Your Vintage Closet Part 1: Picking an Era

Here I am wearing a 1980s-does-1930s twinset. Polka dots were über popular in the ‘30s.So you love the look of vintage clothing but aren't sure where to begin? Maybe you're too bashful to get started for fear that people think you're wearing a costume? Let me help. I have been wearing vintage clothing, to some degree, for my whole life. I distinctly remember a trip to NYC with my grandmother and aunts resulting in my discovering, to my delight, that tiny teen me fit into most 1960s vintage mod dresses. After that, I accumulated 50s, Victorian, 70s pieces, and more and have never looked back. I think you could put together a look from any era from my wardrobe, and, though it is truly an unruly place, I love my closet for that. So where does one begin if one decides to dress in a vintage style? Well, the first thing to do is to pick an era, or a couple eras, to begin collecting for.

Let's begin by assuming you're a woman, or a femme person, or a drag queen who loves a classic look (We can address menswear a little later). You probably already have some specific looks you love if you're contemplating making the switch to a vintage look, but let's also assume you love the whole history of dress, and every era has its own appeal for you. It's possible, but not easy, to collect a wardrobe full of pieces from every era and begin to pull together a cohesive look right away. It's definitely easiest to start with a mission. I will list some eras of dress you might like, and some reasoning for choosing them.

Victorian-1910s:

If you're a goth, this might be an easy choice. Corsetry, bustles, floor length skirts... it's all so romantic and feminine! Perhaps you're interested in women's suffrage, or the dark spiritualism of the victorians, or the industrial boom, art nouveau, gothic literature like Jane Eyre, or turn-of-the-century art. This will be an especially easy style to pull off if you have long hair or are good at styling wigs, since every woman wore her long hair done up in a variety of ways, depending on the time frame. You will have a harder time finding true vintage pieces that are still in wearable condition, but don't fret! The reproduction market for this style is still strong, and you'd be surprised how many 1970s prairie and peasant trends translate into a Victorian look. It's very easy to double your wardrobe's duty to suit the 70s and the Victorian era!

1920s:

If you love a little androgyny, increased social freedom, big band jazz, and gangster movies you're probably already into the 1920s. And it's such an easy decade to love! For a brief minute, women, people of color, and LGBT+ people experienced increased equality in social spheres. That said, alcohol was illegal and everyone had to drink in secret in hidden Speakeasys. What's cooler than that! The 20s will suit you naturally if you have a boyish figure and short hair; these were the body ideal of the time. And because of the emphasis on a youthful, curveless figure and the art-deco movement, it's easy to collect for both the 20s and the 60s/70s at once! Genuine 1920s clothing is hard to come by and expensive, and lots of 1920s reproduction is so, so wrong (hemlines rarely ran above half-calf). It's going to take a little more concerted effort to craft yourself a realistic 1920s wardrobe. And remember, every 1920s girl needs a cloche hat! Take a look at the works of Biba if you need some direction for mixing eras. References to check out include Downton Abbey, The Great Gatsby, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, and even young Joan Crawford!

1930s/40s:

I'm combining these two because functionally they're quite similar. Both emphasized a less curvy figure with broad shoulders and narrow hips. The 30s was a bit more sinuous and slinky, whereas the 40s was more rigid and utilitarian. That said, both featured less voluminous skirts that ended below the knee, wide-leg trousers, and a dark and sexy air. The 40s can go two directions: Normal, everyday women were working labor jobs and often wore more utilitarian clothing, but on the silver screen, Film Noir femme fatales brought the undeniable dark sex appeal. Both can be really fun to play with depending on your day-to-day activities! Hair was always curled, much shorter in the 30s than in the 40s, and if you were going out, you always wore a hat or a head scarf. Again, it can be really fun to look at Biba for how to join the 30s with the 70s, and you'd be surprised at the sartorial overlap between the 40s and the 60s! Your leading ladies to look to are Rita Hayworth (watch Gilda), Marlene Dietrich (Morocco), Anna May Wong, Lauren Bacall (The Big Sleep), and Greta Garbo.

1950s:

I hardly feel I have to sell the 50s to you, you probably already know the look. Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Sofia Loren, Jayne Mansfield... the list goes on. Forever. After the war ended, restrictions on fabric lifted and Christian Dior created The New Look, which harkened back to a "more romantic time when women were women and men were men” (yes, that kind of romanticism unfortunately returns from time to time.) That is, tiny nipped waists, wide skirts and hips, and lifted full breasts that reminded of the Victorian Era. Women wore both The New Look with it's voluminous, crinoline-supported skirts to flatter, well, flatter women, or pencil/wiggle skirts to emphasize natural curvature. Either way, your goal was to emphasise your womanliness and your curves. If you love the Jetsons, I Love Lucy, Smeg refrigerators, kitschy space paraphernalia and futurism, poodles, the Beach Boys, Elvis, and other "wholesome" imagery from the 1950s, maybe this is the era for you. Anyhow, if you love the 50s, it will also be easy for you to love the 80s, because the 80s loved the 50s too.

1960s:

The 60s had three main looks. In the early 60s, clothing closely resembled the 50s. Women still primarily dressed the same, but hair was slowly changing to accommodate fewer curls and more teased volume. In the mid 60s, the mods emerged in Swingin' London. The mod look called for super short skirts, less flouncy volume and more shift-dresses, kitten heels, and tights. Some of the space-age obsession of the 1950s found its way into the 1960s, and this can be seen in an obsession with silver and modernist design. Again, the boyish youthful figure became huge. Finally, towards the end of the 60s, the hippies were in full-form, and you probably already know that look: sheepskin vests, tassels, leather, woven fabrics, tie-dye, peace signs... Anyway, for 60s inspiration look to Mad Men, Twiggy, Mia Farrow, Jean Seberg, Francoise Hardy, Jane Birkin, and Diahann Caroll. If you play your cards right, you may be able to get your 60s wardrobe to do double duty with your 40s wardrobe!

1970s:

The 70s is a tricky era to define because machine made “disposable” fashion had come fully onto the market, and this meant fashion moved much more quickly than it had in the past. Lots of people think hippies are from the 70s, but that scene had really mostly ended by this time. Because there was a war on, you did see a lot of war protest by civilians and veterans alike, so military inspiration (camo, American flags) were big. Bikers, fringe, big hair, disco, platform shoes, bell bottom pants, big lapels, and horrible synthetic fabrics were everywhere. Another big trend of the 70s was the Prairie/Victorian Revival trend. What with the horrors of war everywhere on TV and radio, and friends dying overseas, American ladies channeled softness and romanticism against the hard world. Gunne Sax (say gunny sax) was THE prairie revival designer. This is a great era to pull from if you like anything from Medieval to Victorian because the replica pieces from this time are much less expensive and delicate than true antiques.

I’m not going to delve into any of the eras more recent than that. It is worthwhile to note that a lot of great subcultures (hair metal, heavy metal, New Wave, Goth, and more) emerged in the 1980s. Also, the 80s has really great pieces to source for 40s looks since both liked a tailored twinset with strong shoulders. I hopes this helps you to choose an era or two to begin channeling when you start your vintage shopping journey. The next article on this topic will explain how to begin putting together vintage looks on a shoestring budget.