How to Wear Vintage A GUIDE FOR VINTAGE VIRGINS

Generation Gap Vintagemarketplace.asos.com/seller/generationgapvintage/collection

Zabby Allen, 2013.

Intro

IntroductionToday, Vintage is much more than just wearing pre-owned haute couture; it’s vibrant, one-off, hand-crafted, liberated, highly personal fashion.

‘Vintage’ is spreading from red carpet designer gowns into everyday, all-day wear. Embrace the knowing, eco-friendly antidote to the dull uniformity of poorly-made, disposable, high street chain predictability.

This booklet will help you get started creating your own unique bespoke Vintage looks: fun, elegant, glam, smart.... We’ll show you how, introducing you to six key pieces - the ‘capsule wardrobe’ - and clever styling with accessories, you can experience the joys of Vintage.

With simple hair and make-up tips, you can achieve head-turning Vintage looks that are truly yours.

We are Generation Gap, stockists of affordable Vintage clothing and we’re here to help you become a Vintage Goddess!

For Vintage virgins, seduction starts here...

GGV x

capsule 1

Vintage Capsule WardrobeDon’t know where to start? Here are six key items that any girl should have in her Vintage wardrobe! Use these items as a base, and build your wardrobe up around them with accessories and basics, both Vintage and high street.

Shirts are a great starting point. They can be smart or casual and both look great with trousers, skirts, leggings and shorts.

Wear longer length 90s printed shirts with leggings and high-tops for a casual daytime look or a block colour 80s pussybow blouse with a highwaisted pencil skirt for a smart work look. The possibilities really are almost endless.

capsule 2

The Shirt

The Printed Dress

Printed dresses are some of the most exciting Vintage pieces. Floral, polkadots, stripes, paisley print, there are a huge number of patterns to choose from. They can be casual and worn as a day look or to a festival, like the look with ankle boots and a bowler hat, (left), or dressed up with heels for work (right).

Length is another aspect to consider. Petite girls may want to try a 60s mini dress, while taller girls can opt for midi dresses or a 70s maxi dress.

Midi dresses are very flattering on taller girls as they can cover up anything you may want to hide, yet still show a little leg.

capsule 4

The Evening Dress

Every girl needs the perfect evening dress in her wardrobe. This 80s lace number (left) is a good example of a classic Vintage Little Black Dress. Although this dress is black, it has enough detail that it doesn’t need much accessorising. A simple bangle, chain strap handbag and wedge boots are all that is needed to showcase this look.

However, evening dresses don’t have to be black. Here at Generation Gap, we have stocked beautiful evening gowns in colours ranging from emerald green to gold. Pick a shade and style that suits you and get glammed up!

The BlazerThe blazer is the ideal piece to throw on over any outfit. Being tailored, it smartens up an outfit in a way that a cardigan can’t. Boyfriend blazers have a longer and wider cut and so are great for wearing over tunics or tops and jeans to give an outfit some edge. Shorter, more feminine blazers are great to wear over dresses on a night out.

Knitwear doesn’t have to mean boring old jumpers or cardigans knitted by your Gran (although we like those too). It can be fun and the main focus of your outfit rather than just a cardigan that you throw over what you’re wearing. These floral examples show exactly that! Try wearing a roundneck jumper with a basic shirt underneath, pulling the shirt collar out over the neck of the jumper.

The Knit

The Skirt

Skirts are another really versatile item. Pleated, mini, maxi, midi, full circle... you can find one that suits your bodyshape and your personal style.

Shown on the left, kilts are back in style and aren’t just for Highland flings! Style them with simple T-shirts, a bowler hat and black wedge boots for a hint of 90s grunge.

The leather midi skirt (right) can be worn for both day and evening. For daytime, wear with a customised band t-shirt and for later, style as shown with a sparkly blouse or pretty tank top.

