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I thought you would like to know about a voucher giveaway I'm running together with the fabulous Cause A Frockus. I'm offering a $50 gift voucher to one lucky reader so head over there and check out the competition! You'll also find some great tips for styling vintage, how to accessorize and how to get started wearing vintage fashion if you're feeling a little tentative!  So, what are you waiting for, go check out the article! The competition closes on October 31st 2014.

I have some amazing vintage dresses by Finnish designer Marimekko in my store at the moment, and boy are they something special! Marimekko was founded in 1951 and was hugely popular by the 1960s because of its big bold prints. One of the major designers during this time was Vuokko Nurmesniemi - take a look at some of his bold and beautiful signature styles below: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480"] Dramatic Vintage 1960s Marimekko Graphic Tent Dress[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480"] Vintage Marimekko Ivory Wool Maxi Gown Wedding? 1970s[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480"] Vintage Marimekko Original Iconic Takki Dress 1960s[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480"] Vintage Marimekko Red Print Jumper Tent Dress 1960s[/caption]       You can see my entire vintage Marimekko collection here. Which piece is your favorite?

What are the rules about wearing vintage?  If you're new to buying vintage clothing it's easy to feel that you don't know HOW to wear that amazing new vintage dress you've just bought. Don't panic though, I'm here to help! Simply put, there are no rules! You can go for a totally retro look and pair your vintage dress with beautiful original vintage shoes and accessories, or you can mix and match with modern clothes to create any look you like. The important thing about buying a vintage dress is to choose something you love, and something that really suits you, then you can show it off in any way you like! Here is one of my favourite vintage 1960s dresses in store at the moment - it a bold mod-style polka dot dress by Adele Simpson and it's a statement piece just by itself. I've styled it in 3 completely different ways to show you what I mean: a 60s-inspired outfit keeping the colour pallet very simple, an edgy look with lots of biker leather and (my favorite) a cute and kookie butterfly themed ensemble. I'd love to know which is your and how YOU would wear this dress?   Dress| Sunglasses | Umbrella | Shoes Dress | Leather Jacket | Tights | Boots Dress | Tights | Butterfly Hairband | Shoes

How on earth do you beat the heat and yet stay stylish this summer? In vintage of course! I've picked my top 10 vintage summer dresses for staying cool this summer, they range from 60s maxi dresses, to cool classic 50s sundresses and original 1940s day dresses. Which is your favorite? I particularly love the orange outfit which I think would look amazing on Lady Edith from Downton Abbey (even though its vintage 1940s rather than 1920s!) 1. Vintage 1960s lemon yellow maxi dress   2. Original 1940s papaya day dress 3. Cute red and white gingham pinafore 1940s dress with buttons at the back (take a look here) 4. White 1950s day dress with pretty pink embroidery 5. Vintage 1940s green sundress 6. Vintage 1940s Betty Barclay striped sundress 7. Genuine 40sprinted sundress 8.Pale Pink Floral 50s sundress 9. 1950s peach cotton day dress 10.Beautiful yellow vintage 1950s strappy sundress with embroidered bodice. Pick your favourite vintage dresses from our enormous collection here! Don't forget to let me know your favourite in the comments below!

Christian Dior launched his 'New Look' collection on 12 February 1947. After the austerity of  utilitarian wartime fashion it was a relaunch of glamour and femininity. Dior himself didn't come up with the 'New Look' name, that was coined instead by the then editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar Carmel Snow who exclaimed: “It’s quite a revolution, dear Christian. Your dresses have such a new look.” The style was characterized by a full flowing skirt and a tiny nipped in waist. War time fabric restrictions were still in place at the time and the idea of using 20 yards of fabric for just one outfit was considered scandalous*. * In stark contrast, the average wartime dress used just 3 yards of fabric. The society ladies and magazines went crazy for the elegant new style, but reaction wasn't all positive. At a photo shoot in Paris the models had the outfits torn off them by angry women who were enraged by such excess at a time when the general population had so little. The British press were also scathing of the new wasteful designs, and American women saw the restrictive waistlines and impractical skirts as a step backwards from the emancipation of wartime practicality. However by the time the 1950s arrived the glamour of Dior's New Look had worked it's magic and become the style to wear. It was worn by Hollywood stars and royalty (Princess Margaret was a real champion of this style in Britain). The style of dress would influence fashions throughout the 1950s and create the definitive silhouette of the decade. Here are some of my favorite New Look-style vintage dresses in store at the moment. You can see the whole collection of 1950s vintage dresses here. Don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know which is your favorite!

I'm delighted to let you know that I've teamed up with Jessica from the amazing Chronically Vintage blog to giveaway a $50 gift certificate to spend at The Best Vintage Clothing. She's offering 10 different ways of entering the competition so head on over straight away - you've only got until Monday 28th July to enter! You can spend your gift certificate on anything from the thousands of items of beautiful vintage in my online store, so once you've entered why not have a browse and pick your favorites in case you're the happy winner!

