The best part? The different types of vintage hair accessories are endless. Everything from hair clips with rhinestones and precious gems, to hair bandanas with geometric shapes, delicate floral designs, butterflies and more were all hits of this era. So, incorporate some retro hair accessories into your next fancy hairstyle or even your every day look to get that 50's glamour appeal you're after.
Contrast. This is one of the main demands of the pin up style, as only making one of those hairdos cannot change your appearance significantly – if you want to get this effect, of course. Bright red or black, white or brown – it doesn’t matter which color you will pick, the only thing you should remember is the intensity of the color. Preserve it carefully after dying or just take a good care of your natural hair.
Although ballet flats had been around for centuries, they had gone out of vogue until Rose Repetto reintroduced them in her 1947 collection. After Audrey Hepburn declared ballet flats her favorite shoe, many teenagers wore them as often as they did their saddle shoes. While some had a very small ½ inch heel, most had no heel at all making them easy to wear to the sock hop. Black ballet flats became all the rage, but other colors were popular as well. Some had small ornamentation on top, however, most were just plain. The trend was firmly established when icon Brigitte Bardot began wearing them. Follow this trend with these classical ballet flats by Remix Vintage Shoes(@remixvintageshoes).
These types of retro swimsuit bottoms leave much more to the imagination than those itsy bitsy thong bikinis that seem to be “the thing” in this modern-day world, making them mysterious and sexy. And as the saying goes, less is not always more and our high waist retro bottoms are the perfect example of just that. Cinched at the waist before extending slightly above, these retro bikini bottoms will give you a perfect silhouette and all the comfort and coverage you desire.
You might think of the classic wiggle dress a la Mad Men when it comes to the pin-up look. But these styles can serve you well beyond the confines of your office. Pair that dress with pumps and wear it to a wedding or date night. Or, why not dress it down with adorable flats or Mary Janes and a jean jacket? Wear a button-up blouse with high-waisted jeans for a cute, casual look, or slip on a form-fitting wiggle skirt instead for a drop-dead sexy outfit. You’ll have a blast discovering a wide variety of ways to style these retro-chic designs from Unique Vintage.
Many brides chose wedding dresses made with a sweetheart neckline after watching Elizabeth Taylor in Father of the Bride. Ballerina-length dresses were a popular choice for both the bride and her party. Brides who chose to go with a longer dress usually loved lacy tiers and flouncy frills. Grace Kelly’s marriage in 1956 set the tone for many brides throughout the last half of the decade. Kate Middleton went retro when she wore an almost exact copy of Grace Kelly’s wedding gown. Look spectacular on your wedding day by wearing this dress from David’s Bridal (@davidsbridal).
Dressing in vintage style clothing for a themed event or personal fashion is our passion. We turned a hobby into this website to make it easy to find vintage inspired clothing for women and men online spanning 1900-1960s. Our fashion history blog helps you create the look from decades past using vintage, vintage inspired and thrifty clothing, Need help? Ask us anytime.
Victory rolls may be a hallmark pin-up style, but they still give updos and longer lengths a quirky rockabilly vibe. To create this look, start by brushing your hair with a paddle brush. If you have detangling spray on hand, you’ll want to apply your product before styling to make sure your hair is free of any knots. Once your product has been applied, start by parting your hair off to the side. Next, grab the piece of hair you plan to roll, and gently backcomb the section to get some extra volume.
Begin with the fringe area. Create a horizontal parting from the crown and brush hair forward. Backcomb the surface of the hair. Gather ends straight up, smooth the underside so you have a smooth surface as you roll hair from the ends down toward the head to create your fringe roll. Use a hair donut, padding or gentle backcombing for extra support. Pin as needed with bobby pins. Smooth the exterior of the fringe with a fine tooth comb and light hairspray.
If there’s one modern thing to love, it’s all the vintage style inspirations you can find on social media. Whenever you’re in doubt about what to wear or whether your ensemble is 50’s fashion icon worthy, just click online and view our vintage style outfit ideas. Looking for more inspiration? Scroll your way over to these modern day retro fashion icons and see what type of vintage fashion they’re rocking.
To get the best results from a set, great tools and products are a must. To create a strong curl, you need a small barrel tong. My favorite is from the Babyliss Pro Dial-a-Heat range. I just don’t think you can beat it. Everyone has their own favorite brushes, but I favor a Denman bristle brush or Spornette Wonder Brush and a comb to create this look.
Using spray and a bristle brush, comb the underneath of the hair upwards in sections and pin it tightly up into the base of the top section. Grab small sections on top of the head, teasing the base and creating barrel curls by wrapping the hair around your fingers. Secure each curl with bobby pins. Refine the style by dressing each curl out so they work in harmony with each other. It is important to make sure the style is symmetrical unless you purposely want a feature piece framing one side of the face. Once you are happy, fix the style with strong hold hairspray.
Next, brush hair smooth in the back area. Backcomb the interior for extra volume and keep the surface smooth. Create soft curls with a medium barrel iron. Curl hair from the mid-length through to ends in a horizontal fashion. Set curls using pin curl clips until all hair is curled. Allow hair to cool, then release curls and allow to fall softly. Backcomb gently for a soft, voluminous finish.
For some sugary sweet 1950s diner vibes, pick out a vintage inspired dress. If you don't have one in your own collection, ask around; this '50s style of swing dress has made a massive comeback in recent years, so someone you know is bound to have one. Maybe your mom, aunt, or granny might have one in their attic and you'll get extra style points for wearing an original.
The best part? The different types of vintage hair accessories are endless. Everything from hair clips with rhinestones and precious gems, to hair bandanas with geometric shapes, delicate floral designs, butterflies and more were all hits of this era. So, incorporate some retro hair accessories into your next fancy hairstyle or even your every day look to get that 50's glamour appeal you're after.
Though Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page are often cited as the classic pin-up, there were many women of color who were also considered to be impactful. In the 1920s two of the most notable Black burlesque dancers were Josephine Baker and Lottie Graves. Despite the little history on Black burlesque dancers, Baker and Graves are a good starting point for evaluating women of color in pin-up. Dorothy Dandridge and Eartha Kitt also added to the pin-up style of their time, using their looks, fame, and personal success. African-American pin-up finally had a platform when the magazine, Jet, was created in 1951. Jet supported pin-up as they had a full page feature called, "Beauty of the Week", where African-American women posed in a swimsuits and such. This was intended to showcase the beauty these women possessed as they lived in a world where their skin color was under constant scrutiny. It was not until 1965 that Jennifer Jackson became the first African American to be published in Playboy as Playmate of the Month. And it was not until 1990 that Playboy's Playmate of the Year was an African-American woman, Renee Tenison. Historically, women of color in pin-up are still not as common as their white counterparts. However, the recent revival of pin-up style has propelled many women of color today to create and dabble with the classic pin-up look to create their own standards of beauty. In Jim Linderman's self-published book, Secret History of the Black Pin Up,[37] he describes the lives and experiences of African-American pin-up models.
