Business owner, 45, creates her own 1940s wardrobe worth £5000

Woman, 45, obsessed with 1940s fashion creates her own 300-piece wardrobe using period fabric imported from the US and dresses in the replica pieces ‘every day’

  • Sarah Goodlad from Leicestershire, makes all of her own 1940s-style clothing
  • Business owner has made more than 300 pieces of custom clothing  in 10 years
  • Sarah wears her vintage clothing every day and is often complemented on her attire when outside of the house 

A woman ha revealed how she spent more than £5,000 building up a wardrobe filled with 1940s-inspired clothes.   

Sarah Goodlad, 45, from Leicestershire, makes all of her own clothing out of vintage, fabrics sourced from the wartime-era and she has created her own dresses, blouses, trousers and lingerie.

The solid fuel business co-owner has more than 300 pieces of custom clothing in her wardrobe which she has been building for 10 years. 

Despite some odd looks from strangers her business partner husband, James Goodlad, 50,-supports her unique dress style despite not dressing in the style himself.  

Sarah Goodlad, 45, from Leicestershire, makes all of her own clothing out of vintage, fabrics sourced from the wartime-era and she has created her own dresses, blouses, trousers and lingerie

The solid fuel business co-owner has more than 300 pieces of custom clothing in her wardrobe which she has been building for 10 years.

‘I have always loved history and vintage fashion for as long as I can remember, especially the wartime era,’ she explained.

‘I find the clothing so much more refined and elegant than modern fashion, and the patterns and fabrics used were so much nicer than the poorer quality materials found in mainstream fashion today.

‘I feel some people just wake up and do not even look at themselves in the mirror but looking good and well turned out is what I live for.’

Sarah wears her vintage clothing every day and is often complemented on her attire when outside of the house.

She added: ‘At this stage I feel like I am just known as the slightly strange vintage girl!

‘Everyone talks to me wherever we go and gives lovely compliments, but it is often still quite a surprise because this is just the attire, I wear every day.

Despite some odd looks from strangers her business partner husband, James Goodlad, 50,-supports her unique dress style despite not dressing in the style himself

Sarah wears her vintage clothing every day and is often complemented on her attire when outside of the house.

The avid sewer sources the majority of her materials from the US and spends months at a time perfecting her outfits

‘I recently visited the Eden Camp War Museum in North Yorkshire with my husband and somebody stopped me to ask questions about the exhibits to which I had to awkwardly explain this is just how I dress, which definitely took him by surprise.’

The avid sewer sources the majority of her materials from the US and spends months at a time perfecting her outfits.

She said: ‘I source all of my materials from across the pond because they were not affected by wartime rationing, and subsequently have an abundance of fabrics.

‘Also the UK market is extremely expensive and most of my materials would cost up to five times more from what I pay from America.’

When it comes to quality, Sarah is very particular on what she will use, often opting for rare vintage patterns.


Sarah began sharing her clothing online on TikTok, and now boasts a following of 12.6k followers

She added: ‘I collect McCall Company Patterns, a vintage brand which are very hard to come by in the UK, and they are such good quality to work with when designing clothes.

‘The most expensive fabric I have ever bought was a 1930’s Rayon, Tropical Hawaiian print which I have had it two and a half years and cost me £250 for seven yards of fabric.

‘I have yet to work out what it will be used for and do not want to waste it on the wrong project.’

She usually visualises her outfits and then works on sourcing the material based on how she envisioned it to look.

She explained: ‘I cannot ever really start until I find the right pattern for the outfit.

Despite a love for the 1940’s, Sarah said she would not want to go back and live in that era and is perfectly happy in today’s modern society.

Sarah’s wardrobe worth more than £5000 is pictured

‘I literally have thousands of pounds worth of fabric which I use for sewing but I never rush into using them until I have my idea.

‘I am like a magpie, and wherever I go I am usually looking at patterns, materials and buttons for inspiration on future projects.’

Sarah began sharing her clothing online on TikTok, and now boasts a following of 12.6k followers.

She said: ‘During lockdown I struggled quite a lot with my anxiety and used TikTok as a creative outlet to share my outfits and create good quality videos 

‘I had no idea at all it would grow to the extent it has done but I love that people are so interested in what I do.

‘I try to respond to as many followers as possible in my comments because it is so lovely that people take time out of their day to share positivity.’

When it comes designing new outfits for her wardrobe, for Sarah there is no ceiling on how large her collection can grow.

Despite a love for the 1940’s, Sarah said she would not want to go back and live in that era and is perfectly happy in today’s modern society.

She explained: ‘I think we do tend to look at the past through rose tinted lenses.

‘I am certainly somebody who would not want to give up my technology or the freedoms we have fought for in the name of equality.

‘There is just something so nostalgic about the wartime spirit, sense of community and tenacity that I just adore.’

When it comes designing new outfits for her wardrobe, for Sarah there is no ceiling on how large her collection can grow.

She said: ‘Every day is a school day when it comes to sewing and I am still learning new things all the time.

‘It is where my mind goes to a happy place, and I really believe it is an amazing thing in this crazy world that keeps me sane.’ 

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