Some Quick Ideas for 1940's Styling

Dear Readers,

With the 1940s event coming up here in Lincoln this Sunday I was recently asked by a friend for some tips on what they can do to dress in a 1940's style for the event and push the boat out a little bit. Now with this being a one off event for them I want to be able to suggest items and looks which nod towards the 1940s style but we're not going for an actual period accurate or true vintage outfit since that would be more of an investment and something I would suggest if they were planning on going to a number of events. So I thought I would share my tips and advice with you all as well in case anyone else was wondering what they could wear for the event.

What I wear is my actual personal style and I do mix eras and styles up a bit, as anyone would, to achieve my look and not a costume. I wear a mixture of actual vintage, vintage reproduction and vintage inspired items as described by Jessica of Chronically Vintage. I felt that her video explained the look really well and so have a watch here because I couldn't say it any better.

Clothes - I would recommend wearing a dress if you are happy to show a bit of leg as they are just so easy to wear. There's no worry with trying to match separates and you can just pop it on and you are done; I love wearing dresses for this reason since I'm a very lazy vintage lady. During the 1980's there was quite a revival of 1940's fashion influence so get routing to the back of that wardrobe and see if you have any gems you can style up to look 40's, think tea dresses and shirt-waisters. You can also find some real bargains in the charity shops too if you keep your eye out for dresses with that classic style. I could totally imagine the 1940's dresses on the below also being created in the 1980's and yet this image is from a Sears catalogue from 1943!

Image source: http://blog.johannaost.com/images/6290

Shoes - of course footwear is also important if you're going to an event. When I'm choosing what shoes to wear to a vintage event I always bear in mind the terrain where the event is held. This weekend we are going to Ramsey War Weekend which is predominantly held in a field so I'm going to be wearing a low heel shoe with a strap. I will admit that sometimes I even just wear black pumps from the high street if the ground if particularly difficult to walk on in heels. I like to enjoy the events I'm going to and don't want to be fearing I'll fall and break my ankle. At an event like the one in Lincoln this weekend I would wear a heel with a wide base and just go for a classic court shoe. You could also go for brogues as there are a lot of them around at the moment so you can pick them up quite inexpensively.

Image source: http://www.lauramaedesigns.com/2012/07/shoe-fetish.html

Accessories - some of this topic crosses over into hair because for me flower hair clips are an outfit maker. They don't just change the game folks; they re-write the rule book and create net-ugby (a cross between netball and rugby). Well maybe I was going a little too far there but I seriously love my hair flowers. You can pick these up from all over and my favourite place is Claire's Accessories. A handbag is also important so you can stash you lipstick, purse, mobile phone *gasp!*. Go for a classic black Kelly bag and you can't go wrong. Again you can pick these up in lots of charity shops and The Attic, which is a part of the St Barnabas charity shop, on the hill is really good for bags. If you like a bit of jewellery then a set of pearls is as classic as it gets and these can be picked up all over too.

Make up and hair - if there is one area I would highly encourage anyone to go all out on then it would be hair and make-up since this can turn a high street outfit into a vintage inspired master piece for relatively little money, just some lipstick and bobby pins! There are oodles of websites and you tube tutorials out there offering step my step advice on how to achieve these looks and it's where I have amassed all of my knowledge and skills from. My favourite channels are Lisa Freemont Street and The Cherry Dollface as they provide a great range of tutorials for both hair and make up styles. Again Claire's Accessories is really handy and they have all sorts of gadgets to help you achieve looks like the Heidi Roll which I love and use all of the time. Below are some hair accessories and gadgets I picked up at H&M and Claire's recently. If you're just starting to try out a 1940's look then the bare minimum you have to do is curl your hair and put on some of that important lipstick. My favourite low cost lippy is from MUA and you can read about it here. Don't forget to put some all important flowers in your hair too!

I hope this helps some people to get inspired and take part in the fun of dressing up for the event this weekend. I apologise that I didn't post this sooner but I have been very distracted lately. Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

ttfn!