A Touch Of Vintage

As most of us are aware, fashions come and go… and then in most cases come back around again. The one thing this tell us is that there will always be a place for Vintage or Retro clothing within the fashion market. Now, the term Vintage or Retro is used when describing clothing that imitates a certain era, normally between the 1920′s – 1980′s, any older and it is usually classed as antique. There has recently been a huge demand for Vintage clothing and more and more male celebs seem to be donning the look. Names such as David Beckham, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson and Steve Jones are just a few of the faces helping to advertise this new trend. Vintage has also massively made its way into the high street, with key items such as denim shirts, bow ties, quilted jackets, heavy/chunky knitwear, flat caps, hi-tops, Retro spectacles and brogues (just to name a few) making their way back on to the scene and becoming massive trends this season.

Now for most of us, the idea of looking in a Vintage or a charity shop for items to fill our wardrobe is probably one we hadn’t entertained? When in actual fact you can find some very stylish and unique pieces, especially when shopping for the Autumn/Winter season in my opinion. The majority of today’s designers will take inspiration from history for their creations, which explains why materials and patterns such as Tweed, plaids and checks, floral, fair isle, and hand knitted woolen garments have been so big recently. Models are being styled with braces, spectacles, turn ups on their trousers, fully buttoned up shirts and Retro hair styles, it really is all about Vintage at the moment.

The majority of Vintage items will be second hand so make sure u inspect them carefully for missing buttons, rips etc, but also keep in mind that a lot of the clothes (especially from the early 80′s and earlier) were made using quality materials that are now very expensive, so why not own an original at a fraction of the price?!

Don’t be afraid to mix Vintage with current fashion. A lot of the models you will see in magazines or online will have been given a ‘Vintage Look’ and that look may not be what you’re looking for. But as I have said, Vintage shops are great for just finding those one off pieces. Take a tip from Kanye and mix a Vintage tweed jacket or a stone wash denim jacket with a pair of carrot fit jeans and high-tops. Or complete the Mod look with a Fred Perry polo teamed with turned up skinny jeans and classic Vintage brogue shoes, add a pair braces or a Vintage trilby hat and you are away.

Apart from charity shops my personal favourite spots to shop for genuine Vintage clothing are Brick Lane, Camden and Carnaby Street in London, they really do boast some of the best Vintage shops/markets in the UK. Northern Quarter in Manchester and Oldham Road in Leeds are also very popular with those further North. Urban Outfitters and Topman (Oxford Street) have also added a very good Vintage section to their stores along with a section holding Vintage clothing that has been re-modernised.

However, if working your way through hundreds of old clothes on a Saturday afternoon isn’t your thing, there is also now a wide range clothing available that has got that vintage look and feel, but doesn’t hold that lingering smell of mothballs! So below are a few items currently available online.

Vintage Items

Topman

Urban Outfitters

ASOS

Oki-Ni

MyWardrobe