Elizabeth Banks

You know I love retro (just check out my avatar). Now this great blog from Alison will help you get your vintage on too. Enjoy! Xx EB

Greetings, fashionistas!  I’m Alison, a.k.a. NYC Recessionista, here for my third guest blog post. I really am very honored to continue working with EB & her team on these posts – and hopefully you’re enjoying them, too. So far I’ve talked about mixing hi and lo pieces and how to season-swap.

But there’s another love of mine that I haven’t yet shared with y’all: my obsession with retro and vintage fashions. My husband often says to me that I was born in the wrong decade; one of my favorite songs is “Get Together” by The Youngbloods, I weep over episodes of The Wonder Years, and I regularly pine over vintage clothes, shoes and accessories.

Now, we know that history repeats itself and that some things inevitably seem to come back in fashion. Over the last several years, we’ve seen a resurgence of swanky 1960s pop culture thanks to Mad Men; bright and bold (and questionable) 1980s fashions thanks to Katy Perry, M.I.A., and Nicki Minaj; and hipsters everywhere trying their hardest to resurrect the dirty grunge look of the 1990s. 

The only consideration when delving into the world of vintage fashion is that you don’t want to take it too far. The last thing you want is to look like you’re dressing up for Halloween as someone from the past (hello, Joan Hollway!). But if you stick to some simple rules, you too can rock vintage and retro in your everyday life.

Here are some of my favorite vintage outfits:

This first look, which is a a nod to the late 1960s, is unbelievably simple to pull off.

• The dress is vintage from Etsy and has a boat neck and stripes (see similar here).
• I paired it with a thick plastic bangle that I found at a fleamarket (see similar here), a necklace with geometric shapes from H&M (see similar here) and a pair of colorful disc earrings in a complementary color from Wal-Mart (see similar here).
• I finished the look off with a pair of low-heeled t-strap Chelsea Crew wedges from Modcloth (see similar here).

 
If I wanted to change up this look completely, I could easily belt this dress and add a pair of black tights and black high-heeled ankle booties.

This second outfit is straight out of the 1930s and 1940s, and is just as easy.

One of my favorite retro styles to come back recently is the peplum. It’s all over if you look – on blouses, skirts, dresses and even jackets. It instantly makes you feel feminine and like you have a womanly shape. And what’s great is that everyone from Burberry to Target is offering pieces with peplums.

• This dress is from Mossimo at Target and is very affordable and comfortable. The silhouette of the dress is so striking that you really don’t need to add much else.

 
Another one of my favorite retro styles to make a comeback is all of the art deco jewelry we’ve been seeing

• The necklace is from Forever 21 a few years back, and I am still rocking it because of the gorgeous fan shape of the pendant (see similar here).

• The shoes – which my grandmother said looked exactly like a pair she had in the 40s – are again from Chelsea Crew. The low heel, the cutouts and the lace-up front have a definite vintage feel to them (see similar here).
  
  

If I wanted to give this dress a different look, I could easily layer a fitted blazer over it, and throw on patterned tights and sleek boots.

This next look is a little 1970s … but it’s also a little 1940s if you ask me. It’s all connected!

The tie-neck blouse has been popular in several different decades: the 1940s, the 1950s, the 1960s, the 1970s, etc. And now, again thanks to shows like Mad Men, it’s made yet another comeback.

• This blouse is appropriately from the Banana Republic Mad Men Collection and is incredibly simple (see similar here).

• I paired it with wide leg trouser jeans from J. Crew (see similar here), which remind me of both Katharine Hepburn and Charlie’s Angels at the same time.

• I added a simple skinny black faux leather belt (see similar here), dangle floral earrings from J. Crew (see similar here), and the same Chelsea Crew shoes I was wearing in my last outfit (see similar here). 
  
  

• A big menswear-ish gold watch from Forever 21 and a cluster of elastic gold bracelets from Target complete the look.

 
If I wanted to mix this look up a bit, I could easily pair the blouse with a pencil skirt, or the trouser jeans with a fitted sweater.

This next outfit is also from the 1960s, but it’s from the early 1960s. And the fashions at the beginning of that decade could not have been more different from the fashions at the end of that decade!

This dress makes me feel like a secretary, a stewardess and a first lady all rolled into one. I think it’s the higher neckline and the tie.

• The dress is from Mossimo at Target, and like the other one, it was also very affordable.

• I added a simple gold and white bangle bracelet that I found at one of my favorite vintage stores in NYC (see similar here), and flower stud earrings from Piperlime (see similar here). A brooch would also be totally adorable with this dress.

• I finished the look off with the same pair of low-heeled t-strap Chelsea Crew wedges from Modcloth that I am wearing in the first outfit (see similar here).
  
  

This is another look that could easily be switched up – you could layer a silk blouse under the dress, or a slim-fitting sweater and a skinny belt over the dress, again with tights and boots, or perhaps even wedges.

The last look is definitely from the 1970s … but in a good way.

I almost didn’t buy this dress because of the bright colors and bold pattern, but I am glad I did because it has since become one of my favorite pieces in my closet. It’s from the Tucker for Target collection from a few years ago, which was one of the most popular designer collaborations they’ve ever done.

• The dress has a very blousy and flowy fit to it, which definitely gives it s 1970s feel.  The floral pattern does, too (see similar here).

• I paired it with the cluster of elastic gold bracelets from Target and a pair of big and bold Kendra Scott earrings, which remind me of a lot of the bold jewelry from the decade.

• I finished the look off with my very beat up knee-high J. Crew boots (see similar here).

To recap, there are key pieces or details you can look for if you want to achieve the styles of the past – 

• The 1930s & 40s – peplums, art deco jewelry, low heels with straps or lace-up details
  
  
• The early 1960s – structured dresses, pencil skirts
  
  
• The late 1960s – mod patterns, geometric details and bold colors
  
  
• The 1970s  - flowy, blousy silhouettes, floral patterns, natural looking jewelry

Well, there you have it, folks!  I hope I’ve inspired you to try out some vintage looks in your everyday style. Perhaps some of you already have some of these items in your closet, and you didn’t even realize that you were rocking a retro look! And if not, then now you have some ideas on how to introduce it into your wardrobe.

What’s your favorite decade for fashion?                                                                                                                                                                 

Share links to your favorite items or photos in the comments below!