Blog — vintage style

It’s probably safe to say that we’re all here because we love genuine and/or reproduction vintage fashion, right? But have you ever wondered how the things we wear and the features of our outfits we rely on day-to-day came about? How did we end up with tiny, fiddly zips to seamlessly fasten our dresses, or laces for our shoes? What even is a dart, and why were (or are if you’re a vintage lover) people so obsessed with petticoats? These are just a few of the questions that researching items, writing product descriptions, and exploring the rails at our Gosport...

Introducing Bill Skinner Jewellery!   If you’ve been anywhere near our little Alverstoke Boutique in Gosport recently you’ll have probably seen or heard just how excited Miss Petra is about one of our (many!) new brands that have just been delivered into stock. We’re really pleased to get a huge selection of absolutely darling pieces from Bill Skinner here at Voluptuous Vintage; the attention to detail and magic feel of the hand-painted jewellery is very much on brand for us. A little bit of luxe, but with bags of character. Shop all Bill Skinner Jewellery here!  Bill studied at Sir...

What Necklace Length should I choose? You’ve no doubt seen that we have a dazzling array of vintage style and semi-fine necklaces to browse both in-store and online, and we always try to include the length and adjustability where we can. But do you find these measurement numbers are a bit baffling?  For starters, there’s a range of necklace lengths in general, and some places may include names for each rough length, as detailed in this handy table:     Chain Length (Inches) Body Placement 14” Collar: Wraps around the throat/neck 16” Choker or Bib: Against the base of the throat/neck...

The sun has (finally) made an appearance and we’re praying to the fashion gods for a sickly sweet, sticky hot summer worthy of all our vintage fabulousness and finery. Mrs Darling has outdone herself this year and our quality check of this season’s stock was a non-stop swoon fest with lots of trying things on (aka an after-hours fashion show!). Read on for a whistle-stop tour of some of our absolute favourites new in for the Spring/Summer season. You might want to buckle up though, there’s a lot and it’s all goooooorgeous. Psst: if you don’t have time to read...

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention, and what’s a girl to do when she needs a new frock? Use her husband’s military issued parachute silk, of course! During the Second World War, parachutes were made of genuine silk due to their durability, lightness, and how easy they were to pack. What’s more is that, unlike Nylon, which may melt and cause significant burns when ignited, silk is very fire resistant. Silk was simply the more practical resource, and as such, the US, UK, and German militaries all coveted this already precious material for their respective war...