Top 5 Vintage Christmas Party Dresses

Jack Frost has been visiting and there is that festive jingle in the air - the Christmas season is most definitely underway!

Whether with work, family or friends, there is no doubt you will have a few functions to attend over the Christmas and New Year period and of course you need a killer dress to party in!

Imagine agonising over the perfect party dress, trawling every website and high street shop until you find something that makes you feel good. Handing over your hard earned cash and glamming yourself up on the night to then arrive and see someone else in the very same dress! It's a stomach dropping feeling that no-one wants to experience (trust me, I've been there!)

So how can you guarantee that you will be the only one wearing THAT dress? Go vintage of course! At My Vintage we have an unrivaled selection of vintage dresses that will always look glamorous and stylish whilst being totally unique! And with prices from as little as £30 they won't break the bank either!

Here are my top 5 picks from our current collection, spanning various styles and sizes so there is certain to be one you love...

1. 1970's Vintage Blue Betty Barclay Evening Dress - approx UK Size 8/10
A gorgeous cobalt blue evening maxi dress with pleats, caped sleeves and a dainty silver belt.

For more information or to buy, click here: http://www.myvintage.co.uk/dresses/vintage-1970s-betty-barclay-royal-blue-evening-maxi-dress-size-810.html

2. 1950's Vintage Green Boned Evening Dress - approx UK Size 12/14
Beautiful, elegant and head-turning. Emerald green with boning and brocade.

For more information or to buy, click here: http://www.myvintage.co.uk/dresses/vintage-1950s-green-black-boned-evening-gown-1214.html

3. 1950's Vintage Blue Chiffon Prom Dress - approx UK Size 8/10
Full, frivolous and fabulous! This is a truly stunning dress for any occasion.

For more information or to buy, click here: http://www.myvintage.co.uk/dresses/1950s-vintage-blue-chiffon-swing-prom-dress-size-810.html

4. 1980's Black and Gold Sequin Cocktail Dress - approx UK Size 14
Sparkly and striking, this is the perfect Christmas little black party dress.

For more information or to buy, click here: http://www.myvintage.co.uk/uk-size-14/80s-vintage-black-and-gold-sequin-cocktail-dress-size-14.html

5. Vintage 1980's Velvet and Taffeta Prom Dress - approx UK Size 10
We love this twist on a classic black occasion dress. Velvet bodice and full 50's inspired skirt.

For more information or to buy, click here: http://www.myvintage.co.uk/dresses/1980s-vintage-black-taffeta-prom-dress-size-10.html

Don't forget to let me know in the comments which of these is your favourite and if you fancy one of them for your Christmas party, snap it up before it disappears!

Over and out!
Em
x

10 Ways to Wear a Vintage Headscarf

As many of you know, at My Vintage we have a beautiful and exclusive range of handmade vintage style headscarves. These colourful cotton bands are available in a wide range of patterns from polka dots to florals and even quirky prints like foxes, Scottie dogs and campervans!

I wear headscarves quite often, as you can see here!

They are a really easy way to tackle a bad hair day, or just to give a more vintage feel to your normal updo. But I do hear many women say they don't know how to wear them or that they feel they don't suit them.

Well fear not, I can guarantee that there is at least one way you can wear one of these brilliant headscarves that you will love! Whether you're still not convinced, or you are just looking for more ways to wear your existing scarves, you've come to the right place!

Here are my Top Ten Ways to Wear a Vintage Headscarf...

Before we begin, please note that the vintage headscarves I am talking about are not squares, they are approximately this shape...

1. The Classic Tied
The most common and simplest way to wear these headscarves. simply tie round your head with the knot at the top. This can be done with hair up or hair down. If you prefer a thinner band then you can fold the headscarf in half lengthways before tying it.

2. The Neckerchief
It's really easy and effective to wear these headscarves as neckerchiefs too. Perfect for 1950's outfits and keep your neck surprisingly warm too!