Vintage Styling Tips

Don’t wear Vintage head to toeTry dressing around one dramatic piece and combine Vintage with your high street wardrobe. Accessorise with modern pieces, or if you’re not brave enough to go full-on Vintage with your clothes, add a touch of Vintage to your usual high street outfits with a scarf or a statement necklace. Combining current trends with Vintage classics makes your look unique and on trend.

Keep it simpleUntil you gain more confidence to experiment, wear one Vintage piece at a time and dress around this. This should achieve a clean and classic Vintage look.

Ignore the sizes on the labelsVintage sizes can be confusing, so get to know your measurements rather than your dress size. Sizing standards have changed dramatically over the years, so a Vintage size 12 dress could actually be a size 8 for example. Often a dress that is too big for you can be styled with a belt or tailored to fit you if you like it enough.

Stay true to your styleWear what you feel comfortable in. If it’s not you, don’t buy it just because it’s on trend or a classic Vintage piece. Often Vintage clothes can be customised to suit your individual style.

Day & Evening

To help get you started, we have chosen two staple items to style for different occasions. Both this long studded shirt and this floral midi dress have been styled for both day and evening looks. We have used a combination of high street and Vintage clothes and accessories to compliment the garments.

DayThis dress is great because the style works for both day and night due to the cut and the floral print. To make it more of a casual look wear with a chunky cardigan, a slouchy hat and a tapestry bag. Flat ankle boots round off the look.

EveningFor a winter night out wear with opaque tights and heeled loafers. A faux fur coat and hat add glamour to the look and a black clutch bag ties it all together. If you’re not confident to go full-on with the fur, a hat or scarf is a good place to start.

DayFor a casual daytime look this shirt can be worn with rolled up skinny jeans, brogues, beanie and a satchel. If it’s cold outside add a chunky cardigan or leather jacket to complete the look.

EveningStudded shirts are also great for a night out. Here the shirt has been paired with some studded Vintage leather shorts, lace-up wedge boots and a clutch bag. Silver jewellery also adds to the look.

The Perfect Red LipsIt’s a good idea to learn the basics of Vintage hair and make-up. This way you can add a Vintage feel to a plain high-street outfit or if you’re feeling confident, work the full on Vintage look.

Red lips are an iconic Vintage statement. Yet even for the most experienced Vintage wearers, this shade of lipstick can be daunt-ing. In these simple steps we show you how to apply lipstick that should stay on all day, adding that touch of glamour to any outfit.

1. Before you start, prepare your lips by putting lip balm on before applying the rest of your make-up as usual. Find a shade that suits you. Cooler tones with a blue or pink undertone suit fair skin and those with warmer tones suit darker skin and hair.

Use a good quality matte red lipstick and a lip brush. Get a small amount of the lipstick on your brush and work it into your lips, following their natural shape. It should feel more like a stain on your lips at this point.

2. Step back and look at the shape of your lips. With a lip pencil in a matching shade, follow the line of your lips, adjusting the shape until you are happy with it. Keep a light grip on the pencil. Smiling while you do this also helps.

3. Now you should have a good base stain and shape. Use your brush to smooth in the lip pencil you have just drawn. Blot with a tissue between your lips before finishing with another layer of lipstick, applied directly.

This should give you a bold lip colour that stays on all day.

Remember to keep the rest of your make-up simple. We recommend wearing red lipstick with the classic clean black 50s eyeliner.

Vintage HairThere are a number of hairstyles you can do to add that extra bit of Vintage styling to your outfit. Victory rolls, beehives and pincurls are all easy to achieve with a bit of practice and there are a huge number of online tutorials as well as a number of books that will teach you how to achieve the look you want. Here, we will show you how to do one of the easiest Vintage hairstyles, the rolled fringe, a flexible 1950s look.

1. Most Vintage hairstyles are easier to achieve on ‘second day hair’, the day after you have washed it.

Prepare your hair with rollers or curlers. Even if you want your hair to be in a ponytail it is a nice addition to curl your hair first.

2. Take a small triangle section at the front of your head from the recessions of your hairline. Use a pintail brush to do this. Secure this section out of the way with a clip.

