Gwenyth says "How to Dress With Icy Elegance"

Style icons:

• Grace Kelly
• Tippi Hedren
• Bree Van de Kamp from Desperate Housewives
• Rosamund Pike
• Nicole Kidman

Her desired designers:

• Mulberry
• Burberry Porsum
• Valentino

What you'll find in her wardrobe:

• Pastel, tweed skirt suit fitted at the waist
• Silk cocktail dresses in neutral hues
• Pussy-bow blouses
• Fitted shift dresses
• Cashmere cardigans

Her favourite accessories:

• Slim fitting kid leather gloves
• Thin, delicate belts to be worn over fitted clothing
• Classic court pumps
• Understated jewellery - pearls for day, diamonds for evening

What's on her vanity:

• The perfect foundation for zero imperfections
• Soft pink lipstick
• 'Chanel No. 5' eau de parfum

Day Wear

Suit - Tahari Arthur S / Blouse - Stella McCartney / Purse - Saint Laurent / Pumps - Diane Von Frustenberg / Pearls - Carolle

In a mint, twin-set suit, this look takes power dressing to pastels and I don't know about you but I'm loving it. To ensure a contemporary look, the suit must be really well fitted, highlighting the natural waist. Accessorizing simply with a white purse and pearls, this look is perfect for the office.

Evening Wear

Dress - Zac Posen / Fur stole - Coast Clarissa / Pumps - L.K. Bennet / Purse - Unknown / Necklace - Van Cleef & Arpels / Earrings - Shamballa Jewels

This outfit takes vintage evening wear to a whole new level for me - I adore it. It's the evening, so as advised I've accessorized with diamonds (even the purse is rhinestone encrusted). The fur stole also adds an interesting element, a sort of primadonna vibe. 

Be sure to come back tomorrow for my post of surprises! 

Love Claire, xo.

Channeling Your Inner Bette Davis – Mr. Skeffington

The premiere post for my newest series, Channeling Your Inner Bette Davis! This will be interesting as I've never really looked into Bette’s ensembles until I started writing this blog.

The film, Mr. Skeffington, is about a young and beautiful socialite, (Bette Davis as) Fanny Trellis, who marries an old banker, by the name of Job Skeffington, in hope of saving her brother from an embezzlement charge.

Day Wear

It was so difficult to find an outfit of hers that was noticeably (more ‘casual’) day wear. Here she wars a very wide brim hat, with a fitted blazer and draped maxi skirt. Out of her blazer peeks some ruffled tulle – I’m going to turn my cheek here, because that’s not a good look.

GUESS by Marciano spread collar shirt, $270 / Strenesse Blue cotton jacket, $405 / Viktor & Rolf pencil skirt, $970 / Nude high heel shoes, $95 / Friis & Company leather crossbody handbag, $67 / Rare London wide brim hat, $22 / New York City Buildings Laser Die Cut

An office-friendly look, here I've teamed the fitted blazer with a sleeveless white blouse and a draped back skirt in a much shorter style to make the look fresher. Patent open-toe pumps and bag are both back, as they need to compliment the contrast colour of the blazer. The hat can be left in or out of the ensemble depending on how daring you are. Instead of straw, a black hat is used for a more subtle look.

Evening Wear

Bette is meeting suitors in a very extravagant ensemble. She wears an evening gown which features lace over the bodice and acting as a cape, giving the impression of a shawl.  Decorated with large plumes, this outfit (while admirable) is quite over-the-top. She has accessorized with pearls (favourite) so I’ll definitely include that.

Cream lace dress, $40 / Gabriele Frantzen pearl necklace, $395 / Chain jewelry, $375 / Maiden-Art pearl bracelet / Ziba vintage earrings, $32 / Jane Tran bohemian hair accessory /Small Stick Tree - Silver / John Lewis Silk Flowers, Pack of 12, White, $3.96

I've attempted to capture the extravagance, the essence of Fanny’s costume in a modern cocktail-like look. I think that the ivory colour gives it more of a casual tone as well. A lace dress substitutes for the shawl, and feather jewellery and a hair piece for all of her plumes. There's a a few accessories on offer here, which I think any or all could be used depending on what level of extravagance you want your outfit to be.

