Best Vintage Inspired Summer Outfit Ideas from Old Hollywood
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How to get the Vintage Summer Outfits Aesthetic from Old Hollywood stars like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Lana Turner and more.
This post is all about the Best Vintage Summer Outfit Inspiration from Old Hollywood
With the warm weather in the summer time, it can be hard to find a chic outfit with some vintage vibes when all you want is to stay cool in the heat.
You’ve come to the right place, because we put together some of our favorite vintage looks for the summer, inspired by style icons like Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.
Whether you prefer dresses, shorts, palazzo pants, or swimsuits, there are vintage summer outfit ideas for everyone!
What makes an outfit look vintage 1940s and 1950s?
Classic pieces, and a fit that emphasizes the waist are important to get a 1940s or 1950s vintage look.
Examples of classic pieces that are stylish today but could look vintage are a great white blouse, high waisted trousers, a skirt that emphasizes the waist, and a classic shirt dress.
To give the outfit even more of a vintage period vibe, period specific hair, makeup, and accessories really take it to the next level.
There’s nothing like pin-curls and red lipstick to get a retro vibe!
Vintage Clothing Outfit Inspiration: Dresses
For laid back summer outfits, it's time to put away the pencil skirts and bring out the summer dresses!
Feminine summer dresses are always in style.
Popularized during WWII for practicality, the 1940s house dress has been a classic for a long time.
It has a straight or a-line skirt and often emphasizes the waist, creating that vintage look.
To get even more of a vintage vibe, choose a style with fuller skirt to really get that 1950s aesthetic.
Pair your summer dress with some sandals or a pair of espadrilles to make it feel casual, or with heels to dress it up.
Take summer style inspiration from Old Hollywood actresses Lana Turner and Marilyn Monroe and wear a simple, classy shirtdress.
Marilyn Monroe wears a simple black sleeveless shirtdress (right) and Lana Turner wears a white hot short-sleeved shirtdress in the film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice. (left)
The good news is that both of these outfits would look just as stylish today.
Vintage Summer Outfits Inspiration: Shorts
If shorts are your favorite summer go-to outfit, but you're not sure how to make them feel chic and put together, you've come to the right place.
Next time you reach for that pair of shorts, take inspiration from Old Hollywood Fashion and make them a pair of high waist shorts.
Hiking up the waist on everything generally makes it more flattering and feminine, plus it's key to getting that vintage look.
Vintage Summer Outfits: High-waisted Shorts with a White Blouse
Lana Turner and Anita Eckberg wear pair their high-waisted shorts with a white blouse.
Whether you wear a more bermuda style short like Lana Turner, or a super short shorts like Anita Eckberg, pairing it with a white blouse makes it feel both classy and casual the same time.
There's a reason the white blouse is still a style classic!
For other feminine white blouse outfit inspiration you might like:
How to Dress Feminine | Vintage Elegant Style and Classic Outfits
Vintage summer outfits: Shorts with Knitwear
Another chic and simple shorts combination is to combine shorts with knitwear like 50s style icons Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe.
Ava Gardner pairs a sweater tee with short shorts. (bottom left)
Marilyn Monroe pairs a turtleneck with shorts and sandals. (bottom right)
If you want a sexier 50's vibe, you could also wear a bullet bra under your sweater like Marilyn Monroe.
For more on the 50s bullet bra trend:
Vintage summer outfit inspiration: Palazzo pants
High-waisted palazzo pants are chic and feminine.
Plus they are loose and comfortable when it's so hot out that you don't want anything sticking to your skin.
Below, Ginger Rogers pairs her palazzo pants with a white blouse, (yep, there's the classic white blouse again) and with knitwear, in this case a short-sleeved knit tee.
Vintage summer outfit inspiration: Tied-up Blouse
Looking to add a more casual vibe to your outfit with your blouse?
Take inspiration from Audrey Hepburn and Ava Gardner and tie up your blouse.
It emphasizes the waist in a casual way without needing a belt or tucking in the blouse.
It also works whether paired with a skirt like Audrey Hepburn, (bottom left) or a casual pair of pants like Ava Gardner. (bottom right)
Vintage summer clothes inspiration: Swimsuits
Nothing screams summer like a good swimsuit.
Perfect for hot lazy days of lounging by the pool.
Vintage swimsuits came in either one piece or two-piece, similar to today, but with some differences.
1940s style two-piece swimsuits had a high-waisted bottom, with a full coverage bra top, and looked very similar to a one-piece suit but with a little slice cut out of the middle.
One piece swimsuits could have little skirts, be wrap style, and were usually super figure-flattering.
To play up the vintage style of your summer look, take inspiration from Marilyn Monroe, Gene Tierney and Grace Kelly and select swim styles that are high waisted or have small skirts.
Above, Marilyn Monroe and Gene Tierney wear vintage style two-piece bathing suits.
Think that one piece swimsuits are boring?
Check out how chic Grace Kelly is in her one-piece bathing suits during the filming of To Catch a Thief. (below images)
Her simple black swimsuit on the left could easily be worn today, and her adorable yellow swimsuit with the little skirt will play up the vintage look.
Love the vintage swimwear aesthetic?
Other posts you might like:
1930s Swimsuits: Vintage Swimwear & Bathing Styles
How to Rock the Vintage Swimwear Aesthetic Like an Old Hollywood Glam Star
This post was all about best vintage summer outfit inspiration
Which summer outfit is your favorite?