You don’t have to travel back in time to wear the iconically stylish clothes of the past. Au contraire, vintage fashion has never left. Learn how to integrate a range of timeless trends into your wardrobe.
As observed by late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, the fashion industry is merely a cycle of trends that grows as new fads emerge. However, despite the rise and fall of each fashion era’s trends, some garments, such as high-waisted jeans and Palazzo pants, have withstood the passage of time. What qualities do these clothes have that have allowed them to stay fashionable for so long? Ranging from edgy to chic, the modish style of these pieces that has enabled them to create timeless looks for anyone seeking refuge from crop tops and brand-labeled sweaters.
For men’s fashion, there are infinitely many ways to mirror the classically cut styles of “Grease,” the Beatles or any other retro fashion era. Incorporating these styles into your wardrobe easily elevates your look. From Hawaiian shirts to letterman jackets, many of today’s fashion outlets offer vintage-esque looks without stretching too far from what’s currently trending. As for accessories, a pair of vintage Ray-Bans or some leather bands can accompany your threads and complete your look. By combining a plain white tee with a fitted leather jacket and some skinny jeans, you’ll be rocking the greaser aesthetic with a modern twist. Or, if you’re going for a subtler style, an argyle sweater vest with a dress shirt and a pair of khakis with some round-rim circle glasses will give you a look as iconic as Hey Jude.
As for women’s apparel, the vintage fashion world is your closet—each decade offers numerous fits for you to try on for size. Mod dresses, disco pants and peasant shirts are all unique fashion statements that revive the days of Elvis, the Bees Gees and everything in between. To add some extra flair to your outfit, you can add a necktie, headscarf or a leather tassel tote bag. If you’re aiming to recreate the iconic 50’s style, a cinch-waisted circle dress is a stand-alone statement piece, but if you want the full look, a pearl necklace will work wonders. If you prefer a simpler style akin to Audrey Hepburn’s, a sleek black turtleneck, black skinny jeans and a pair of cat-eye sunglasses will create an outfit that radiates chic vibes reminiscent of the streets of 60’s Paris.
To completely own the vintage style, you also need to know where to buy and how to wear vintage apparel in the modern time. Tips and tricks on how to wear vintage attire can be found on YouTube channels such as Gentleman’s Gazette, Behindthebunzie and Karolina Zebrowska. These channels make it easy for everyone to build their own vintage wardrobe by providing everything from outfit inspiration videos to dressing vintage on a budget tutorials. To add some vintage staples to your closet, local thrift stores such as Memo’s Vintage and the Brick Basement offer everything from flapper dresses to authentic Levi’s “cool jeans,” all for relatively affordable prices.
Although the modern fashion industry has cranked out some trendy looks of its own, with the broad range of styles that can be expressed by the accessories of the previous eras, it’s no wonder why vintage clothes have continued to thrive. Vintage looks can be combined with more timely pieces, and they have the ability to create a more personalized taste that today’s stores and websites can support. And with the prowess of vintage style experts on YouTube, you and your closet will be serving looks that are as timeless as fashion itself.