THE REWORKED VINTAGE DRESS

My love for all things vintage seems to get stronger and stronger as the years go by. It began with rummaging through my mum's wardrobe and borrowing some of her classic items to style - since then I have built up a collection of vintage pieces, everything from bags to the perfect oversized herringbone jacket. I think I'm attracted to the charm of vintage, the idea that each item has a bit of history and a story behind it.

One of my favourite ways to wear vintage is reworked - take this beautiful midi dress from Beyond Retro, I had long been looking for an off-shoulder floral number for Spring/Summer when I came across this reworked gem in the Brighton store. Knowing that something old can be salvaged and turned into a one-off piece, is what I love the most about wearing reworked vintage. This dress has everything that I look for in the perfect day dress - a statement pattern, movement, a flattering silhouette and the added pockets give it a casual edge (pockets are a must for me). It's so perfect in fact, that I didn't really need to style it at all. Teamed with my suede Topshop flats, I have a feeling that this will be one of my go-to looks for the warmer months ahead.

For a more playful feel, I also styled the dress with my favourite baker boy cap - it might not necessarily be the first accessory of choice for this kind of outfit, but that's the beauty of wearing reworked vintage, you can almost make up your own fashion rules and really cater to your personal style. 

If you're like me and often find it difficult to find exactly what you're looking for on the high-street, then maybe giving vintage a chance is also for you. Nowadays, I find a lot of my vintage pieces online using eBay and Depop, mainly accessories and tops though because I find that I personally need to try dresses, skirts and jeans on in-store. On the topic of vintage stores, I've already mentioned Beyond Retro but Blitz London is another favourite of mine.

Reworked vintage truly can be a wardrobe must-have, you just have to know what you want as you do have to invest a lot of time searching through racks and racks of clothes, or scrolling through quite a few pages online, but it's usually worth it to find that one-off piece that seems as though it was almost made just for you.

LF

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Photography by Joe Galvin.