There are lots of reasons for looking to the past when we’re choosing things to wear, and retro and vintage styling is as popular today as it has ever been. Broadly speaking, anything which was produced before the 1920s can be described as antique, while clothing and jewellery dating back from between 1920 and 1980s can be classed as vintage.
As with anything old, genuine vintage jewellery pieces can be hard to find and expensive, but these days, there is a vast range of reproduction and retrospective designs which can add a touch of real old fashioned glamour to any outfit or look. So if you’re looking for a really classic way to add glamour and style to any outfit, whether it’s for day or evening, smart or casual, why not browse through old magazines, movie posters, and photographs of the past and find something which works for you.
Head back to the 20s, wear your strings of beads long and layered for real flapper style, or tie them round your head for a superchic look, which even Princess Diana worked in the early years. In the 1930’s Wallis Simpson taught us just about everything we know about jewellery, with her fabulous collections of precious stones. Birds, flowers, wild cats and abstract designs in brooches, pins, hair accessories, bracelets and rings, can be piled on, or worn one at a time, for a very slightly over-the-top response to challenging economic times.
The 1950s were all about the movies. Think Rita Hayworth, Vivien Leigh, Ava Gardner, red lips, big prints and even bigger hair, together with just enough bling to draw attention to a girl’s best bits. Jewellery was big and strong, and women looked a million dollars.
In the 1960s, new materials and manufacturing processes meant the decade passed in a swirl of psychedelic colours and artificial fabrics, plastic and rubber, nylon and fake fur. Dresses were very short, and jewellery and accessories mixed up together. Anything went with anything, as long as it was shiny and bright.
If you choose to invest in a bit of vintage style for yourself, you’ll be in good company, as today’s goddesses of both the small and silver screen can all be seen channelling looks which combine the old and the new, the modern and the vintage.
Cheryl Cole, one of the current leaders of all that’s stylish has frequently been seen wearing large scale costume pieces such as the Dome Crystal ring and the crystal drop earrings which would not have looked out of place on Elizabeth Taylor, and she’s often seen with heavy strings of simple pearls very much in the style of Coco Chanel. US ‘X Factor’ judge Nicole Scherzinger is a great fan of heavy cuff- style bangles, and big gold statement pieces, which are almost Egyptian, and yet bring back memories of 1930s and 40s film star glamour, while style leaders such as Kim Kardashian, Tulisa Contostavlos and Jennifer Lopez are all fans of complex necklace designs which are as real a draw as any worn by Wallis Simpson or Vivien Leigh.
Whichever era captures your imagination, adding a piece or two of special vintage style jewellery will update your look by taking it back in time, and perhaps even mark you out as a style icon too.
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