Love Vintage

As regular readers of this blog will know (or people who know me in real life!), I am an avid fan of beautiful vintage and antiques: every period produces beautiful collectors items, but I have a few favourite eras that I keep an eye out for:

Belle Epoque: considered to be the years 1890-1914 - Art Nouveau typified this period (which I love) and the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergere were in their heyday. It was a period of glamour, scandal, courtesans, dancers, joie-de-vivre and bohemia.

 

Beauties of the Belle Epoque ** Art Nouveau Seasons (Mucha)

1920's - 1930's: I adore the fashions of this era, even if they don't really suit my body shape! I like the clean lines of Art Deco and the opulent, over-the-top clothing the upper-classes wore. The Roaring Twenties introduced Jazz, Flappers, and the Bright Young People. Silent pictures had soundtrack introduced in 1926, part-talking in 1927, full talkies in 1928 and the first full-colour film was produced in 1929.
The 1930's saw some of the most enduring literature ever produced, including 'The Hobbit' and 'Brave New World' and ladies fashion was revolutionised with the influence of Coco Chanel.

 

Ladies of the 1920's ** 1930's Ladies Fashion

1940's - 1950's: the fashions of this era suit my body shape and lifestyle, and I love how 'pulled-together' they make me look and feel. During the war years, womens rationing meant that, although they couldn't spend as much on clothing, more was made of what you could afford, and ladies looked good on a budget! (Lessons for today, I think!)
During the 1950's, there was much more of a youth culture and clothing and fashions reflected this: outfits were fun, music was faster and ladies could dance all night - in trousers if they wanted to!

 

1940's Dancing ** 1950's Fashion (Dior: New Look)

I love shopping for vintage - check out some of my finds here or have a look at this amazing book I found!