Vintage clothing is a wonderful way to show your love of decades past. Wearing it gives you a unique one-of-a-kind look but if you aren’t careful you could end up looking like you’re headed to a costume party. Here are some of my tips for looking current while wearing vintage.

• Don’t dress in head to toe vintage. Keep it simple by wearing only one or two pieces per outfit.

• Dress for your body type. Particular decades are best for certain figures. If you’re pear shaped try a circle skirt or if you want to show of your curves go for a pencil skirt. Both were popular silhouettes in the 1950s. If your legs are your greatest asset then a 1960s miniskirt is for you. Finally,  a look that works on almost any shape is the 1970s wrap dress made famous by Diane von Furstenberg.

• Mix your vintage pieces with modern. For example you could wear a 1950s dress and pair it with contemporary shoes and a handbag.

• Incorporate clothing from the fashion era that best matches your personal style.

• Keep your makeup and hair current.

Whether you just bought your first piece of vintage clothing or you’ve been a long time collector, knowing how to clean vintage clothing can be tricky. Being the owner of a vintage shop, I clean every item myself and have learned a few tips and tricks over the years that I’d like to share.

• It is always best to hand wash vintage items. Do not throw vintage pieces in the washing machine or dryer.

• When hand washing use a gentle detergent like Woolite or Lux.

• Think twice before breaking out the iron. A steamer is a much better option.

• To remove underarm stains caused by deodorant use white vinegar and/or lemon juice on a lint free white cloth to dab away the stain.

• Mad Men’s costume designer Janie Bryant has a wonderful tip for getting the funk out of vintage clothing: “All you have to do is mix one part vodka with two parts water in a spray bottle. It works every time—that’s the power of vodka for you.”

• Moths and other bugs could be hiding in the fibers of that new vintage sweater. To get rid of them and prevent the rest of your wardrobe from being destroyed, wrap the piece in acid free tissue paper and place it in a plastic bag. Next, put the plastic bag in the freezer for 3-5 days. Be sure to thaw the bag thoroughly.

When money is tight you have to get creative with your wardrobe. I don’t know about everyone else but I have been hitting the thrift stores more often, finding ways to revamp and reuse pieces of clothing that I haven’t worn in ages. Dyeing tired clothes a new and current shade is the perfect way to make the most of what you’ve got and all it will cost you is a few dollars for the dye. Here is are some instructions from Jessica (she is amazing and her blog is full of inspiration) of What I Wore on overdying and tie dying.

An example of Jessica’s tie dying skills : What I Wore

If you must buy something new make is something you will get tons of wear out of. How about this lovely dress by Lirola? You can wear this one dress seven different ways!

7 Ways to Wear Dress : $98.00

Queens Of Vintage is a fairly new website dedicated to all things vintage. QueensOfVintage.com is the first daily vintage glossy to share all of their vintage fashion, beauty, and interior style secrets just with you. So if you bask in Bakelite and frolic in frills, the dedicated team of vintage-obsessed writers and gurus at Queens Of Vintage are making it their mission to bring you all that’s fabulous in the vintage world. I was so excited when one of the editors, the lovely Lena contacted me about doing a feature on Night Owl Vintage!

Here is what Lena had to say about Night Owl Vintage: “Online vintage shop Night Owl Vintage is relaunching with a new site. To celebrate, all our readers get 20% off. Yay! We’ve checked out the new shop and this Sixties rhinestone and enamel pin, $12, has really caught our eye. We also like this $20 red and yellow cheerleader top from the Seventies. Go Queens! Of course a shop called Night Owl Vintage has to sell a few owl-related items. This little Seventies ceramic owl, $8.50, is a lovely vintage deco piece. To claim your special 20% QueensOfVintage.com discount enter code ‘queen20? at Night Owl before you check out.”

Read the full article here and thanks again to Lena!