UK – Retro Denim Reworked for Today
We all know that denim never goes out of style. Vintage clothing in denim fabrications are both timeless and retro-stylish all at the same time. Vintage UK stores and online shopping sites offer you a vast selection of denim options to choose from.
Play up the 70s vintage clothing look with pale blue bell-bottom denim jeans with frayed hems, high waists and patches or embroidery embellishments. Pair them with peasant blouses in the summertime or fitted turtleneck sweaters in the winter to add classic flair to your look.
Or check out your local vintage UK thrift store for denim skirts in indigo washes to rock the 80s trend. Look for skirts with brass buttons down the front and side pockets for that classic retro style. Add a floral T-shirt and white sneakers and you have a throwback look that is so very now.
In the winter time, top your vintage clothing denim skirt with a chunky fisherman’s sweater in oatmeal, and ground your look with caramel brown knee-high riding boots.
Rico & Kiko wearing Levis denim fleece jackets from Blue17 vintage
Vintage UK stores for Denim
Vintage UK stores and sites offer you so many other ways to work with vintage clothing denim. Look for denim vests in retro colours and embellishments to wear with black turtleneck sweaters or over a summer floral dress.
And don’t forget the quintessential vintage clothing denim jacket. The classic indigo or stone-washed blue never goes out of style and works with everything in your closet. Rock the denim-on-denim look by pairing your dark wash denim jacket with pale blue skinny jeans. Or layer your stone-washed vintage clothing denim jacket over a white T-shirt and skinny white jeans for an effortless, cool summer look. Finish all your denim outfits with classic white sneakers and you are ready to rock the runways of your life!
Alternatives to the vintage clothing classic denim blue jacket are white denim jackets worn over white T-shirts and paired with khaki or olive-green cargos. Or visit your favourite vintage UK online site to find yourself a black denim jacket to edge up your look. Pair your find with skinny cropped black pants and a white button-down shirt and finish that style statement with black stilettos.
Vintage Clothing All the Way!
Now that you have checked out the top vintage UK online shopping sites and dropped into your local vintage UK thrift and consignment stores, we know you have been inspired by those special retro-timeless styles, trends and pieces that looked as good as they did back in the day as they do today. Add these special pieces to your wardrobe and rock a look that stands out from the crowd!