So I hope you liked my post today. This one was pretty difficult as my DVD broke, which left me to search for the outfits over the web. My next post will be a nail art tutorial, so you should come back to read that!

Vintage Fashion, Modern Approach.

Love Claire, xo.

Katharine Hepburn

Sometimes, you don’t want to wear a skirt, just as a break or maybe you just generally dislike them. Does that mean that you can’t be fabulous? No!

“Any time I hear a man say he prefers a woman in a skirt, I say, ‘Try one. Try a skirt.’” 

Katharine Hepburn (on her dislike for wearing skirts). 

Last Style Profile, we saw Grace Kelly, the epitome of elegant retro feminine fashion. Today we’ll be looking at Katharine Hepburn, a style icon whose controversial fashion choices influenced the ready-to-wear fashion industry for women to accept comfort in the same hand as style.

Katharine was a pioneer for early masculine-inspired fashion, a style icon for those who wanted to wear the pants in 1930’s fashion. She often wore high waist pants, showing off here tiny 20” waist, and button down blouses.

Monochrome

I’ll begin with a simple monochrome colour scheme, too easy.

I’ve paired adorable white high waist trousers with a simple black long sleeved blouse with typical masculine features such as a loose fit and pockets. Over the top, a white and black blazer can be added, increasing the masculine feel of the outfit a bit. To combat it looking overly masculine, I’ve added a pair of heeled brogues (a little from column A, a little from column B). Lastly, a thin black belt to top it all off! This is a versatile ensemble you could wear to the office, the cinema or to dinner with some friends.

Warm Weather

I live in Queensland, Australia, and it gets really hot here! So I thought, “hm, how would I wear her fashion in summer weather…”

Shorts instead of trousers are a necessity for hot weather, but instead of choosing those high waist shorts that show the world your butt (you’ve seen them, you know what I’m talking about), these look a little more fitting to the Katherine's look. I’ve used a simple blouse from Acne (which is a little reminiscent of a school uniform, I’d say), with beige brogues, a silk brown scarf and some Raybans. This outfit is great for withstanding summer heat!

Pink Feminine

Love the trouser look, but still love pink and pearls? I’ve got it sorted!

Trousers and a skivvy are typical Katharine Hepburn – but with a white and pink colour scheme, things are a little different. If adding simple pearl earrings, a necklace and a plain white headband didn’t do the trick, I think the pink oxfords and wallet sold it! I’ve used a very plain wallet, with plain oxfords and headband so that it's not too girly, but the colour scheme really does it. I had to add pearls; I think they work so well here.

I hope you enjoyed my outfits! Who thought working with pants could be so much fun? I had a ball putting it together. I hope you come back for my next post ‘Barbara Bui Pre-fall 2013’. Have a good day!

                                                                                      

Vintage Fashion, Modern Approach.

Love Claire, xo.

Grace Kelly – Channeling Your Princess Within

Movie star and Princess of Monaco, the Grace Kelly fantasy belongs to girls around the globe. As a fashion icon of mine, I admire her feminine and very elegant dress sense; it’s the sort of look I hope to achieve.

Before we look at outfits, I want to talk a bit about Grace’s general fashion choices.

• She preferred soft pastels (a typical feminine favourite) and jewel tones such as navy for a darker look.
• For main items, she often wore simple blouses accompanied by a pencil skirt (usually woolen), tailored high-waist pants or jeans.
• Grace always accessorized perfectly, with elegant white gloves, a silk scarf and never forget, the ‘Kelly Bag’.
• To emphasize her slender arms and fine shoulders during the evening, she would wear off the shoulder or thin strapped gowns teamed with longer gloves

Leisure Day Wear

This look is mainly to show off a Grace look with pants. She rocked them looking as feminine as the princess she was.

Her outfit here is actually modeled after an outfit of hers in the film High Society. She wears a beige blouse with darker beige/camel high waist pants. To accompany these pieces she wears a brown belt, brown kitten heels, a simple pearl bracelet, and of course, the Kelly Bag! This has been one of the more masculine outfits that I've constructed and I’m very happy with it.

