- View the vintage gallery
- Buy It's Vintage Darling! by Christa Weil
- Scour eBay for a outfit

Kate Moss might set trends with cute waistcoats and quirky dresses from her vintage treasure box, but second-hand chic isn't necessarily about tapping into the catwalk's latest looks.

"If you know what the trends are, you can shop specifically for those shapes, prints or colours," Weil says.

"But vintage lets you go off in a completely different direction, especially if the style or colour dictated by the fashion gods doesn't work for your body. You can do something far more flattering and innovative for far less money."

It can be all too tempting to stock up on bargains paid for with the spare pound coins in your purse, but Weil warns this isn't productive for a natty wardrobe. Even charity shop regulars can take a u-turn in the hunt for vintage glamour.

"You may be a fixture at the local Oxfam, the stall holders at the best markets may know you by name, but if you still come home with purchases that felt like incredible bargains but are quickly banished to the land of wardrobe mistakes, then it's time to upgrade your know-how," Weil says.