Old school glamour has some prestigious associations with Hollywood for it is here in the 1940s that we first saw the perfectly applied make-up and perfect hair, glossy precise waves and elegant but bewitching frocks that teasingly touched the knees or reached for the floor.

Think Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner (pictured), Elizabeth Taylor or Grace Kelly – as seen on the silver screen this week in new movie staring Nicole Kidman, Grace Of Monaco.

But how can you achieve old school glamour using your vintage expertise to achieve a retro Hollywood look that can take you through years to come?

Spending time on hair and make-up is a must for pure old school, with come-to-bed-eyes and maximised red or coral lips with lipstick that’s been perfectly applied.

Outfits are something you should think about weeks or even months ahead so you get the look absolutely right.

It is largely 1940s and 50s before corsets and fitted dresses gave way to looser more unrestricted women’s clothing.

Although easier to wear they were never as glamorous or as sexy as their predecessors.

Fifties dresses are exquisite and don’t have to cost the earth.

Party dresses with layers of chiffon and ruched bodices and thick straps that demand a party to go to.

How about a crushed black velvet skirt that touches the ankle with a gold lame bodice – the wiggle dress in all its glory, and perfect for those with an hour glass figure.

As long as you match with hair and make-up, you don’t have to do vintage shoes, unless you really want to.

You could match it with a perfect pair of kitten heels or or peep toes.

If you wanted to really go the whole hog you could of course go for a pair of vintage satin elbow-length gloves.

The forties and fifties will always be the favoured decades for old school glamour; the forties with their shoulder pads and figure hugging gowns, and the fifties with their chiffon and satin and cinched in waists.

They really were the decades that embraced the kind of glamour that made Hollywood great and no decade since has really emulated or replaced it.