Looking for inspiration with 50's style dressing

[Bellstar]

I love the 50's style of dressing but find it hard to put outfits together.

I loathe online shopping so need ideas of where to shop on the high street-am a size 14/16 btw.

I have recently bought a couple of dresses from bhs which are the style I mean-sorry I am shit at links but if anyone can be arsed its the black and white printed one and the flowery pink and purple flowery v neck one-I think both of these are quite 50's looking.

I also bought a dress today-that I really cant afford!-from Monsoon. Its black with a white pattern and has the nipped in waist and full skirt.

If anyone has any ideas where else I might shop I would be really grateful!-especially if its cheap!

Monsoon have some really pretty 50s dresses that I would love if I could afford them. They had a gorgeous white and blue one.......

My problem is that I do love the 50s styles and read actual 50s magazines and then get all disappointed that 1, I don't have a 24 inch waist 2, I can't sew and 3, I can't find clothes in the shops now that match the image I have in my mind!

I am a huge 50s fan too. I buy from a local vintage store because I find a lot of retro clothing (i.e. in the style of rather than true vintage) is actually quite expensive and I would rather have a one-off item too.

From the high street, I have found some lovely 50s style dresses & skirts in Zara and H&M but you do need to be prepared to search for them. I think Monsoon day dresses are vastly overpriced tbh and rarely shop there. Oasis have a few options too but tend to be on the shorter side - I prefer mine knee length or authentic mid-calf length.

That is a downside to modern 50s style dresses and skirts - I am short and they are still mid thigh on me!

I keep thinking that eBay might be a good idea but it is too scary!

The Monsoon one I saw was £75 I think - far too much. Then I fell in love with a Laura Ashley dress but that was £110!!

Try these here www.ladyvlondon.com/DRESSES.aspx/?page=0&sort=Default-ASC disclaimer: I haven't bought one yet but have seen favourable reviews (ie good for the price) and intend to if I ever when I lose weight. Apparently they come up slightly big so go for a lower size if you are in between sizes. And please do not buy up all the nice ones as they are all limited editions apparently. Thank you.

I agree with ujjayi - there's nothing quite like real vintage, so if you have a store nearby get in there! I'm probably what's called a rockabilly and wear a lot of vintage gear; but also have lots of high street gear that can be 50's-ed up easily with:

Black liquid eyeliner and red lipstick
Neck scarves - tied to the side, as triangle pointing downwards, as hairband or reverse bandana, pin-up style
Waist belts
Upturned collars!
High ponytails & quiffed fringes

Experiment and have fun!

charidee shops

Ooooo moonshine lovely tip-off. They look great (and the sale stuff is cheeeeeeeeap!) As soon as I'm not a dairy heifer for DS and can wear boob-access-restricted frocks again I'm going to treat myself!

Why not look for dress patterns. Buy the material and get a dress maker to make it for you according to your measurements.

I think I have a similar style to Mombojombo by the sounds of it. There is a Facebook page called Polka-Dot-Polly who makes lovely swing or wiggle dresses, she is currently doing an offer for Facebook likers, any size dress in one of about 10 selected fabrics for £35!! I'm trying to raise some pennies for one! She makes up to a size 26 too so a good range of sizes.
I also buy a lot of my clothes from eBay, I've got some really good bargains.

Google Bethany jane Davies vintage salon. Good ideas there.

I like 40s/ 50s style too though not practical for me to do it everyday and only when I need to glam up for an event.

Like others have said, check out your local vintage/ retro/ indie/ alternative clothing store. Some ideas:

Cropped cardigan (I got one by POP boutique)
Thick waist belt/ cincher
Audrey's style in Roman Holiday - Pedal pushers, nicely fitted 3/4 length blouse, neck scarf.

Have fun shopping.

I'd previously bookmarked this site, looks interesting but haven't bought anything from them yet..

www.atomretro.com/product_info.cfm?product_id=5017

Ha! Two 50s threads in a morning. Just posted a link to a shop selling Hell Bunny dresses. Indie/rock style: can be a bit shorter than real 50s dresses. They show up on eBay quite regularly.

The thing is not to over-do it and end up looking like you're in 1950's fancy dress.

plain little round necked cardis in different colours, pref with 7/8 or 3/4 sleeves make the dresses more versatile, also simple little ballet pumps for day and a mid heel for night.

ps i've seen that monsoon dress , it's fab