Party on twenties gals

With not one, but a whole dressing-up box of retro influences to choose from this season, it can be a tricky business deciding just which era from the last century to set your sights on. Strong-shouldered Forties tailoring may be perfect for the office and the Fifties Italian Riviera look just the thing to pack for your summer hols, but when it comes to after-dark dressing, what could be more tempting than the Twenties?

The Jazz Age, with its decadence and devilish charm, had all the best evening dresses - Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Collette Dinnigan and Proenza Schouler certainly seem to think so this season. Putting the emphasis back on the hip with dropped waistlines and ribbon sashes over ruffled and handkerchief-point hems, designers sent out all manner of variations of the "Flapper girl" dress in delicate chiffons and shimmery crepe-de-Chine.

And, as always, the high-street stores have been quick to follow suit, running up their own vintage looks with equal success. It's no surprise that the bestselling item at Topshop's Oxford Circus store this month is a Twenties-inspired mintgreen-chiffon tea dress - a snip at £35. Other great high-street buys include Pink Soda's pastel beaded satin slip dresses (£90 from Fenwick), Oasis's sequined chiffon dresses (£150) from the New Vintage range, and Principle's pale lemon satin slips for just £70.

Still not sure you can tell your Art Deco from your Arts and Crafts? Then a visit to the Museum of London's current exhibition dedicated to Twenties London (0870 444 3851) or a date at The Royal Academy's forthcoming Tamara de Lempicka show (0870 848484) should point you in the right direction.

Take your dress code from the bright young things of Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, Marcel-wave your hair, pin on an Art Deco brooch or slip on a pair of "Mary-Jane" round-toe shoes - just resist wearing them all at the same time. The key is to look "inspired" by the Twenties - and not as if you have just stepped offstage from the chorus line of Thoroughly Modern Millie.