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"I Think It’s Possible To Look Glamorous At Any Age" – Vintage Style Blogger Niki Redcliffe Explains The Art Of Aging Gracefully.

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One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag.

"I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. 

When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing women that it is possible to be glamorous at any age.

One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years." Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years."

Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion?

A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry.

I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. 

By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!”


One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years." Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years."

Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old?

A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well.

Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.”

One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years." Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years."

Q: How do people react to the way you dress?

A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. 

I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience."

One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years." Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years."

Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia?

A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time.  Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. "


Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation?
A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes.

Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. "

One day, I was invited to have lunch at one of my friend’s houses. Once we were done having lunch, she asked me to come into her room where she had a rather large closet full of clothing from the early ‘40s and ‘50s. She pulled out a rather expensive looking fur coat from the 1940s and gave it to me “I want you to have this. I’m too old to wear it now.” She said as she carefully folded it into a bag - giving it to me. "Why do you think you're too old? I think you'd great in it." I said - Hesitantly taking the bag. "I'm not as young and beautiful as I used to be. If I wore something like this now, I feel people would just think I'm trying to hold onto something that's no longer there." You could tell she still had passion for glamour, but felt she wasn't worthy of it anymore. When you're a woman, you have an expiration date. And when you reach it, you're forgotten. Pushed to the side for another fresh face to take your place. You're made to feel like you're no longer worthy of putting effort into yourself. I spoke to Niki Redcliffe: a 63 vintage fashion blogger that has become well-known in the vintage community on instagram due to her fantastic taste in fashion - Showing that it is possible to be glamorous at any age. Q: Can you tell me about your life? And how it lead you to start wearing vintage fashion? A: “As I’m nearly 63, it would take too long to tell you about my life! In a nutshell, my father was in the RAF and we moved a lot during my childhood. I always loved clothes and fashion but studied History at university. Then I worked in PR and Marketing, specialising in new product development in the cosmetics industry. I’m now divorced but was married for 28 years and have three daughters and also have three grandchildren. I’ve lived in too many places to count including Paris, the French Alps, Burgundy, the South of France, Switzerland, Marrakech, Andalucia and now I live in Brighton with my partner Martin. In my teens and early 20s I was a very dedicated follower of fashion. Then came the ‘Mummy Years’ when I devoted myself to bringing up my children and fashion took a back seat. By the time I hit 50 I had more spare time (and money) to spend on myself but there was nothing flattering or interesting in the shops for me to wear so I went back to my love of '40s and '50s fashions and started buying original vintage pieces from these eras. Vintage offered me beautiful, well made, completely individual garments that were flattering for a woman of my age and I was quickly hooked!” Q: How does it make you feel that most women stop dressing up at certain age because they think they're too old? A: “The fact that many women over 50 seem to stop caring about the way they look and dress is a real tragedy. Clothes have enormous power to improve mood, confidence, happiness and an overall sense of well being. It is partly because older women are made to feel useless and irrelevant in society and partly because the fashion industry is incredibly youth oriented. Very few brands are offering attractive, exciting clothes aimed at the older age group yet its a huge and growing market. We have very few older female role models to show us how to look good and dress well. Glamour is a marvellous thing! And anyone can be more glamorous because all it requires is a little effort. Unlike beauty, which is a gift of nature, glamour is almost entirely artificial. Not everyone can become more beautiful but literally everyone can become more glamorous. Many women lose their confidence as they age and also struggle as their appearance changes. Waists thicken, hair gets thinner and greyer, lines and wrinkles appear and they mourn the loss of their youthful looks. However, I think it’s possible to look more glamorous at any age.” Q: How do people react to the way you dress? A: "I’m happy to say that I’ve had nothing but enthusiastic support from family and friends, apart from my ex-husband, but that’s another story! When I’m out and about I get lots of comments and photo requests but people are very kind and respectful. I joined Instagram mainly to see photos posted by my daughters but I discovered the IG vintage community and started posting pics of my own wardrobe. I was astonished at the response and I find it incredibly uplifting to get comments from all over the world. I feel like I have lots of ‘friends I’ve never met’ out there on Instagram and, in my experience, the vintage fashion community is filled with warm, generous, enthusiastic, slightly crazy people. As an older Instagrammer I’ve received huge amounts of support and encouragement. Maybe younger women meet with unpleasantness or harsh comments but I’m very happy to say that has not been my experience." Q: You're 63. Which means you born in/close to the eras you recreate. Does it give you a since of nostalgia? A: "I was born in 1957 and my favorite fashion decade is 1947 (when Dior launched the New Look) until 1957 (when Dior died and I was born) so I didn’t actually live through those years. I’m not attracted by ‘vintage’ fashions I wore first time around because they don’t feel vintage to me! I like the elegant, feminine, sophisticated and glamorous styles of the 40s and 50s, no doubt influenced by my love of old movies and fashion photographs of the time. Part of the joy of wearing true vintage pieces is a feeling of wearing history and imagining the lives of the original owners. " Q: Do you prefer real vintage clothing or recreation? A: "My preference is for original vintage but that has become quite expensive and difficult to find. Also, these older pieces can be fragile and need to be treated with a certain amount of respect. Finding true vintage in modern sizes is a challenge because it seems that women really were smaller with narrower waists and much tinier feet! For all these reasons it makes sense to buy some of the excellent reproduction and retro clothes that are widely available in a good range of sizes. Some items I simply can’t or won’t buy real vintage - most underwear (apart from a few glamour corsets, girdles and longline bras), shoes (my feet are too big) and everyday basic separates. Women kept their cherished party frocks and wore them infrequently but ordinary blouses, trousers, knits etc were well used on a daily basis and didn’t always survive. Luckily there are lots of brands making quality vintage style clothes in easy care modern fabrics. " Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage collection? "I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " Q: Anything that we can look forward to? "My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colors and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years."

Q: What's your favorite item in your vintage clothing collection?
"I have an enormous wardrobe! My vintage clothes obsession is my main hobby and brings me a lot of pleasure but it’s hard to pick one favourite item. I particularly love Lilli Ann suits for their incredible tailoring and fine details. Possibly my favourite is a navy late 40s suit with ivory trim and a red lined shoulder cape. I’m also entranced by Suzy Perette formal dresses of the 50s as many were copies of Dior designs. My favorite Suzy Perette dress is pale eau de nil silk taffeta with a huge skirt and bows on the front. " 

Q: Anything that we can look forward to?

"My main ambition for the next year is to say goodbye to some of my vintage mistakes! Over the last 12 or so years I’ve amassed too many clothes and now I simply can’t find enough opportunities to wear them all. Also I’ve done a lot of buying online and not everything fits the way I’d hoped. Over time I’ve refined my ideas about what colours and styles suit me so there’s a big chunk of my wardrobe that would look much better on someone else. The time has come to find these wonderful vintage pieces new homes so they can go on to live happy lives with loving new owners for many more years."
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