Sensible Day Wear

Grace had mastered the art of sensible, elegant day wear while looking effortlessly fashionable.

This ensemble is quite simple, as Grace never looked like she was trying too hard. I've matched a woolen pencil skirt with a fitted blouse, and accessorized with a pearl necklace, a Chanel bag modeled after the Hermes ‘Kelly’ design and some simple black heels. You could wear this to office and go out for a drink after work, still looking very chic.

Evening Wear

Princess Grace! Oh how stunning she looked in an evening gown. Like I've done many times before, I’ll channel this look in semi-formal attire.

Here I have a stunning, full red dress which would really show off Grace’s arms and collar bones. I've teamed it with a white pea coat, a red Hermes crocodile Kelly bag, some red sling-back heels. For accessories, I've simple used some diamond earrings and longer white gloves. This look is all about looking like royalty, effortlessly!

This post has been so much fun, I've really enjoyed looking at Grace’s outfits and picking apart her style. In my next post I look at ‘How to Move Away (With Your Clothes)’.

Did you enjoy reading about Grace Kelly today? She is one of my favourite princesses throughout history. How do you think she goes up against Kate in the fashion department?

Vintage Fashion, Modern Approach.

Love Claire, xo.

Christian Dior – The New Look

A year after the fashion house of Dior was founded; Christian released his first collection Corolle. Dubbed ‘New Look’ by then editor-and-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, Dior’s designs were controversial. Lovers of fashion and important figures in the industry were divided due many being appalled at the extravagant amount of fabric used, in comparison to what people were used to buying with their clothing stamps.

Dior used slim fitting bustier style bodices paired with full, A-line or bell shaped skirts that were hemmed at mid-calf. When wearing these garments correctly, one would need to purchase a petticoat. Optionally, a waist cincher, corselet or other waist binding undergarment would be worn.

To achieve this look, I've created 3 outfits to wear to various occasions. These dresses and skirts probably won’t be something that you’ll find in your wardrobe. I’ll provide some links on places you could buy these skirts and dresses as they are essential to achieving the look.

Day Wear

For a day wear look, you have the option not only to wear a simple dress, but also to wear a nice blouse and the skirt.

Originally this was set as an office wear outfit, but after looking closer, I've decided it’s more appropriate for everyday wear, despite the fact I've used a dress. The grey woolen dress is teamed with a cute beige trench coat. I've accessorized with a pearl necklace, gold-chain watch and a quilted beige handbag. Lastly some plain black pumps, this outfit would be great for going to the shops, or grabbing a coffee with friends.

Office Wear

In the office, a lighter petticoat would be more practical and work-friendly. This opens up doors to wearing a coat over it, as with a full skirt one should tuck in their top (if it isn't already cropped).

As I said before, this was originally mean to be the day wear ensemble. This means it’s a little dressy for the office, but I’m okay if you’re okay. I've combined a cropped beige blazer with a brown pleated skirt and sleeveless ivory blouse. Worn with a hat and open-toed, beige heels, you could dress this down by switching the heels to flats or nixing the hat (personally, I like the hat for the office look). I've accessorized with a quilted beige handbag (wow, again! Ha-ha),a gold pearl bangle and pearl earrings. I’m quite happy with this ensemble, it’s not often you see an office outfit with a full skirt!

Evening Wear

A dress is mostly appropriate for evening wear. Something made of a luxurious material and featuring short sleeves would do the trick.

I thought about using a silk dress, I did. I even found one that was pretty nice. However, when I came across this chiffon gem, I was sold. It’s just a marvelous evening dress. I paired it with some pale pink kitten heels and a lace cape. The dress steals the show, I’d even go without the cape if it isn't too chilly, which is why I've accessorized simply with pearl earrings, white gloves and a satin clutch. I think in this outfit, you’d want more volume in the petticoat than those previous.

Where to buy full skirts and dresses

-          Ebay – You have to be weary about quality for many stores, however you can find some great vintage pieces for cheap prices.

