Retro Fashion for the Modern Woman

Happy days are here again. The return to classic glamour means this season’s styles have a put-together polish that actually flatters (real) women’s curves.

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Petticoat Function

Roland Bello 
This just might be the ultimate party dress: The pleated crossover bodice creates the look of a wasp waist (no need to resist that tray of hors d’oeuvres!), while the knee-length crinoline-layered bottom half will inspire you to twist the night away.

To buy: ML Monique Lhuillier polyester-taffeta dress, $209, neimanmarcus.com. Badgley Mischka earrings. Ben-Amun necklace. Lagos bracelet.

 

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High Society

Roland Bello
Here’s an oldie but goody—the car coat. Lightweight and tailored, this thigh-length style is a great spring layer that you don’t have to remove once you’re inside. (And you won’t want to, since it spiffs up almost anything you wear underneath it.)

To buy: Anthropologie embroidered linen coat, $198, anthropologie.com. Tamar Daniel polyester-chiffon blouse, $395, tmrdnl.com. Tory Burch knit skirt, $295, toryburch.com. Eugenia Kim hat. Carolina Amato gloves. Daniel Espinosa earrings. Max Mara bag. LuLu’s belt. Tory Burch heels.

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Lush Life

Roland Bello
This lavishly textured style has all the grace and poise of classic leading ladies—but with a price tag that suits average folks. And unlike most scratchy and stiff secondhand-store finds, it’s amazingly comfortable, thanks to soft, stretchy cotton.

To buy: Laura Byrnes cotton-spandex dress, $158, pinupgirlclothing.com. Ben-Amun necklace. Sequin ring. Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui bracelet.
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Get Shirty

Roland Bello
Leave it to a timeless white button-down to take the June Cleaver primness out of a floor-length silk skirt—and to make a rowdy mix of bold shades (red, fuchsia, turquoise, and green) get along just swell.

To buy: Chico’s cotton-blend shirt, $40, chicos.com. CH Carolina Herrera silk-gazar skirt, $845, 212-744-2076. L.K.Bennett belt. Banana Republic necklace and bracelet. Kendra Scott ring. Blue couch courtesy of Liz O’Brien.

 

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Accent on Glamour

Roland Bello
Got a thing for accents? Stick with a contemporary outfit—say, a structured top and skinny pants—then layer on blast-from-the-past accessories: a pile of pearls, Bakelite-esque bangles, maybe even a turban headband.

To buy: Mango viscose-blend top, $30, mango.com. Max Mara viscose-jersey pants, $565, Max Mara, 212-879-6100. Anna Sui polyester turban, $108, Anna Sui, 212-941-8406 (available mid-April). Gabriele Frantzen necklace of Czech glass and Swarovski crystals, $430, Saks Fifth Avenue, 212-753-4000. Sequin resin bangles, $28 each, sequin-nyc.com for info. Max Mara belt, $90, 866-629-6272.

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Now and Then

Roland Bello
Another way to keep from looking as if you stepped out of a time machine? Choose pieces that offer a mash-up of old and new. Here, of-the-moment stripes and trendy cobalt make a corsage blouse and a below-the-knee swing skirt altogether modern.

To buy: Tracy Reese stretch-rayon top, $225, Louisa Ellis, 413-528-3388. J.Crew cotton skirt, $88, jcrew.com. L.K.Bennett belt. Kenneth Jay Lane earrings and bracelet.

 

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