VINTAGE clothing trends reflect the diversity and creativity of fashion from the 1920s right up to the 1980s. With such a wealth of styles available in vintage fashion stores you would be hard-pressed not to find an item that did not suit you perfectly.

Creative expression came alive in 1920s fashion with decadent, luxurious and innovative cuts.

Women’s skirts were shorter with slits and pleats which allowed far more movement.

In the fashion of the 30s, the flirtatious bias cut added glamour and elegance to dresses and evening gowns, and marked the return to a lady-like silhouette.

Women’s 1940s fashion was dictated by the war and with fabrics scarce, garments were borrowed from mens’ wardrobes and tailored to fit a woman’s figure. The swing dress was also born.

1950s fashion saw the return of European haute couture and a revival of feminine styles which highlighted the hourglass silhouette.

Circle skirts and a-line dresses which were tight around the waist were fashion favourites while wiggle dresses let women embrace their curves.

The fashion of the early sixties retained the more conservative and feminine styles of the earlier decade.

Shift dresses, suits with short boxy jackets and full-skirted ball-gowns for the evening were the fashion of the time, reflecting Jacqueline Kennedy’s elegant choice of wardrobe.

It was only in the mid-sixties that youth culture also began to influence fashion trends, prompting the creation of Mary Quant’s daring mini-skirt and the bold, streamlined clothing worn by the Mods.

The hippy movement created bell-bottomed jeans, tie-dyed tops, headbands and sandals.

Hot pants were a fashion hit in the 1970s disco era, along with flared trousers, jumpsuits and platform shoes. While every woman had owned a mini skirt in the ‘60s, by the ‘70s she could choose between a maxi, a midi, a mini and even a micro-mini.

Shoulder pads are synonymous with 1980s fashion. As always, film culture hugely influenced fashion trends and movies such as Fame prompted a craze for dance clothing.