-          Modcloth – A bit more pricier than you’ll find on Ebay, but probably safer on quality

-          Bettie PageClothing – All new, and more expensive than the other stores. Many of these dresses look amazing.

-          If you want to dip into the pond of alternative fashion, my first and second outfit’s major pieces are from a Lolita fashion store in Japan called Mary Magdalene. Their prices are about double of Bettie Page Clothing, but the quality is perfection.

WARNING: Do not, under any circumstance, buy from the company Milanoo. I have seen way too many horror stories come from this web store. While the prices may look cheap, you’ll end up with a bunch of satin rags stitched together flimsily and called a dress. Seriously, save yourself tears.

Whew! It was great talking about an item and collection that I love so much. I hope you enjoyed reading it, like I enjoyed writing it. My next post is titled ‘Giulietta's Pre-Fall 2013 collection’. Do you like vintage Dior? Or do you prefer the slimmer silhouettes of the 40’s? Thoughts?

Vintage Fashion, Modern Approach.
Love Claire, xo.

Bette Davis and Her Eyes!

Whenever I think Bette Davis, I think strong, independent, and the eyes! Now I’m not talking about the ’74 Kim Carnes single, I literally mean her eyes. Lovely, big doe eyes that I could spend hours envying, couldn't you? Well today, we’re going to get that look with a short tutorial of mine!

Before we start the tutorial, you want to make sure your eyebrows are shaped in a nice arch and generally well groomed. The eyebrows really frame your eyes, and no one notices a pretty picture when you’ve got an awful frame!

Now we can start!

1.        From the lash line to the eyebrow, apply a light ivory or cream eye shadow over the entire eyelid to create a soft, clean base.

2.        Apply another, lightly darker colour with a shimmer onto the eyelid and up toward your crease. A colour idea for this would be a beige/very-light brown.

3.        Add definition to the eye shape by using brown eyeliner across the top eye line and just in the center of the bottom eye line (under the lashes). This should look pretty inconspicuous, and this should allow your eyes to look larger.

4.        Now, if you want to really open up the eyes and fight the tired look, line the bottom inner eye line with white eye liner. This is a tool every woman should invest in as it makes you look awake and looks natural.

5.        Lastly, apply dark brown mascara to your top eyelashes and just a teeny bit on the outer sides of your bottom lashes.

There it is, a classic and natural looking way to open up those eyes. This is such a versatile look and you can really wear it anywhere. Just a short tutorial for today, but before I finish, I’ll leave you with a 1930’s outfit in comparison to a Bette Davis inspired ensemble!

The popular women’s fashion silhouette of the 1930’s embraced their natural form by employing natural waistlines, backless gowns and bias cut dresses. Capes as outerwear, lace and ruffles were in fashion. Costume jewellery became the new way of updating and old outfit, and the Great Depression never stopped many women from being fashionably fabulous!

This look is based mostly on an elegant 1930’s look turned contemporary. I've used a bias-cut Ralph Lauren dress that should hit at, or just below the knee paired with a cream fur cape and white peep-toe, sling-back heels. I've accessorized with large silhouette earrings to match the colour of the dress and a long pearl necklace. To be honest, I’m a novice at 1930’s fashion, this is my first attempt and I hope you like it

Bette’s style was a little left from center during the 30’s. In 1934, she was quoted saying “I have lost faith in glamour … It has been over used and badly mistreated.  I think I should rather be chic and well-dressed”. Information on Bette’s personal style wasn't easy to find, but after a lot of digging I learnt a thing or two about her fashion favourites.

Day Wear

During her the day, she preferred a tailored box pleat suit or a checked sheer wool suit. She also liked peter pan collars and tailored black blazers.

So this outfit means business, obviously. I've paired a beautiful black blazer with a simple peter pan collar blouse and a beige/brown skirt that features box pleats near the hem. For shoes, I've turned to short heeled black brogues to match the office-wear feel, and accessories with a thick chain bracelet. For bags, I’ll give you 2 choices! A classic 1930’s looking black handbag or a modern chain-strap purse with contrast colour blocking. How historically accurate do you want to look? You decide!

Evening Wear

Of an evening, Bette’s ideal dress was made with lace or ruffled organdy. She liked the colour black for evening dresses.

