From screen to style

Confession: I am very influenced by TV and movies when it comes to picking out outfits. I think this has to do with my theatrical leanings -- costumes are fun, and make you feel more "in character." When I want to feel a certain way in real life, the right clothes can make all the difference. I know for a fact that my 1999-2000 wardrobe was deeply inspired by everything Julia Stiles's character in 10 Things I Hate About You wore.

Great. Now I'm sad about Heath Ledger.

Also, I made sure my edition of The Bell Jar looked like that one when I bought it.

You've seen the two outfits I'm about to show you before on the blog, but what you didn't know is that they were inspired by TV shows.

First up: Belle from Once Upon A Time. 

Belle is probably the sweetest person on the show if you don't count Snow White, who is sort of supernaturally sweet. (Except for that brief time when we had evil Belle and evil Snow). Belle's outfits are always half sweet, respectable librarian: button-up shirts, cardigans, flared skirts -- and half sexy librarian -- the skirts are a bit short and the shoes are sky-high heels. When Ariel came to Storybrooke, she had to borrow clothes from Belle, and I'm sure that combination was someone's dream of librarians gone wild. In real life, I am not willing to take the look that far. Modesty keeps the skirts longer and the tights a little thicker, and my own comfort level keeps the heels shorter, but the subtle mix of edgy and sweet is right up my alley.

Sung, with feeling: "There must be more than this provincial life!"

Next up: the women of Downton Abbey, season 4. (thinly-veiled spoiler alert)

I'm not usually a fan of 1920s fashion -- those shapeless dresses were a little too good at keeping Edith's season 4 secret. But the early 20s British fashions hit the sweet note between the late Pre-Raphaelites and the Jazz Age, and I fell in love with the square necklines, the sheer panels and touches of lace, the long necklaces, and the cool color palette, which were all on my mind when I wore this: 

In the process of writing this blog entry, I found this website, dedicated entirely to finding clothes that are worn on TV: http://wornontv.net/.  It's a pretty cool resource if you're looking for exact pieces. I prefer not to recreate TV looks, though -- I'd much rather go for a general feeling from the show. Now, I'm curious: does TV or film fashion inspire your real-world style choices?