Revival 1940s & 1950s Fashion Photoshoot
After one of my fellow placement students here at Revival carried out such a successful photo shoot a few weeks ago, the responsibility was passed to me to do another photo shoot, showcasing some of our women's vintage clothing. I am Elizabeth, and I'm in my third year of studying Textile Craft & Arts at The University of Huddersfield, and during my time there I learnt a thing or two about photography, however, I had never worked with a model before, so this was a new and exciting experience for me
We were lucky enough to have Olivia come and model for us, and once we were aware of her measurements, we set to work with styling some outfits from her. Here at Revival, we have items from the 1930's all the way to the 1980s, however, for this photoshoot, we chose to focus on womens 1950s and 40's as these are the eras that we mainly specialise in.
Typically for January in Huddersfield, we had drizzly weather and even a brief bit of snow, and so we didn't want to have to search too far for photo locations. Luckily for us, the area surrounding Revival provided us with some brilliant backgrounds.
The first dress we photographed was a grey wool Carnegie dress. The dress had some beautiful stitched detail and buttons, and so we matched our accessories to that. I went with a fur hat, gloves and a simple handbag. While this outfit was relatively simple, it was one of my personal favourites from the whole shoot. The thick woollen material of the dress makes it the perfect thing to wear at this time of the year, and paired with the matching accessories it created a timeless classy look.
Our second outfit consisted of a beautiful 1950s duck egg blue dress, paired with a 1940s coat in black wool. The coat really brings out the black faux buttons and the bow on the dress, and because of this, we opted to stick with this simplistic colour scheme when choosing the rest of the accessories. I added a simple black half hat, and a small belt with an oversized frame bag.
When styling vintage outfits, I really enjoy playing around and mixing pieces from different eras into one look, and I think that this dress and coat combination is a perfect example of how to do that.
Since the previous two outfits were quite demure, this next outfit was the exciting pop of colour that we were waiting for. We based this outfit around a beautiful 1940s crepe dress. I paired it with an amazing blush pink angora wool beret and matching gloves, that made the pink tones in the dress really stand out! Continuing with the floral theme, we thought that a small tapestry bag really finished the outfit off.
The fourth outfit chosen for Olivia to model was a 1950s inspired day look. The blue and black broken stripe sleeveless dress paired perfectly with a lightweight 50s cardigan, and the grey bag complimented the darker shades in the dress perfectly. I very recently added the hat to our website and I knew I had to include it somewhere in the photo shoot. A hat that size and shape could easily look too much for such a feminine outfit, however, since its made from such a delicate netting, it manages to look quite subtle.
We loved this specific location for this outfit, as we felt the colour of the shed complimented the whole outfit.
Continuing on with the 50s theme, we paired a patterned stripe tie neck dress with a knitted fair isle tank top. Along with the clear glasses, this outfit embodied the classic preppy 50s look that is so iconic.
When it comes to vintage style, accessories are key to making an outfit. We simply removed the tank top and glasses and added an amazing statement hat, and we had immediately transformed this look from something straight out of Grease, into a much more classy look.
By this point, we had been outside for a while, and we didn't want poor Olivia to freeze, so we chose to pair this 1950s floral taffeta dress with an amazing shawl from our collection of fur coats and jackets. Furs like this are a staple for any vintage lover, as they will allow you to wear your favourite summer dress all year round. And if you are wanting cruelty free, vintage faux furs are often such amazing quality that you would think they were real!
When buying and wearing vintage clothing, the items you want may not always be in the most perfect condition. This is when accessories and layering come in handy. This green floral summer dress had some slight damage around the neckline, however, when paired with a delicately knitted cardigan, it breathed some new life back into this dress. We paired it with a white rattan bag, to create a classic summer look.
This was another of my personal favourite outfits. This red patterned dress complimented Olivia's hair and lipstick perfectly. While the dress itself seemed quite formal, we decided to pair it with a fun fruit necklace, and a white cardigan in order to dress it down slightly.
For this final outfit, we chose an amazing 1940s floral blue dress. I paired it with a delicate baby pink cardigan and some crochet gloves that both complimented the dress perfectly. I also added a blue bag that was the perfect match for the dress. We completed the outfit with a beautiful 1960s woven floral hat.
Despite this being my first time working with a model, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, and I definitely learnt some valuable skills that I can utilise when I return to University for my final year. Even with the dreary weather, the whole morning ran smoothly, and we definitely got the great photos we were hoping for!