The dress featuring in this ensemble is undoubtedly 1930’s inspired. It’s a ruffle lace maxi dress that I paired with a lace cape. I don’t know a lot about her evening wear, but I’m assuming that she paired the colour black with jewel tones. I've added a deep purple in the peep-toe, sling-back heels and a hand bag with a gold clip. I've given her some suede gloves to accessorize with because I haven’t seen her wear any evening accessories and I need at least one!

I hope you enjoyed my post on Bette Davis, her time was a little further back than I’m used to but I really enjoyed making this post. As I have a film box set with some Bette Davis classics, I may end up creating a series similar to my 'Channeling Your Inner Audrey Hepburn'. My next post will just be 2 days from now on Friday for my first Outfit Photo Friday, and then for a bit of a personal post on the 6^th, my post is titled ‘Hardest Part of Moving – Clothes’. I expect tears to be flowing, ha-ha. See you then!

Love Claire, xo.

New Years Eve Edition

New Years Eve, the night sky (and everyone underneath) don more sparkles than they have all year round, combined. We all have places to be, whether it’s our lovers arms watching a film or out in the city dancing the night away. I have constructed (you guessed it) 3 outfits to represent 3 different occasions that you could find yourself in on this special night.

Comfortable Night In

This could be with your partner, family, or by yourself. A quiet night in is always nice, but on New Years Eve, you can expect that there may be some interruptions, or you might even end up going to an event that you thought you wouldn't.

Here I've put together a cute outfit to lounge around in. I mean, if someone comes over unexpectedly (if it happens, it happens on NYE) and invites you out, you can be looking fab already. I teamed a simple ivory cashmere cardigan with black Capri pants (Audrey favourite) with a cute sleeveless polka dot blouse. The shoes are cute and versatile, to be worn to casual or semi-formal occasions. While you’re home, maybe flick on an old blockbuster with some popcorn, and if you want, you could let your hair down (literally), lose the cardigan, and be ready to go out at the drop of a hat.

Gathering with Friends

Oh, the casual meet-up. It’s not a party, but it’s not pyjama-casual. It may be centered around a meal or a few beverages. It’s hard to define a dress code for this sort of event which brings to worry – what do I wear!?!

This ensemble is just for a casual get together, you can keep or lose the blazer but I do prefer a little formality to my outfits and this is where it is. I've teamed a black sleeveless boat neck top (featuring a peplum) with a white pleated skirt and black waist belt. It’s not too flashy, simple and classy. I've used a matte black colour for the flats and bags because we’re not going too shiny here; it’s just getting together with friends/family. I've added some colours in make up and accessories with dark red lip gloss, nail polish and earrings.

New Years Night Out

The big night out, lucky you! You’re going to make the last of 2012 by stepping out into town, or a big bash, in style. It’s your night to be the bell of the ball, it’s your last chance, and so what will you wear?

Forgive me, for I have over indulged. I have a soft spot for full dresses and it’s just so beautiful and my ideal of feminine wear, I had to use it! Warning: I would not use a petticoat of that high volume. The rest is really simple; pearl earrings, white T bar heels, a pearl necklace and simple make up with an emphasis on eyelashes. The dress is the main attraction. For hair inspiration, look at Marilyn Monroe or Dita Von Teese.

New Years Eve is a time of many events, and choosing what to wear is only half the battle. The last Contemporary Classic post of the year! Next post will be the first of my posts introducing the month, it will be titled ‘Introducing January – New Years Resolutions’. Stay safe on this busy night, and I hope to see you during 2013.

Love Claire, x.

Channeling Your Inner Audrey Hepburn – Breakfast at Tiffany’s

We made it! The last installment of the ‘Channeling Your Inner Audrey Hepburn’ series is met with a bitter sweet feeling, but fear not, as I will continue to talk about her on this blog (I mean, who could forget her). For those of you who aren't familiar with this story (probably no one ever), Breakfast at Tiffany’s is about how a struggling writer moves next to sophisticated young socialite, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn). As their relationship grows stronger we see a lot of depth to Holly, it’s a great love story and I recommend it to the moon and back! This was another film with just way too many great outfits, but I had to choose 3, so here they are!

