Vintage. The Art Of Dressing Up

The kaleidoscope of fashion, ever-turning, ever new but never new - what goes around comes around, and rediscovering and reinventing the past is part of the fun. Clothes have always been a significant reflection of the cultural and political climate. Dior's extravagantly fill skirts flounced in the face of post-war restrictions; the Seventies swung between hot-pants and maxis as the economy roller-coastered towards the power-obsessed Eighties, when shoulder-pads signified female presence in the boardroom. As retromania has conditioned trends at the start of the twenty-first century, the interest for fashions of earlier decades has hit an all-time high, reviving a maxim of the Sixties: nothing is out because everything is in. But where do you find an early Ossie Clark? How did the craze for the Kelly bag start? Is psychedelia due for a rebirth? Tracy Tolkien who has immersed herself in the trends and taboos, the clothes, the jewellery, the accessories and the style icons of post-war fashion has the answers. Her expertise combined with a wealth of specially commissioned photographs make Vintage an essential resource. It is also an invaluable international guide on what to look for and where to find the best pieces from every decade with over 600 shops in a source list. She shows how to recognise a vintage treasure in a stack full of second-hand mediocrities, how to recreate the authentic look of everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Madonna, how to care for fake fur and delicate silks... Vintage is the definitive companion to retro style.