The 18 Best Vintage-Inspired Dresses

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(Image credit: Collage Vintage )

If you want a guarantee that the dress you’re ordering will be stylish now but also a few months, a year, and even five years from now, your best bet is to opt for a vintage-inspired dress—and here’s why. Retro pieces follow the classic shapes and silhouettes that worked so well in the past that they’re worth bringing back today, and there are some standout styles from each decade worth trying.

In the ’50s, tea dresses were popular, and they’ve returned now with designers like HVN bringing them back in the fold. From the ’60s, cool mod dresses are making a comeback. In the ’70s, pussy-bow styles were very of-the-moment, and they’re back in a major way. Even styles from the ’80s have returned—digging into the archives of Jean-Paul Gaulier, French designer Jacquemus is ushering back iconic styles from the decade. Want to see the best vintage-inspired dresses to try now?

Ahead, we’re breaking down 18 of the coolest pieces to wear now.

Associate Director, Special Projects

Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.