The Little Black Dress

When Holly goes to Sing Sing, she wears this classic black ensemble. I chose this over the outfit she wears opening scene as I feel this is more of a real life, practical representation of how people perceive the original (as they are quite similar).

Holly wears a knee-length black shift dress with black pumps, a black purse, and accessorizes with a great black hat and statement earrings. I much prefer this ensemble as the opening scene features a full-length dress and tiara, and hey while that’s fabulous, it’s not a practical or modern look.

So I've only drifted a bit from this outfit, to make it a bit more modern and casual (it was already pretty modern, but still). I teamed a shorter LBD (with a cut that you would find in many stores right now) with a small black leather purse and patent black Louboutin pumps for Holly's core look. To jazz it up a bit, I've accessorized her with a light gold head wrap (instead of the hat+scarf combo) and pantyhose with a light gold shimmer. I had to include something from Tiffany’s, because Holly is “just crazy about Tiffany’s!”, which were the 'Paloma's Venezia Luce Drop Earrings'. I'd really like to wear this ensemble out of night time, or with flats to see friends during the day.

Dull Weather, Bright Coat

In town with Paul, Holly wears a coat based ensemble for cold weather.

Her coat is a bright orange to combat the greys about town! Matched with a fur hat and sunglasses, this outfit is all fun. Under her coat, she wears a more versatile grey tweed herringbone dress. Holly’s extra accessories are simplistic to suit the busy outfit, a black chain-strap purse and simple pearl earrings.

This was a fun outfit to re-create! I matched a yellow/mustard high-neck, long sleeved coat with a grey dress, similar to the film (a little different), and found the closest colour heels, to the coat, to match. As it's a striking colour, I decided that a fur accessory would be just too much, so I opted for a quilted black chain purse and sunglasses (which look very Audrey Hepburn, in my opinion). This outfit can look very casual, but has the  potential to be very dressy. I often underestimate the power of mustard!

Cowl-Neck Sweater

One of Holly’s more casual outfits, here she is knitting in an apartment, and then out for a cigarette break with Paul.

In a cropped, cowl-neck beige sweater and black skinny pants, her look is fashionably simple (great for horrible weather). She wears loafers, and it looks like Holly is only accessorizing with the black chain-strap purse she had previously.

My last Audrey reproduction (possibly), how bittersweet! I've been the most consistent with this outfit, as it is the simplest. I've combined a short-sleeved cowl-neck sweater with some very dark navy jeans (for a modern touch). To simply accessorize, a vintage Chanel navy chain purse and grey loafers are used. This looks like an awfully comfortable outfit, great for watching a few movies in, or doing your hair up and getting out of the house.

Fun Fact: Hubert de Givenchy dressed Audrey for not only Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but also Sabrina and Funny Face! You know what this means, that we have to see a post on his work.

I really hope you enjoyed this series. I've had a ball writing it, and there will be more where this came from! Please come again for more fashion posts, the next post is my Christmas edition! Come enjoy the holiday season in retro-chic style with me.

Love Claire, xo.

First Lady of Fashion - Jacqueline Kennedy

My interest in U.S. politics in modern history? Well it pretty much begins with Jackie Kennedy’s style, and ends with Jackie Kennedy’s style (as I live in Australia, and we aren't taught American history). She’s everything I love about fashion of the 1960’s, a timeless fashion icon whose style I’d like to emulate. Today I’ll be looking at how to achieve this glamorous, graceful style.

Before delving into my typical ‘3-outfit interpretation’ formula I’d like to say a few words on Jackie’s style influences. She seemed to adore bright colours, which was common during the sixties, so that means bright pinks, reds, yellows, blues, but also ivory. After some digging, I've found that her style icon was the same as mine (twins!), Audrey Hepburn. Now we know this, let’s get into the outfit categories!

So firstly, I want to look at Jackie’s leisure wear. When she wasn't in the public eye, attending events and such, she would lounge in high waist trousers with either a sweater or a nice blouse. Jackie would accessorize with some large sunglasses or simple pearls, very classy.