It makes my heart sing every time I see a new and fabulous print from the 1950s.  It never fails to delight me how innovative and experimental fashion was after the drear austerity of the war years. Of course there were popular recurring prints: poodles, scottie dogs, flamingoes etc, but there are constant surprises too. Take a look at some of these fabulous vintage prints: there's everything from lucky charms to bicycles, tigers to crayons, oh and some pretty kitty's too of course! What's even more pleasing is the wide range of items they're printed on. It's not just on sun-dresses - the prints can be found on men's shirts, circle skirts, shorts, fabric and even a very stylish dressing gown! Just click on each item to find out more! P.S. I think my favourite is the circle skirt with the gorgeous jungle print border, have you spotted the tiger peeking out?  

I'm proud to say that all the vintage in my store is hand-picked, high-quality and beautiful but sometimes you find a truly exceptional piece of vintage. This early 1950s Christian Dior suit is just one of those pieces. Found in a Pennsylvania auction, the vintage Dior suit auctioned just before this one sold for an amazing $35,000! So, why is this vintage dress so special? Where do I start?! There are so many reasons why this dress is such a collectors piece. Here are just a few of those reasons: 1. It's Brand Spanking New! To start with, even though it's over 60 years old it's completely and utterly brand new, unworn and in mint condition even complete with original 'Saks Fifth Avenue' tags (see below). Even the tags are like miniature works of art aren't they? 2. It's an original designer Christian Dior wedding gown Not only is this a designer wedding gown of your dreams, it's a fraction of the price of a modern Dior wedding dress. It's not easy to find out exactly how much a new equivalent would cost, but if you bear in mind that Charlize Theron wore a (a very simple) silk Dior gown to the Golden Globes in 2012 which was reported as costing $30,000  then you get an idea of what great value designer vintage  is! 3.  It was featured in 1950s Harpers Bazaar (and possibly worn by Grace Kelly!) This gown was featured in the October 1950 edition of Harpers Bazaar (see the picture below). We suspect it might even be Grace Kelly in the photo, what do you think? We also have the original magazine featuring this gown and will include it along with the gown if you buy it. 4. It's sooo luxurious The gown is made from heavyweight (and very expensive) champagne wedding silk satin which was a top quality wedding dress material.  The sleeves are also trimmed in luxurious brown mink cuffs. You really don't get more glamorous than that! 5. Own a unique piece of fashion history This dress is a great early example of Dior's famous 'New Look' style. Christian Dior launched his revolutionary 'New Look' collection in post-war Paris in 1947. It was a completely new way of dressing in total contrast to the knee-length practical fashions necessitated by wartime austerity. The glamour of waspy waists and full flowing skirts helped to rejuvenate the struggling fashion industry, and appealed to women the world over. This was also a sly move to try to encourage the women who had worked in factories and fields throughout the war and back to being housewives and mothers, making room in the job market for the men returning from war. So you see it really is an important piece of fashion history! 6. No bride will be wearing the same dress as you! No bride wants to hear the comment, 'Oh I love your dress, it's exactly the same one that so-and-so wore at her wedding!'. That's the great thing about vintage (and particuarly designer vintage) who else is going to have such a unique dress at their wedding? If you would like to find out more about this unique dress please take a look here.

I'm delighted that British vintage blogger Mary from We Heart Vintage has been my very first 'guest pinner' on Pinterest. What does that mean? Well, I created a special board for her and then gave her free rein on The Best Vintage Clothing to put together her favourite collection of vintage. I love the items she's chosen, it's a quirky mix of designer 1970s statement pieces, denim, lipstick reds and bold silhouettes. Take a look at her selection here, I'd love to know what you think. If you're a vintage blogger and would like to create your own guest board then please get in touch, I'd love to hear from you! Don't forget I'm running an amazing contest to win this unique bag on Pinterest right now too, entries don't close until 18th May so go and take a look if you haven't already!

Are you on Pintrest? If not I whole-heartedly recommend it. It's like a visual feast of everything you love! And to celebrate my love for both vintage AND Pinterest I'm giving away this amazing vintage 1950s Kelly bag. This stunning shiny black leather vintage "alligator" bag had me fooled at first- it's THAT good! It has one type of "scales" on one side and different ones on the other but is actually faux alligator. The vintage purse is a classic "Kelly" bag style, and top quality for a faux reptile and in mint condition. It has a brass frame and closure. One large compartment of black vinyl with a zipper side pocket and a mirror pocket. Measures: Length: 10 1/2" Height:6 1/4" Depth: 4 3/4" Strap:12" How To Enter: For your chance to win this special vintage bag, pin your favourite vintage item (or items) from our store with the hashtag #WinBestVintage to enter the competition. We'll pick our favourite entry to win the bag when entries close on 18th May 2014. Oh, and don't forget to follow me on Pinterest to see the very best in vintage clothing too! This competition is also listed on: ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions