Decades of style in one week

At some point I'll get back into posting more frequently about my adventures with fashion, but for now I'm more into following challenges and creating themes to write about.

A while ago, I posted about my go-to uniform for autumn / winter, where, left to my own devices, I basically live in boots, layers, hoodies and scarves. But one of things I love about fashion is being able to step out of your comfort zone and play with different looks. I'm still very much unsure of my own sense of style, but by setting little goals and writing about what I wear and how I put together an outfit, I feel like I'm learning a lot and being able to explore my own style in a really positive way.

I decided to create a little challenge for myself to complete over a 5 day working week, where every day I would put together an outfit inspired by a specific decade. I am quite a methodical person, so it made sense for me to start in the 50s and finish on the 90s. I'm not quite sure that the trends of 2000-2010 have yet become "vintage" enough to be iconic of that era, and I don't really have much in my wardrobe that predates the 50s in terms of shapes and styles, so this 50-year period seemed to fit quite nicely into my schedule. On a side note, I'm really curious to see how the naughties are represented as a fashion era in the future - what do you think will be the overall theme of this time period? Skinny jeans, ankle boots and leather jackets? I really don't know!

So anyway, back to the point. Here are my outfits of the week. I've tried to link to similar items where possible. Which is your favourite?

Day 1 - 1950's

A fair few of my friends are full time rockabillies, and I wish I had the dedication sometimes to commit to the style every day, but some days I'm just a jeans and a hoodie kind of girl.

No jeans or hoodie for my 50's inspired look though. I love these cigarette trousers from H&M, although the waist is a tiny bit low for a real 50's silhouette so I tried to cheat a bit with a belt. I've added a super old blouse and mac from Primark, some black pumps and my favourite faux fur collar shrug from Collectif to complete the look. For my make up I stuck with a simple winged eye and red lip for a retro feel.

Shirt - Primark. Similar here

Trousers - H&M. 

Cardigan - Collectif. Similar here.

Coat - Primark. Similar here

Shoes - New Look. Similar here

Belt - market. Similar here

Day 2 - 1960's

As someone who wears a lot of black, I tried to inject a bit of 60s vibrancy into this outfit with a bright green cord mini and patterned scarf which I've worn tied in a pussy bow over my poloneck top. I've tried to inject some vintage texture as well with grey suede knee high boots by Park Lane from ASOS over my dark green tights, adding a buttoned pea coat to finish the look. I amped up the drama with my eyeshadow to go with this look, with a smoky heavily lined lid and pale lips for a 60's feel.

Top - Primark. Similar here

Skirt - Next. Similar here

Tights - Marks and Spencer

Boots - ASOS. Similar here

Coat - H&M. Similar here

Scarf - no idea! Similar here

Day 3 - 1970's

There are elements of the 70's I like. Platforms, suede, psychedelic rock. It's an interesting decade for fashion in terms of the juxtaposition of shiny, glittery disco excess and the anarchic, shocking extremeism of the punk scene. But in all honesty it's not "my" era. I don't have the hight or slight bone structure to pull off a flared lurex catsuit and the full-on mohawked studded leather and ripped denim look is a little much for a day in the office. So I did what I could with some wide leg wool trousers, olive suede belt and wedges, a white linen top, flared sleeve crochet cardigan and a New Look suede jacket I've had for so long it may soon be considered vintage itself. I went heavy on the bronzer and opted for a subtle shimmery green eyeshadow to finish off this look.

Top - TK Maxx. Similar here

Cardigan - Pilot. Similar here

Trousers - H&M. Similar here

Belt - Oasis. Similar here

Coat - New Look. Similar here

Shoes - Faith. Similar here

Day 4 - 1980's

On to the 80's for look number 4, the decade of my early childhood. As I was doing a brief bit of research for this post, it was the 80's styles I was looking up that brought back real memories of my mum and her friends, rather than looks I've only seen in photos and films, or on the TV and internet. Google image search for 80's fashion seems to focus mainly on neon active wear, whereas I remember lots of batwing tops and enormous shoulder pads, bodycon dresses and straight cut jeans. I went for a tight fitting pencil skirt,  batwing top, white leather belt, black leather bomber jacket and these awesome red leopard print shoeboots which are surprisingly comfy for someone who rarely wears heels. I toned down the wattage, but went for a typically 80's blue eyeshadow and sugary pink lip to counter the more muted tones of my outfit.

Top - Topshop. Similar here

Skirt - Primark. Similar here

Belt - Accessorize. Similar here

Shoes - ASOS. Similar here

Jacket - Oasis. Similar here

Day 5 - 1990's

The 90's - the decade of my youth! The grunge era of layers, plaid, denim and baggy clothes, with a dollop of checked skirts and crop tops on the side. I was so glad to don a beaten pair of Doc Martens after tottering around in heels for the past couple of days. I even had an instagram comment to say this look was very "Liv Tyler from Empire Records" which is awesome because that was pretty much the exact look I was going for. It wasn't really the weather for a bare midriff so I'm really glad I chose this mega cosy Warehouse jumper to throw over my bare skin and keep me warm. I no longer own the infamous Rimmel "Heather Shimmer" lipstick but I did my best to recreate the colour for this look, with natural make up for the rest of my face. 

Jumper - Warehouse. Similar here

Top - H&M Similar here

Skirt - New Look. Similar here

Boots - DM

Jacket - Primark. Similar here

So there you have it. 50 years of fashion inspiration in one week. I really loved trying out these different looks,  and I learnt a few things in the process. 

1) Iconic styles of the past seem to focus a lot on a waist. With the exception of the 60's look, I had some focus on my waist each day. Today's diet shows a propensity for a rounder midriff; the result of too many processed carbs and not enough activity leading to storage of visceral fat and a move away from a more classic hourglass figure. That's a post for another time perhaps, but this week has reminded me of the changing shape of women in recent years, probably to the detriment of our health, and encouraged me to look at my lifestyle and try to be a bit healthier.

2) I really like make up. I tend to go with the same look every day - a flick of black eyeliner, some shaping to my brows and a bit of lip balm. It was so fun trying to take inspiration from the colours and textures of previous decades. I kept it all quite subtle for work, but digging through my make up collection for different coloured eyeshadow, blush and lipsticks was really fun and something I'm definitely going to try and keep up for at least a day or two every week.

3) Putting an outfit together is so much easier with a goal in mind. It's something I've mentioned before but often seem to forget when I'm trying to work out what to wear each day. Thinking about what pieces I had in my wardrobe I could put together to create something specific was far less difficult than opening my closet and just trying to pick something. I'm not going to try and emulate a particular era with my outfit every day, but I might try and work out a particular theme before I wildly start pulling things off hangers and throwing them on my bed in despair!

What's your favourite look? Do you have particular style rules you follow? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!