I went with a redxwhite colour scheme here, incorporating her love of bright colours. The sling-back (-like) pumps have a retro feel and with the top, gives the outfit a great pop of colour. Both the top and cardigans have peplums, so that matches well. I’m very happy with this ensemble, especially with the glasses.

Jackie spent quite some time in the office, and the White House, so smart office wear was essential.

Houndstooth Women’s Suit (1959)

She was a fan of two-piece suits (like me!) that consisted of jackets (a la Chanel) and a-line skirts. She normally wore these ensembles with white gloves, a pillbox hat and/or pearls and brooches. Unlike Audrey, she wore pumps, a lot.

As I've already recreated an outfit in the past with the classic two piece suit, I wanted to mix this up a bit (okay, a lot). It’s a modern looking outfit, with an eye-catching a-line skirt and white top, with a gold chain to match. All of the pieces are either a warm or very subtle gold. The modern blazer adds a contemporary edge to the ‘women’s suit’ concept.

Often attending formal functions, there is a lot of photo evidence of Jackie in darling evening wear.

Silk Gazar Evening Dress (1963)

She preferred sleeveless dresses, that were not full but sheath dresses. She was no stranger to off-the-shoulder or backless gowns, but always kept it very tasteful. As consistent with her office wear, she accessorized with white gloves here, too.

I think I like this outfit the best out of this series. Again, instead of fancy ball-wear, I've comprised this look to be suited for a more casual occasion, perhaps a garden party or shopping. I chose a pastel pink, as many of Jackie’s evening gowns were light in colour. The draping on this dress would flatter various body types. I love the scalloped gloves here; I wish to own a pair.

Well that was something a little different! I do enjoy a lot of Jackie Kennedy’s looks. The next post is the one you've been waiting for, ‘Channeling Your Inner (Audrey) Hepburn – Breakfast at Tiffany’s’! I hope you’re as excited to read it as I am to post it. Only a few days now!

Love Claire, xo.

Channeling Your Inner Audrey Hepburn – Funny Face

A musical, with outfits just as exciting! I’m talking about Funny Face, of course.  A story about a fashion photographer who meets bookstore salesgirl Jo (Audrey Hepburn) by chance at a photo shoot in her workplace. He notices that she’s model material and she accepts on the grounds that it includes a trip to Paris! There it begins. There are too many great ensembles featured in this movie – due to the plot featuring around the fashion industry. I had to choose 3, and I think I chose very well varied looks.

Beige Coat

When Jo arrives in Paris, she explores the city in a very chic-casual outfit perfect for rainy or cold weather. You’d expect nothing less from the new face of Quality magazine!

Here Jo wears a tan hooded parka-style coat, over her iconic black form-fitting pants and a turtleneck. She wears no accessories, as she is still transitioning from a girl with her head buried in books to a fashion model. Her look is very practical, but I’d like to add some interest.

 Here I've updated the look by swapping the coat with a cape with a fur trim, and accessorizing with simple pearl earrings, a slouchy beige bag and a beige watch. I figure a practical girl-on-the-move like Jo would benefit by using a watch. I've also swapped the flats for short heeled pumps, but either would do, depending on the occasion.

Little Black Dress

In a photo shoot in Paris, Jo wears this gorgeous black dress and hat.

A short sleeved black dress, with a fitted waist and full skirt, this is one of my favourite outfits. With white wrist length gloves and black pumps and a black hat matching her dress, this is by far one of my favourite outfits yet.

I couldn't help but use the dress that I've bought myself for Christmas ($53 on Ebay, what a catch!) but I see it fitting to the outfit. I've stayed rather true to the original outfit, as I am such a fan. However, I've added some pearls and have gone with a more casual hat. Last note: I just adore sling-back heels, I had to add them and I feel like it fits so well (however, disregard the platform).

Little Red Dress

Another photo shoot in Paris, here Jo is seen wearing a great, but simple, red evening gown.

With an extravagant diamond (?) necklace and elbow-length white gloves, Jo doesn't need a lot to dress up the dress. It might be a simple strapless fitted dress, but in a eye-catching scarlet and matching chiffon stole, it is show-stopping.

