Vintage Clothing - The Best of Each Decade

Vintage clothing has become very popular recently. This is partly due to the timeless nature of many vintage items and qualities such as the detail and craftsmanship used in the production of vintage clothes. It is also due to trends for vintage styles made popular by celebrities like Dita Von Teese, Kate Moss and Julia Roberts.

Each era or decade has it's own styles or vintage pieces which are particularly coveted. Perhaps this is one of the key attractions of vintage clothing. The best of each decade or era is preserved as vintage clothing and the worst falls by the wayside. You could think of vintage clothing as a kind of natural selection of the fashion world where only the fittest or most lovely clothes survive.

Most vintage dealers consider anything from the 1920's to 1970's as vintage although many also now consider clothes from the eighties as vintage. Clothing from certain iconic designers will become vintage very shortly after it has been produced.

The twenties conjure up images of beaded flapper dresses. This style is particularly significant for this decade as it symbolises the girls who embraced the new modern style of dress with shorter (than previous decades) dresses and danced the night away at jazz dances. Silhouettes in the twenties were also very masculine with shapeless dresses and de emphasised busts and waists. Coco Chanel was the most influential designer of the twenties and the label still has strong connections with this era.

Fashion in the thirties and forties was dominated by the conditions caused by economic depression, war and rationing. Key pieces of clothing were military inspired and classic styles that were practical and did not go out of fashion. The wasp waste and Dior New Look began in the forties but did not really become popular until the fifties.

The fifties had a number of key styles that have become popular in vintage clothing, these include Dior New Look, Chanel boxy jackets and suits, denim jeans and circle skirts. The fun and young styles were made popular following the end of the war and rationing.

Key vintage pieces from the sixties are those that bring images of Carnaby Street and the swinging sixties to mind. Mod dresses and mini skirts, May Quant and Pucci psychedelic prints. The seventies followed with hippy styles, disco outfits and flares.

It is really interesting to consider what current fashions and styles of this decade are likely to survive the test of time and become vintage in years to come.