MAXINE GORDON visits York’s first pop-up vintage designer clothes shop.

GRACE Kelly, Katharine Hepburn and Twiggy are all striking a pose at the York Designer Outlet.

These style icons loom large in a new exhibition of vintage designer fashion taking place at the McArthurGlen centre.

Visitors can’t miss the oversized posters featuring them with some of the most lusted-after items in fashion.

One picture shows Grace Kelly coming out of a car with Prince Rainier, clutching a Hermès handbag which later became known as the “Grace” bag and forever synonymous with the Princess of Monaco.

The black and white shot of Twiggy has her raising a Louis Vuitton roll bag above her head, while Katharine Hepburn is in a line-up from the musical Coco, about the legendary Coco Chanel, dressed in the distinctive bouclé two-piece that became the designer’s trademark.

Next to the giant images, in glass cabinets, are the fashion items from the photos, looking as good today as they did in the 1950s and 1960s.

Also in the exhibition, in the north entrance of the centre, are collectable pieces from Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Pucci and Christian Dior.

They are all from the archive of Angelo Caroli, owner of the A.N.G.E.L.O. Vintage Palace at Lugo, near Bologna, Italy, that hosts some 100,000 garments and accessories dating as far back as 1850.

Angelo has brought 700 of these to York. Besides the small exhibition, he has opened a pop-up shop in the centre, selling an array of vintage designer women’s and men’s wear as well as accessories including handbags, shoes, scarves and sunglasses.

The shop is a fashionista’s dream. There are leather goods circa 1970 from the likes of Christian Dior and Celine, twin sets from Pucci as well as handbags from Chanel and Hermès.

The most expensive item is a brown leather Hermès bag that would set you back almost £4,500.

At the other end of the spectrum, savvy shoppers can pick up vintage scarves for around a tenner or some cool summer shades from £25 to £57. All sunglasses have had their lenses updated to take into account EU regulations.

Speaking through an interpretor, Angelo told me that he has had a passion for vintage clothes since he was a teenager. “For me, it was because I wanted to change my clothes often and didn’t have very much money. Then I started to find important or significant pieces that I didn’t understand why they’d been abandoned.

“The idea started not just to sell them but also to keep some so they wouldn’t be lost.”

And so the A.N.G.E.L.O. archive was born, and it is used today by professionals in the fashion industry to study the styles of the past.

Angelo says vintage pieces are often better made and last longer. He always wears vintage. Today, he is in a blue Pierre Cardin suit from the 1960s and a printed silk shirt by Dior from the 80s. He is wearing vintage Converse trainers and his geometrically stylish spectacle frames are by Givenchy.

He says some vintage pieces are collectables and keep their value — but most are designed to be worn and loved.

He said: “What gives me real satisfaction is when I hear from clients who may have bought pieces ten or 15 years ago that they are still able to wear today.”

• The vintage festival will run at York Designer Outlet until June 7.