The other week when I was visiting my local Anthropologie, I was hoping to track down the Rainforest Morning shirtdress on sale. My store had shipped their's elsewhere, so they had to run a store search. I was told to expect the dress from Charlotte in a few days. Well a week and a half went by with no sign of a package so I called my store which called the other store. Eventually it was determined that the order got mistakenly put back on the sales racks and my dress was never on the way to me. A Charlotte store employee called with apologies and promised to overnight the dress to me. After a lot of rigmarole during which I was sure I'd never have this dress, it arrived. And I was excited to make my "Two Paths Rainforest Morning" dresssuit idea a reality.
I've long been inspired by 1960s fashions and I adored the trend of having a dress with a matching jacket. And although I wasn't too enamored of the plot, one of my favorite aspects of
Down With Love, the filmic satire of 1960s fast-talking screwball romantic comedy farce, was the style. The clothing and the set designs were gorgeous.
Specifically, I recall this restaurant scene, during which the two female leads unveil that their amazing coats have lining designed to match their beautiful dresses.
Short of unearthing something similar from fancier, well edited vintage clothing stores, I was skeptical I'd ever have such a moment. And other than a few vintage polyester numbers, so thick they were almost unwearable, I have never even had my own proper dress suit like Tippi Hedren's in
The Birds or Audrey Hepburn's in
Charade. This was my chance.
Rainforest Morning Shirtdress
Idra Two Paths Trenchcoat
Cynthia Rowley handbag
Marc by Marc Jacobs pumps
Sure it isn't quite as grand as film narrative, but I am pretty thrilled.
I will have to carry it with me carefully to expose the lining with pride.
Does anyone else have a bizarre fascination with the matchy matchy outfits peppering so many of my favorite stylish films? There have to be more movies that include depictions like the above. But I can't think of any.
21 comments:
Jess I have to show you this outfit I inherited from my grandmother! It's from the 60s, obviously - a black and grey glen plaid. She had a skirt, top, jacket, dress, bag, and wallet all of the same fabric. I wore it once for a show I was in, it's pretty awesome/hilarious looking. Love what you did with the dress/coat - I think the fact that the print is on the inside of the coat definitely makes it easier to pull off in real, 21st century life.
That is just CRAZY CUTE, Jess. And that dress is perfect on you!
Also: Down With Love was good for two reasons: fashion and Ewan. Story be dammed!
LOVE this! That dress looks like a million bucks on you and I dig the matchy match.
I know Im late to the party...but how does the coat fit? I have the opportunity to get one but not too sure what size I should get.
Thanks
That is amazing combination. Love the colors.
omg Persephone, I would love to see that. What a cool set. I also adore a glen plaid even if it would be a bit much for contemporary life. Thank you for the compliment. :)
Amblus I am glad you agree that the movie was worth it for the style!
Marianne, thank you so much!
Anon, The coat fits large, in my opinion. Most people I know sized down. The only place where it is slightly snug is the bust so fit to that part of your body. Good luck!
Whoops, you snuck in there, radinbrooklyn! Thanks for the compliment.
I LOVE THIS. I have always (ALWAYS!!) wanted to do this but never found the right get-up. You pull that off like no other!!
Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday--best fastest-talking screwball comedy there is--rocks an awesome chevron striped suit, with matching hat, for the whole movie.
And this is super cute on you, right down to the metallic heels.
Thank you Jessica! I am glad to hear there are others who are into this fun surprise coordination.
Dorky medievalist, I LOVE His Girl Friday! It is seriously the screwball comedy from which to judge all others. Thank you for the compliment!
This is one of the best posts I've read in a while. I love the inspiration! I always felt like I was the only person on earth that saw Down With Love. Ha! I loved loved loved the outfits! Your new dress couldn't be more perfect for you. And, I love the coat pairing. I like the humor in it :) What kinds of reactions did you get? Did people notice it?
That's awesome- I was wondering when I saw the coat...then scrolled down for the reveal!
Not the same era, but Desk Set is a great fifties movie (Hepburn and Tracy) about a bunch of (well-dressed) reference librarians...
so cool!!! I didn't get a chance to finish 'Down with Love', need to add it to the Netflix queue now.
You need to stage a proper photo on top of a set of stairs =)
Ah, Jess, you are a woman after my own heart. There's just something so elegant about a matching lining. You look so chic and timeless. I am so glad your story has a happing ending.
Carole
I love this! Effortless chic.
I remember a movie a few years back, I think an Eddie Murphy comedy, and an older man has a very 70's suit jacket that he opens to reveal lining in the same print as his shirt and he says "You got to coordinate"!
Cat, Thank you so much! I actually didn't get to do any glamorous reveals where I took my coat off in front of others, this time so I am going to repeat the outfit for dinner out or something soon.
Sarah, The Desk Set is such an adorable name and I love its concept. Thank you for the suggestion! I am going to rent it asap.
Brianna, I need to also get a ladyfriend with a similar pairing to make it extra dramatic. :)
Carole, Thank you so much. You are too kind!
Desert Flower, I love the idea of a man with a matching lining set. Thanks for reading!
Brianna,
I love the matchy matchy. And I have to tell you... you look like that dress was MADE for you. It truly looks fantastic on you!
Amazing! I remember you wrote about thinking about doing this on that post I had comparing the Two Paths lining to the Rainforest Morning dress material, and I am SO glad you went there. It is all kinds of awesome =)
Thank you Ady! You are too sweet!
Goldenmeans, you were the first to alert me of this coordination and it immediately made me long for a dramatic "Down With Love" style moment. haha Thanks so much for your wonderful blog!
I would like to exchange links with your site consumerconsumed.blogspot.com
Is this possible?
It is definitely possible. I would need to know your site before I could agree for sure though. Thanks so much for reading!!
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