3. The Back Bow
This is super cute! Simply tie the hair in a low ponytail, split in half at nape of neck and bring the ponytail through the hole, fixing a bow to finish nicely.

4.The Wide Headband
Similar to the classic tie, but upside down! Having the headscarf at full width gives you this cute boho look and shows the full pattern too!

5. The Rosette
This is another simple yet effective design. Simply tie a knot in the headscarf then thread each opposite end through the knot and tighten. Then tie at the bottom of the neck as per the wide band.

6. The Messy Bun
Gather the hair in a low inverted ponytail, wrapping it around a few times and tying in a bow underneath. Then taking one side of the hair and pinnng it to your head with kirby grips, then the other side. Practical but also cute.

7. The Boho Band
A real Woodstock inspired look. Just simply tie around head with hair down and in loose waves. Make sure hair is long otherwise this can look a little too Rambo!

8. The Front Roll
A really effective style. Take a front section of hair (1"-2" wide) and roll around your first two fingers, pinning to the head with kirby grips. Then tie the headscarf just being this roll. A really great look with your 1950's style dresses.

9. The Twenties Tuck
This gorgeous hairstyle is inspired by the glamour of the flapper girls, with a cute twist! Part your hair in the middle and tie the headscarf on your head OVER the top of all your hair. Then take a section of hair at a time, bring it up and over the fabric and tuck in. Repeat this all the way round until all hair is tucked it. Cute and practical - we love it!

10. The Pudsey Bear
I couldn't resist this one! Make like Pudsey Bear with this cute polka dot scarf eye patch!

So there we have it! My top ten ways to wear our fabulous handmade vintage scarves! We sell these in lots of different colours and prints for £6 each or 3 for £15. They are pretty, practical and also make great gifts.

Don't forget to let me know your favourite of the 10 styles and send me pics of your recreations via Facebook and Twitter!

Over and out!
Em
x

The Vintage Glossary from My Vintage - your one stop guide to vintage clothing, retro clothing and rockabilly fashion.

The Vintage Glossary from My Vintage - your one stop guide to vintage clothing, retro clothing and rockabilly fashion.

5 Ways to Flatter your Figure with Vintage Clothing

No matter what age, height, size or shape, we all want to flatter our figures and look our best. There is no shame in wanting to make the most of your best features and with vintage clothes and retro fashion you can seriously tap into this with the right know-how.

Here is the My Vintage Top 5 Guide to using vintage clothing cleverly to flatter your figure...

1) 1950's Dresses

Whether original vintage or brand new retro, the classic 1950's swing dress is one of the only styles that really does flatter every kind of figure. With a fitted top, nipped in waist and full skirt, it is my go-to shape for all women.
If you have a very slender, athletic body, these classic vintage dresses create that killer hourglass figure and give you a curvier outline.
If, like me, you are on the plus size end of the spectrum, these beautiful dresses bring you in at your smallest part and skim over the rest, thus giving you a slimmer outline.
For ample busts, go for a v-neck or plunge neck top and for smaller busts, a classic straight Audrey neckline is perfect.

2) Fitted Cardigans

Again, you can easily find beautiful fitted cardigans in both original vintage and brand new retro clothing ranges. 1940's and 1950's fashion gave us the fitted, waist length cardigan. Often in a twinset with a matching top and most usually in pastel colours. In modern retro and rockabilly fashion, the fitted cardigan is a big player and colours are bolder - reds, blacks, greens and blues in the main.
The key here is avoid loose, baggy boyfriend cardigans. These can of course look cool in the right context, but if you are wearing something that hugs your arms and top half, it is always going to be more flattering. These cardigans look great with so many outfits too - jeans, cigarette trousers, pencil skirts, circle skirts and all shapes and lengths of dresses.

3) Half & Half Dresses

If you are fortunate enough to be completely happy with both your top and bottom half, this might not help you, but most of us prefer one or the other. Half and half dresses are perfect for this, you want to go for plain fabric on your least favourite half and something brighter and/or patterned on your preferred half! The eyes will be drawn to the bright/patterned part and this will therefore be accentuated. Easy peasy!

