Vintage Week: How To Style Vintage Part One | 1950s Silk Patterned Shirt

Today is Day One of Vintage Week at Not Dressed As Lamb: throughout the week I’ll be sharing some outfits I’ve styled that include some proper vintage pieces, and on Sunday there’ll be a post sharing some Top Tips for Buying Vintage and an interview with the owner of Scarlet Vintage in Bath (one of my current sponsors).

So I’ve collaborated with Scarlet Vintage this week, who have very kindly loaned me several pieces to style on the blog, in the hopes that I can prove you don’t have to look like a museum piece or as if you’re on your way to a fancy dress party when you wear vintage! There are many great vintage-loving bloggers out there at the moment who absolutely rock a full-on retro look, but if you’re wanting to try vintage and are nervous about looking too retro, it’s better to go for one piece at a time and work them seamlessly into your existing wardrobe.

I chose this gorgeous 1950s silk patterned shirt because of its beautiful colours, and the pattern is very reminiscent of kitsch paintings I remember seeing as a kid – this one is a horse racing scene with abstract figures (very typical of the time). My tip for wearing vintage is to avoid wearing other pieces that are typical of the same period, so I paired the shirt with leopard print skinnies and a sharp white jacket – both very 2010s. The pattern-mixing brings the outfit right up-to-date, and the white jacket tones down the loud pattern. A few pieces of contemporary jewellery and some bright heels result in a modern look incorporating a 60 year old shirt – I don’t think you’d know realise at all looking at the outfit that I was wearing vintage.

(If you’re interested in buying this shirt, email enquiries(at)scarletvintage.co.uk or tweet @scarletvintage and mention Not Dressed As Lamb)

So as an example, if you wear a vintage 1950s piece, I would avoid full midi skirts, short cropped cardigans, even your hair set in waves, etc. if you want to avoid a full-on retro look. In the same way, I wouldn’t wear my 1970s massive-collared shirt with flared jeans or my hair straightened and in a centre parting (as here) for the same reason. That said, I love a retro look so how far you take it is up to you!

The next outfit will be on Wednesday, and we’re going on a couple of decades to the 1970s. Though if you’re thinking flares and loud florals, you may want to think again 😉

Do you have a favourite vintage piece? Do you find styling it easy or somewhat difficult…?

I’ve selected some vintage-style tops available to buy online that echo the retro pattern and colour of this shirt:

Shop the rest of my look here!

Shirt: 1950s Vintage (on loan), Jacket: Wallis, Jeans: Asos, Heels: Asos, Necklace: Debenhams, Cuff: New Look, Pink ring: New Look, Belt: Tk Maxx, Watch: Seiko