This old bling? Why the seriously stylish are snubbing new jewellery designs in favour of re-vamping vintage

So, how are fashion lovers achieving this? One word: vintage.

Vintage jewellery is piping hot, be it rare costume pieces from yesteryear, or family heirlooms. It's become the ultimate way to avoid fashion-snap at parties while also hanging on to, or buying into history.

'Women tell me that they're on a quest to find something unique - something customised or personalised - and vintage holds the solution,' says Marigay McKee, fashion director at Harrods.

Indeed, now more than ever, there is something a bit tasteless about flashing something that everyone knows cost a fortune.

Vintage is more subtle. And you won't bump into anyone else wearing the same piece.

'I really love the costume jewellery from the Eighties and Nineties, the really bold stuff by Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel,' says Cameron Silver, owner of the hip LA vintage store Decades.

The shop counts Julia Roberts and Renee Zellweger among its fans, and has opened a concession at London's Dover Street Market.

He adds: 'Vintage pieces are also often cheaper than the new designer costume pieces and it's less disposable - more of an investment.'

Vintage pieces are timeless and created in an era when designs were meant to last beyond one season and coordinate with multiple outfits.

But, for those looking for a more updated look, there are also a host of labels putting a twist on vintage jewels.

Tom Binns, for one, is a favourite among celebrities (not least Michelle Obama, who wore a necklace to meet Vogue editor Anna Wintour) and has pioneered the nouveau- vintage look in costume jewellery, incorporating bits of old diamante with jewels and different clasps.

The pieces are instant hits each season at every upscale stores from Harrods and Harvey Nichols to Net-a-Porter.com. (His stockist list reads like a who's who of fashion retailer power players