The kaleidoscope of fashion, ever-turning,ever new but never new - what goes around comes around, and rediscovering and reinventing the past is part of the fun.

Clothes have always been a significant reflection of the cultural and political climate.Dior's extravagantly full skirts flounced in the face of postwar restrictions; the Seventies swung between hot-pants and maxis as the economy roller-coastered towards the power-obsessed Eighties, when shoulder-pads signified female presence in the boardroom.As retromania has conditioned trends at the start of the twenty-first century, the interest for fashions of earlier decades has hit an alltime high, reviving a maxim of the Sixties:nothing is out because everything is in.

But where do you find an early Ossie Clark?How did the craze for the Kelly bag start?Is psychedelia due for a rebirth?Tracy Tolkien who has immersed herself in the trends and taboos, the clothes, the jewellery, the accessories and the style icons of postwar fashion has the answers. Her expertise combined with a wealth of specially commissioned photographs make Vintage an essential resource. It is also an invaluable international guide on what to look for and where to find the best pieces from every decade with over 600 shops in a source list.She shows how to recognise a vintage treasure in a stack full of second-hand mediocrities,how to recreate the authentic look of everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Madonna, how to care for fake fur and delicate silks Vintage is the definitive companion to retro style.

Introduction

THE 1940s

Wartime Dressing - The Hungry Years

THE 1950S

The New Look -.from Elvis to Etiquette

THE 1960S

Youthquake -from the Mini to the Maxi and Back Again

THE 1970S

The Decade That Taste Forgot

THE 1980S

How to Get Ahead in Powerdressing

THE 1990s

Grunge and Retromania - Fashion at the Fin de Siecle

Source List

Picture Credits

Index