How To Wear A Vintage Style Tea Dress

I'm a big fan of the vintage style, particularly floral tea dresses and summer dresses à la 1940's. However, I've found that worn on their own they look a little too formal for my everyday wardrobe - I'm all for dressy daywear, but I don't want to look like I'm going to a wedding every time I step out of the door in a dress!

Having experimented with various accessories, I have compiled a list of tips to consider when wearing vintage style dresses:

1. Floral patterns are gorgeous, but they can look a little 'twee' - court shoes in a matching colour look beautiful but are much more suited to garden parties and speech days than a trip to the mall. Wear coloured ballerina pumps or neutral shoes to avoid looking overdressed. With plain tea dresses, bold co-ordinating colours look really good.

2. If your dress has a waist line (rather than an empire waist) then make sure to wear a waist belt! Personally, with floral dresses I'd go for a thick leather one to add a bit of 'kick-ass' to an otherwise very frilly, girly outfit. On plain dresses, thin coloured wasit belts look great because they're not getting lost in a pattern. Also, who can argue with that sexy 50's pin-up figure to go with the vintage look? Cinch belts plus tea dresses equals hot!

3. Cardigans go better with tea dresses than jackets (with the exception of leather jackets, which look great with almost everything). To keep the gorgeous cinched-in waist, wear your cardigan under the belt to keep the chill off whilst looking fabulous! Black cardigans detract somewhat from the feminine style of the dress so try softer colours, but be careful: pastel shades must be used with caution to avoid the 'little girl at a birthday party' look.

4. Accessories should be kept simple for patterned or floral dresses. Floral-style jewellery, distracting pendants and bold colours should be kept to a minimum. On the other hand, with plain dresses, the accessories make the outfit (see previous comment about bold shoe colours) - go for eye-catching bright colours or statement pendants. I have a great gold pendant from New Look with a jewelled leopard's head on the end, and it never fails to prompt positive comments! Another thing to consider: pearls worn with vintage style dresses can make you look like a minor royal at a garden party. Classic style, yes - but reserve it for weddings and posh functions.

Here's an outfit idea involving a beautiful dress which belongs to me!

Dress 'Maud' from Joules, belt from All Things Green, cardigan from Forever 21, shoes from Miss Selfridge, bracelets from Accessorize.

As you can see, the neutral and plain accessories highlight the pretty floral pattern on the dress, and don't steal attention. The opposite works for plain dresses. So, to wear a vintage style tea dress without looking like your headmistress, keep fuss out of the picture and emphasise everything that's great about tea dresses - they cut a nice figure, they're timelessly gorgeous, and they're so eye-catching you'll be turning every head in the high street!