If you are going to tie your hair into a ponytail, do this now.

3. Remove clips from the section you have created. Backcomb underneath your hair, close to your forehead and along the hair to give height and body. Take a roller or small roly hair pad and roll the end of your fringe over and around the roller, keeping tension on the roots as you go.

4. Secure your fringe with kirby grips either side. Spread the hair around to hide the roller or padding, and neaten up. Lightly smooth the fringe with a comb and secure with hairspray. This should hold all day if you have backcombed and secured with the grips well.

This hairstyle looks great with 1950s style dresses, or if you don’t want to look too over the top, wear with a skater skirt and a basic T-shirt with rolled up sleeves and statement necklace.

Sizing Advice & TipsSizing standards have changed drastically over the years and so the size you find on the label may not translate to the same size today. Get to know your measurements rather than your dress size and this should make it easier to find Vintage clothes that will fit you.

Another thing to consider is that you may fall in love with a dress that is in fact too big for you. There are ways round this. Often clothes can be easily customised or tailored to fit your shape for a small price or at home on a machine if you are so inclined. Belts are another trick to help clothes fit! Measuring Guide

orange dress

Before

Shopping for Vintage is fun and thrilling, but because each item is a one-off it’s easy to find a dress and fall in love with it before realising it’s not in your size. As long as the dress is a larger size than yours this is easy to get around.

Belts are your best friends. This block colour tunic would be great to chuck on over a bikini at the beach, but add a waist belt to it and it is instantly transformed into an outfit.

Adding a waist belt adds shape and another element to the outfit. For hourglass shaped girls, waist belts accentuate all of your best features, and for boyish figures they add shape where there may not be any.

After

Accessories & Jewellery

A selection of Vintage belts

Accessories are key to any wardrobe. Sometimes a belt or a hat can make an outfit. In this section we will guide you through the five key accessories.

Every girl should have a selection of belts in various lengths, widths and styles, at least one hat, several handbags, scarves both woollen and printed silk as well as a collection of jewellery.

Statement necklaces are key pieces as they can liven up any outfit, whether a dramatic costume piece or a long gold chain, choose a style to suit you. Vintage chain necklaces

Hats are a fun accessory to play around with and can change the whole look and feel of an outfit. If you don’t feel that hats suit you then perhaps concentrate on Vintage hairstyles instead.

Popular and easy to wear hat styles include the bowler, the straw boater, the beanie and the 70s style sun hat (like the floppy one pictured on the left). Fascinators are also a welcome addition to any wardrobe for events such as weddings.

Bags are not just a practical item to hold your essential items when you go out, but an important addition to your outfit. Vintage bags are especially exciting and can be found in a huge number of shapes and styles.

Look for bags in good condition, making sure the straps and any fastenings in particular are in good shape.

A good collection of bags should include a clutch bag, everyday handbag, holdall, backpack and a smart handbag.

Scarves are another essential element of a successful wardrobe. Not just the plain knitted ones that keep you warm in the winter!

Printed silk or cotton scarves are the most versatile as these can be bought in a number of shapes and sizes. They can be worn not only around the neck but as headscarves or tied to your handbag to add that extra pattern or colour to your outfit.

About Us

Generation Gap is a Vintage clothing company set up in 2012 by a mother and daughter & family friend. We stock a range of showy and classic Vintage pieces for women and men spanning five decades as well as reworked items, merging Vintage and modern in one garment alone.

We cater not only for experienced Vintage wearers, but also for those who want to slowly introduce Vintage and retro pieces into their existing wardrobe. Our aim is to make Vintage clothing accessible to everybody, at an affordable price.

All of the clothes and accessories featured in this booklet are available to purchase. Find them on our ASOS Marketplace page:

marketplace.asos.com/seller/generationgapvintage/collectionOr simply search for us: generationgapvintage

We also hold stalls at a number of markets around London. For dates and more information, visit our facebook page:

facebook.com/GenerationGapVintage.

For any other enquires please contact us at:

generationgapvintage@gmail.com

Contact us