How to Find Your Vintage Style

First, let me start by saying that your vintage style, preferences and aesthetics can and will change over time. 

However, sometimes in this pinup and vintage fashion world we can get overwhelmed easily with all the inspiration we find. In particular, how can we figure out what our own vintage style is so that we can curate our wardrobes?

Yes, this blog post is part of the Curate Your Wardrobe Series and you can find links to all the other content (and the free online course) at the bottom of the blog. 

I do also go further into what 'pinup style' is, the fashion eras and influences on the modern pinup in the e-book Beginners Guide to Pinup. However, this blog is to serve as a practical guide and some tangible steps on how to find your vintage style. These steps and questions to ask yourself are also covered in the Curate Your Wardrobe Free Online Course and Workbook. 

Why do I need to define my style?

Now, I am not saying that you should be like: "I am a 40's lover, therefore everything I do, wear and style HAS to be 1940's inspired". The joy of pinup and vintage styling is that you are free to express yourself in the fashion and create your own unique look.

What I am saying, is that it can be beneficial to define what style parameters you like, in order to make your wardrobe curation process easier.

So, let's do say for example you love 1940's fashion. Now think about the keywords and descriptive elements that encompass that fashion decade:

• A-line
• Collars 
• Jackets
• Military/ Utility 
• Shoulder pads/volume 

Therefore, with those keywords front of mind, you can easily find outfit inspirations on Pinterest and have those silhouettes in mind when out shopping for your next clothing item.

Spoiler alert! Fashion is cyclical - meaning that styles and silhouettes will trend and come back into style in later years.  

So, you may find you already have a few of the items with your chosen attributes in your wardrobe, or can easily spot them out on the clothing racks in stores. For the frugal shopper, knowing your silhouettes and clothing attributes can make op shopping all the more enjoyable as some more recent decades were inspired by earlier styles such as:

• 1990's brought back the slip skirts and dresses from the 1930's
• 1980's brought back full gathered skirts of the 1950's and button up dresses of the 1940's
• 1970's brought back tailored jackets with shoulder pads and pointed collars
• Recently, high-waisted jeans and pants are now back in mainstream fashion
• just to name a few...

What if my style changes per activity?

There is no rule to say that you can't have multiple style inspirations. We all live very unique lives, each with its own diverse activities. Think about your most frequent lifestyle occasions and what you are most comfortable wearing. By keeping to a few keywords, you will be able to curate a wardrobe of pinup and vintage inspired clothing that will be easily incorporated into your common activities. 

Here are a few examples: 

1940's + lots to do = go with wide leg, high-waisted pants inspired from the 1940's that you can still wear to run your errands in.

1960's + office job = go with pencil dresses and skirts that can easily to styled for work, special occasion or pinup event.

1950's + casual = go with cropped shirts and high-waisted shorts that you can throw on but also dress up with added accessories. 

As you can see, there are so many options available to you if you investigate what your vintage style is and analyse its specific silhouettes. If you would like a starting off point for decades of style, check out the Pinterest Boards we've created and start jumping off to other ideas and inspirations. 

While we are on the topic, start your own Pinterest board called 'my style' or 'looks I love' and just start pinning and saving away all of your visual inspirations. Pinterest also has a feature where you can create your own pins, so you can feel free to screenshot and take photos of all of your inspiration (freeze frame movies anyone?) and keep them all in the one place. 

If you would like a more personal place to keep your inspiration, you can always create a photo album on your phone or go ol' school and create a mood/vision board. 

Are you ready to dive deep into your wardrobe and style preferences to curate your perfect wardrobe, that will work for you and serve you for many years to come? 

Check out the other content in this Curate Your Wardrobe Series available through the links below and bundled together in a Free Online Course including a downloadable workbook. 
Curate Your Wardrobe
How To Find Your Best Colours
Dressika Colour Analysis App Walkthrough
How To Find Your Vintage Style
Additional Related Content:
Pinup in the Time of Minimalism
Why Every Pinup Should Strip – Her Wardrobe Back to Basics

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