Celebrities are adding vintage to their clothing collections, but how do you pull off secondhand chic with aplomb? Christa Weil, author of new book It's Vintage Darling, shares her insider secrets on how to be a clothes connoisseur.

- View the vintage gallery

Kate Moss steps out in it, Reese Witherspoon often flaunts it at awards ceremonies and Kylie Minogue used it to help re-launch her career in a pair of gold hotpants.

Vintage style - it's become the ultimate fashion statement.

No premiere is complete without a Hollywood golden girl wearing vintage couture, while rising fashionistas such as Sienna Miller and Mary-Kate Olsen have become trend-setting experts at mixing the old with the new.

Whether you're short of cash or just revel in the idea of finding fashion gems from the past, second-hand chic is every fashion follower's passport to unique style.

"We all love to open up the September issues of the fashion magazines and see what the latest trends are. But ultimately, it's what everyone else will be wearing," says Christa Weil, author of new book It's Vintage Darling!

"By mid-November, what looked so fresh and enticing already looks a little tired. Vintage is for people who want something different."

- Buy It's Vintage Darling! by Christa Weil