Author: Orla Doherty

If you're after a daringly full-on pin-up aesthetic, you need look no further than US brand Pin Up Couture. With impressively genuine styling and fabrics, designs like the new Bad Girl Dress never shy away from the vampish style of the baddest girls of the 50s.

This dress takes inspiration from Hollywood glamourpusses of the forties and fifties and exaggerates femininity to the extreme, creating an unmistakeably sassy silhouette. A molded bustline creates a super-cinched waist, while the perfectly cut satin fabric hugs the curves everywhere else.

It's available online now from Pin Up Couture for $96, in black or leopard print.

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Moving into the Spring lines of designer gear means the vibrant shades and prints are coming back out of the woodwork, meaning there's plenty more choice for retro lovers. This Lilly Print Silk Dress by Marc Jacobs is a great example of spring prints with a fifties feel.

The dress shape is a simple and chic, with a lightly flowing shape given added femininity by the waist band. The greens and blues of the floral print are reminiscent of a Hawaiin look made mainstream in the 1950s, making this a relaxed retro look for the coming warmer months.

Get it online from Matches Fashion £768.

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While no one seems able to second guess where the weather is going, it seems daft to invest in too heavy a coat while looking ahead to Spring. This See by Chloé coat is an ideal solution for transition months, covering up just enough.

Made from a cotton-twill fabric, the jacket treads the line of reassuring weight and versatile lightness well, meaning it can be combined with woolens or worn alone depending on the weather. The light blue combines with a simple, chic and straight cut to create a bright, mid sixties look that will go with almost everything.

Get it online from Net-a-Porter now for £430.

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Candy stripes are another classic fabric to add to a long list of surefire retro hits. As with many patterns, the best way to get the most wear out of a stripe is in accessories, like this Ticking Stripe Bag from ASOS.

Conjuring a classic but still feminine early sixties aesthetic, this bag uses a powder blue stripe fabric to great effect, creating a bag for all year round. The dark brown leather-look strap and trim create a structured look which is perfectly offset by the light and airy cotton.

Get it online from ASOS now for £15.

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While much of the eighties dress styles were characterised by a snug fit and amped up sex appeal, there are plenty of takes on the casual side of the era available today. This Missoni Dot Wool Dress is a great interpretation of a popular look that helped define the fashion of the time.

The sweater dress was a popular style that lasted well beyond the 1980s, best done with a shape that resembles an oversized jumper. The resulting casual shape works to give an unmistakeably retro silhouette, while this version's spot design gives some cute flair.

It's available online from Bluefly for $673.

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