Again, like I did in my ‘Channeling Your Inner (Audrey) Hepburn – Sabrina’, I have converted this look from a very formal gown to a cocktail dress you could wear out to a party or a romantic evening. This dress is great as it mimics the chiffon stole that Jo wore with the dress and remains consistent with the fitted, strapless bodice. I've left the gloves out of this look, as I feel they don’t go well with the dress, but you could add a splash of white with this coat in colder weather. NB. Wouldn't it be great to replace the tag ‘Vogue’ with ‘Quality’!? Ha-ha.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I do believe Funny Face is great to draw vintage fashion inspiration. My next post is titled ‘First Lady of Fashion – Jacqueline Kennedy’, which was a pleasure to write. I hope you have a pleasure reading it!

Love Claire, xo.

Channeling Your Inner Audrey Hepburn – Paris When it Sizzles

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Part 2/4 of the Channeling Your Inner Audrey Hepburn analyzes Paris When it Sizzles. It is a very whimsical film about a screenwriter with a deadline at the end of three days and his imaginative secretary, Audrey Hepburn as Gabrielle Simpson. In Paris (of course), the two act out preposterous and outrageous plots in search for the perfect story. While there were a lot of crazy costumes included in this film, I will be looking at the more practical styles, for less of a ‘costume’ look.

As she plays the original secretary at the beginning of the film, Gaby wears a delightful green suit.

She wears a sleeveless boat-neck top underneath with a white hat and white gloves. The women’s separates suit itself conveys a very vintage feel on its own, but paired with the hat and gloves, it’s undeniably retro-chic.

This would be a great look for the office with the jacket, and without can be made to fit more casual situations like a nice lunch. The jacket and the shoes completely liven up the outfit. With their presence, the dress, handbag and gloves also feel a little minty. With a bright colour like this, I think simple designs are best. I've also used a letter looking purse to match her secretarial role.

Gaby wears a simple ensemble as she wakes up to find script pages leading from the front of her door.

She wears a casual white shift dress with a blue belt and ballet flats in a matching white. Here she only accessorizes with simple pearl earrings.  

This outfit is great for many occasions, from picking up the Sunday paper, to watching the next blockbuster. I was absolutely torn between shoes here, so you can pick your favourite in context to the occasion the ensemble would be worn to. I've given her just simple pearl earrings to accessorize with, as it’s consistent with her original outfit, but I don’t think the addition of a pearl bracelet would hurt either.

During the romantic climax of the film, Gaby’s outfit is very amorous-looking outfit.

She wears a beautiful pink shift dress which features a bow-tied waist belt, which she wears with a matching clutch handbag, elbow length gloves, pearl earrings and a pink bow at the back of her hair.

This is a very romantic outfit which would be perfect for a date with a significant other, or friends. The theme is bows! Bow on the dress, bow handbag, bow hair accessory, so everything else should remain pretty simple. The outfit can look a little more professional with the coat (however I wouldn't put a coat over a massive bow, I hope that bow is detachable) and by switching those earrings to simple singular pearls. The pumps are so versatile and great for many looks, I highly recommend investing in a pair similar, I know that I have many and use them regularly.

Personal notes:

I went to have breakfast and do a spot of shopping yesterday, and I want to show you some things I bought!

All of that for $15 (original retail price $90), apart from the With Love perfume that my mother bought me. I’m a very happy girl! I've been collecting some basic that I need for my wardrobe next year. I also JUST went out and bought a cute houndstooth-patterned pencil skirt for $3 secondhand in great condition - but you can see a photo of that in my next post.

I've made a Twitter account, https://twitter.com/WoodfieldClaire, and as you can see a Bloglovin. I’m trying to expand this blog and hopefully you will see great things from in the future.

Did you like Paris When it Sizzles? I think that it’s such a laugh to watch. I adore her outfits in this film and I hope you enjoyed my interpretations. My next post will be titled ‘Contemporary Take on Classic Nails’, which I’m really looking forward too as I love giving my nails a treat. See you then!

Love Claire, xo.