1980’s Meets 1940’s: “Vintage” Style on a Budget

It is time to address two very important and seemingly incongruous topics: vintage style on a budget AND dresses from the 1980’s. Though these subjects conjure very different mental images, I have discovered a link between the two!

Let’s examine the first topic- dressing vintage on the cheap. First, we need to admit that a vintage-looking outfit does NOT actually have to be “vintage” from the time period you wish to emulate. Instead, you could find newer clothing pieces that hint at the older styles.

And herein lies the hidden secret that connects our cheap vintage goals to the 1980’s dress! While no one can explain all 80’s fashion choices, dresses from that decade often referenced styles from decades past, like the 1920’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s. Combine this copy-cat approach to fashion history with the relative availability of 80’s dresses at thrift stores, and you have found the budget vintage secret!

Once you have found an 80’s dress inspired by your favorite era, you need only add vintage-y accessories and retro hair and makeup! Both dresses in this post were thrift store scores that do 1980’s-meets-1940’s very well! I accessorized one with real vintage pieces and the other with accessories I made myself! To find out which is which (and to get inside my vintage-obsessed-but-bugetarily-restrained brain), enjoy our latest YouTube video! I’ll talk you through the process and share links to my DIY projects!

Hope this inspires you to try adding some “vintage” on the cheap to your wardrobe! If the 1980’s calls and says they want their dress back, tell ’em to wait!