What to Wear to Goodwood Revival 2024
So, you have your tickets for Goodwood Revival... now you need to decide what to wear!
Goodwood Revival mainly focuses on three eras - the 40's, 50's and 60's!
We will take you through each era and give you some hints and tips to help you feel confident in what you wear!
1940's
The 40s was a strange time for fashion - clothes and fabric were rationed. The 'make do and mend' culture was prominent. Whilst the men were away at war, the women found themselves taking on traditionally 'male' jobs.
This meant that women's outfit choices needed to be functional and practical. Hair became shorter and tied back (think victory rolls and curls).
Women also stole men's trousers (they were away at war) as they were more practical for working in factories. Trousers started to become more tailored to women at the end of the decade. However, they were not really worn out of the house (except for work). This is why vintage trousers made for women often had side buttons or zips, similar to skirts of the time.
This era saw padded shoulders, nipped in waists and skirts that hit below the knee. Bright colours were fashionable as they combated the utility/rationing style of fashion. Equally, plaid and tweed made for good boxy jackets and skirts.
Here are some of our favourite outfits inspired by the 40's:
Perfect for pairing with a shirt for a 'land girl' look. Add a scarf and some victory rolls!
Although this looks like a full skirt - it isn't and wearing it without a petticoat gives you a good idea of a 1940's style dress! Pair it with a big petticoat for a 1950's diner look!
1947
So, 1947 gets its own little mention as this is when Dior announced 'La Ligne Corolle' - which was more prominent in the USA. It was named 'The New Look' after a magazine article in Harper's Bazaar. However, this was the start of bigger skirts and the resurgence of femine lines. It was considered extravagant to use so much fabric, so it was slower to be adopted, which is why you tend to see these outfits in the 1950's.
This picture is from Bergdorf Goodman and is a sketch of the Dior Line from 1947. Whilst this isn't one of the most iconic looks, you can see the pleats, full skirt and femine detail with the bows!
1950's
Rationing for clothes and fabric ended in Britain and France in 1949. This meant that the skirts got bigger (and shorter - on the knee instead of below!). Shoulders became more relaxed. After the utility stying during the war, women (for the most part) embraced this feminine fashion trend.
Trousers began to creep in towards the end of the decade - with capri trousers or cigarette trousers tailored towards women; with side zips or buttons. (It was considered vulgar to have a fly, like on men's trousers).
With that in mind... here are some of our favourite 1950's inspired outfits!
Dolly and Dotty Darlene - We have different colourways in this dress - it's available from a size 8 up to a size 22. Pair it with a petticoat to give it extra volume!
You will love this dress - cotton, comfy and the full skirt does ticks all the 50's boxes.
Again, we have this dress in different colour ways and sizes - it's perfect with off the shoulder sleeves, a beautiful big skirt and button details on the front!
Skirts would have been paired with a 'twinset' or any gorgeous knitwear!
Perfect paired with a fitted t-shirt. You could add a pop of colour with your accessories to take this outfit to the next level.
1960's
This era had so many different variations!
1) Jackie Kennedy inspired look - boxy suits, sheath dresses and accessories
2) Swinging London - menswear trends, mini dresses, creative fabrics (PVC/metalics)
3) Hippies - prarie dresses, suede and middle eastern inspired clothing trends
Here are our favourite picks from the 60's!
Dolly and Dotty Amanda - pair this dress with a crisp, fitted bolero jacket and big sunglasses for a 60's look
The metalic element to this gives a nod to the 60's.
The puff sleeves and tirered skirt, as well as the colours make this a perfect nod to the 60's. Pair this dress with a crochet wrap or fringe jacket to complete the look.
You can decide how to style this one - pair it with a bright coloured top and cropped jacket! Alternatively, pair it with some white PVC boots and pop on a shirt and tie for that menswear as womenswear look
Hints and Tips:
You need to be comfortable! This goes for your outfit as well as your shoes!
If you are comfortable, you will feel more confident. Constanly worrying about a neckline or hemline will only take your attention away from the amazing day.
Style your outfit up:
This is the best advice we can give to make your outfit feel authentic! Add great headwear (see our friend Isabellie Josie Millinery), bags, jewellery, earrings, petticoats, tights and make up!
However, don't get overwhelmed by it - you are more than welcome to attend Goodwood with a slight nod to history, but getting involved makes it more fun!
Have a look at some photos of previous 'best dressed' customers at Goodwood to get some inspiration (see their Facebook page), as judged by our other friend, Dawn Gracie!
On that note, we will leave you so you don't get overwhelmed.
Here are our tips:
1 - Pick a decade that suits your style and your figure
2 - Find an dress/skirt/trousers that you love! Whether it's a perfect colour, fun print or fits you like a dream, make sure you choose something that you feel good in. This will help you feel confident, especially if it is style that you wouldn't normally go for.
3 - Add accessories to make the outfit feel more authentic!
We will do a whole new blog post on accessories so stay tuned for that!