How to Organise and Display Pinup & Vintage Accessories

Now I understand, when you get into this 'pinup world' and start to create your dream pinup and vintage wardrobe, accessories tend to accumulate and slowly start to take over your space (and obsession!). But we love them, these pretty items that complete an outfit so perfectly. New, old, handmade or with their own stories to tell.

So, how can we keep on top of our ever growing collections and display all the beautiful things in our life (and also to keep track of what we already own so we don't come home with double ups - hands up? Yep, I'm guilty!).

Here are some storage and display ideas that will have you admiring your collection of vintage and pinup accessories on a daily basis. 

Hair Flowers

These hair accessories are works of art in themselves! So why not display them nicely and have them decorate your wardrobe or bedroom space as if they were the real thing. 

If you have just a few, but extra special hair flower clips, you can attach them to some sticks and display them in a vase.

Feeling crafty? You can repurpose a picture frame to make a stunning hair flower/bow frame - this also makes it super easy to simply hang on the wall. 

Check out the DIY Hair Bow Holder Tutorial. 

Me? I had an old large canvas lying around, so I had fun when my son was little and we went nuts doing some splash painting. Then I hot glued some cotton twine in a criss-cross pattern on the frame to clip the hair flowers into. It's not the most elegant design (some larger heavier clips do slide down the twine) but it gets the job done in a relatively aesthetic way. This is also not fixed to a wall and just perched resting in the office, as I regularly use the flowers personally and move it into the studio for photoshoots. 

I also display the range of rose hair flowers on a modified simple wire rack - where I cut off one side of the stand, turned it on its side and slightly bent the other legs so it stands upright (your girl is resourceful, ok?!)

Scarfs

"All the colours of the rainbow!" So I did start by shoving all my scarfs into a draw, then I tried the roll up method so I could actually see them all properly - but then my collection just grew out of hand. You can't go past a good ol' scarf hanger to store these pretties, they have just a clothes hanger top so are super easy to add to your wardrobe. 

Again, I have these hanging in the office and move them into the studio for photoshoots. I also use another scarf hanger for my glove collection, which is not ideal - the thicker leather driving gloves fall out easily and some silkier ones slip off at a simple nudge of the hanger. Check out better glove display ideas next. 

If you don't have too many scarfs, you can tie them around a coat hanger. But I also can't get past the idea of making a full wall art display from a rainbow of scarfs. 

Check out the DIY Scarf Wall Organiser Tutorial. 

Gloves

Next to my dream wall scarf display would be a wall glove display. The most elegant way to display vintage gloves is delicately attached to a string for all to see.

If they are of rare condition you can also purchase glove storage display boxes to keep them protected whilst being able to admire them daily. 

Jewellery

There are so many amazing products on the market for this exact thing! It would be impossible to list them all. So, I'll just highlight what I have used. 

I first opted for these wall adhesive jewellery racks, which were perfect until, at this point, my Susan Jane beaded necklace collection proved too heavy for the adhesive tabs - made a wicked sound in the middle of the night when that section came crashing down! Then we nailed the racks back on the wall and shortly after, we moved house and I didn't have the same wall space to justify repurchasing another set. 

 

Now my jewellery is separated as I opt for more of a minimal jewellery look these days. I keep all of the earrings, rings and necklaces in these stackable jewellery organisers in the studio - which I love because they come in heaps of different configurations and you can find ones that suit what you have and can just add another layer as your collection grows. 

The beaded necklaces have ended up on a bangle rack in the studio as well - see next section. 

Bangles

In the day of the 'Splendette Stack' obsessions, there is no such thing as too many bangles for a pinup! And yes, I did have quite an obsession especially since they have 'maiden' bangles which are smaller and I use as a stopper on my smaller wrists to keep larger regular sized bangles from slipping off too easily. I find a bangle rack the easiest to display bangles, however, I do find it annoying that I have to lift off the whole row and remove bangles in order to get to the middle ones. There are other kinds of bangle holder that may eliminate this annoyance to an extent. 

You can also get crafty with this one and make your own bangle stack holder or bangle rack. 

Check out the DIY Bangle Holder from a Child's Toy Tutorial.

Or Miss Amy May's DIY Bangle Rack Tutorial.

Glasses

The collection of vintage and vintage inspired glasses can get quite expansive for us short sighted pinups! A change in glasses can be as refreshing as a holiday or a yearly necessity. I personally used to use the top tier of my bangle holder to hold my glasses at first, but I hated how dusty the less used pairs were getting. Now I keep all of my glasses, except for the current daily pair, in their cases in a drawer (like a good little girl). But I rest my daily glasses on this stuffed animal toy I made many years ago up on my bookshelf next to the bed.

I was inspired by these adorable animal glasses holders: 

You can also display your glasses on hooks or strings. Or you could also use a similar idea as the DIY hair flower frame and make a DIY glasses display. 

But of course, if you don't want to be constantly dusting and cleaning your glasses, then there are options to display them whilst keeping them clean. 

Brooches

I personally haven't gotten heavily into brooch collecting, but I couldn't leave them out of an accessory organisation post as I know the collection can grow!  Here is where some ladies like to get extra crafty. Because of their nature, you can attach brooches to almost anything to have them on display - bags, boards, pillows you name it! Check out some of my favourite ideas and tutorials. 

Shadow box brooch display.

DIY Brooch Wreath Tutorial

 

All attached to one bag? Love it! 

Hats

Luckily, you can still get your hands on vintage hat stands to display all of your collection. But I opted for just a regular modern hat/coat stand and wall adhesive knobs - I'm calling them knobs ok, they stick out more than a regular hook and make placing and holding hats easier. 

Bags

Likewise, bags can be stored and displayed in a similar manner to hats, on bag stands, off wall hooks or simply on show with shelving. I have significantly reduced my bag collection over the years and have my daily satchel and just a couple of my special pinup bags away on my closet floor. So here is inspo from other more amazing displays. 

 

 

Now wasn't that all some pretty and organisationally inspiring photos? I hope you have some ideas on how you can display all your pinup and vintage accessories. Not only are they all works of art that should be displayed for all to see - you can actually see them all - and by having your accessories organised and displayed, it makes putting those final touches on your outfits all the more easier. 

Also check out our Pinterest Board on Accessory Organisation for more ideas.

Renae xo