4) Vintage Belts

I do often hear women saying that they do not have a waist. Well, we obviously all do, but for some women it is more defined than others. With the same principal as the 1950's clothing, a vintage belt brings you in at your smallest point, thus creating that hourglass holy grail. There are so many different types of vintage belt, the wide stretch elastic belts are particularly good as they can be worn easily at any point on the waist, or even on the empire line if this is the place where it is most flattering on you. These can be found in all good retro and rockabilly ranges but there are also some gorgeous examples in 1980s vintage, with decorative buckles and sparkly finishes.

5) Sharpen your Pencil

Aaaaaaand finally, it is my one woman mission to ensure that every single woman owns at least one pencil dress or pencil skirt. They are a must for all figures and I absolutely guarantee you that despite how big you think your tummy or your bum is, if you wear the right fitted item then your figure will be well and truly flattered! Still don't believe me? Just wait and see how many compliments you get...

The Novelty of the 1950's

The 1950's, as many of you already know, is my absolute favourite fashion era. It was a decade awash with imaginative, creative prints and surfaces adorned with beading and embroidery, not limited to evening wear but also popular with daywear fashion.

It was in stark contrast to the drab and constrained 1940s, a real celebration of all that was new, stylised and modern. America was the instigator of the explosion of prints being used for dresses, circle skirts and blouses.

Circle skirts were one of the first items that came to the fore of 50s novelty prints - not least influenced by the wonderful Doris Day!

The most popular graphic prints incorporated cowboy and western paraphernalia, animals (most often poodles), furniture, playing cards, tickets, postcards and text. There were also the iconic atom prints - starbursts, atomic patterns, rockets and all things space age and futuristic.

We have had a wonderful array of novelty print 1950's vintage clothing at My Vintage over the years but just recently this Mexican inspired novelty print dress came into stock and has fast become one of my absolute favourites...

It is of course, a classic 1950's shape with a cinched waist and full skirt. I simply adore it's magical whimsical print of various cacti and plant pots in cerise pink, finished with bold blue striping.

So much of the 1950's clothing that I find on my travels is quirky and unusual, the real epitome of kitsch. Maybe tat is why I love it so much, as I truly am a quirky girl at heart :)

I'd love to see your favourite bit of novelty 1950's clothing, tweet me or link me in the comments below.

Over and out!
Em
x

Oscar de la Renta: A Tribute

There are hundreds of collectable labels when it comes to vintage fashion, but there are only a handful that really make my heart sing. One of those has got to be Oscar de la Renta, who sadly passed away this week.

In 1932 this future fashion legend was born in the Dominican Republic, moving to Spain in his late teens to follow his love of art. It wasn't long before this passion for art was focused on fashion and he undertook an apprenticeship with Spain's infamous Balenciaga.

De La Renta dressed the remarkable Jackie Kennedy in the early 60s, which undoubtedly launched his name into the stratosphere, leading to him creating his own label several years later.

Throughout his career, he dressed a long line of first ladies, including Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush and most recently, Michelle Obama.

He was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and passed away on 20th October 2014, aged 82. He will always be one of my favourite designers and I wanted to take this opportunity to pay homage to some of his amazing creations. Here are some of my favourites from the past few decades...

We have some gorgeous vintage Oscar de la Renta pieces at My Vintage, and here are my top picks...

Designer Vintage Oscar De La Renta Silk Floral Skirt Suit 10/12

Designer Vintage 1960s Oscar De La Renta Mod Dress Size 8/10

1980s Vintage Designer Oscar De La Renta Paisley Print Scarf

We've lost a real fashion legend, but I am so glad that I have some of his amazing timeless pieces in my collection. If you have a favourite Oscar de la Renta piece, why not show me on Twitter or via the comments below :)

Over and out!
Em x