Eva Mendes' vintage-style clothing line is inspired by her love of charity shops.

The 'Place Beyond the Pines' actress claims she still makes a beeline for second hand clothing stores because she was unable to afford expensive items when she was younger, so her retro-chic style is now a running theme in her eponymous fashion line for retailer New York & Company.

Speaking of her love of charity shops, she told Net-A-Porter's magazine The Edit: ''I think it comes back to not having the means to buy what you wanted. I've never grown out of being that girl.''

The actress says she sought advice from her family before agreeing to create her own fashion collection as she would never design pieces which weren't true to her own aesthetic.

Eva said: ''Everybody was like, 'This is amazing!' [The Eva Mendes collection] is directly inspired by my closet. I'm particular about who I lend my name to.''

The brunette - who wore a pair of earrings which had belonged to her late grandmother at the Toronto International Film Festival last month - also revealed her classic tips to stay chic on the red carpet.

She explained: ''If you go short, no cleavage or anything super-fitted; if you're covered from head to toe, you can go as fitted as you like.''