Retro Glam

Bias-cut silk, a tailored suit with a nipped waist, a velvet dress for winter and a beaded something for best. Colours are jewel tones, champagne, black and deep red, often with a touch of gold.

Accessories are where you shine. Long gloves, a cigarette holder you never use, a brooch on a lapel, a little evening bag with a clasp that snaps. Shoes have a heel and a strap. Lipstick is a signature colour, applied properly. Hair is set in waves, sleek or pinned. You love vintage and you know how to wear it without it looking like fancy dress. Your look says you are going somewhere wonderful tonight, and if you were not, you will be now.

Pink velvet sofa, gilt mirrors, patterned walls and a drinks trolley that is never empty. Art Deco lamps throw a soft pool of light, and there is a record player in the corner.

Your furniture has curves. Chairs are tub-shaped, tables are lacquered and the cocktail glasses are coupes. You love brass, mirror and marble. Fabric is plush and wallpaper is bold: palm leaves, fans, geometric gold. There is a vanity table with a round mirror, a cut-glass perfume bottle and a powder puff. Flowers are dramatic: lilies, peonies, a single orchid. Your home is made for a party, but also for a long bath and a glass of something sparkling on a Sunday night.

1920s jazz, swing, big band, smoky torch songs and a little cabaret. Music with a brass section and a velvet voice.

Weekends are glamorous by design. A gallery opening, a cocktail bar with a dress code, a dinner at a restaurant with linen tablecloths and waiters in white jackets. You love a jazz club, a vintage fair, a sleeper train to a grand hotel. At home you host cocktail parties with tiny food and a dance in the living room. Sunday is a long brunch with a glass of fizz and a vintage film on the television, all black and white. You know how to make a weekend feel like a story, and you dress for every chapter.

A fleece. Flip-flops in public. A pint glass for a cocktail.

You would never be caught leaving the house without lipstick or in something you would describe as just fine. Grey sofas, flat-pack furniture and harsh overhead lights are a no. You avoid sportswear unless you are actually doing sport, and even then you would prefer to look good. You would never be caught drinking good wine from a mug or serving crisps from the bag. You would also never be caught arriving quietly. If there is a door, you are going to make an entrance through it. And you would never be caught with a dull Friday night. Even a night in gets candles, a record and a proper glass.

Learn to make three classic cocktails perfectly, then host a small party around them. Glamour is better shared, and the practice makes you confident.

Hunt for one great vintage piece a season: a coat, a lamp, a set of glasses. Learn a classic dance, swing or the foxtrot, and use it at the next wedding. Invest in one signature scent and one signature lipstick. Then build in comfort. A beautiful silk robe, a velvet slipper, a great dressing gown: glamour at home is still glamour. Retro glam at its best is joyful, not precious. It is about treating life as an occasion worth dressing for, and inviting everyone else to join you.