Name it! My favourite movie characters...

...and seven (and a half) outfits inspired by them!

I have been feeling a bit uninspired lately…it must be the time of year and the miserable weather in London hasn’t helped either. Therefore I thought it would be fun to use three of my favourite movie characters as inspiration for getting dressed.

In no particular order these three characters are Catherine Banning in The Thomas Crown Affair, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and Carrie Bradshaw in (season 6 of) Sex and the City.

So let’s get into it.

I. Catherine Banning in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this movie, and much to my grief my boyfriend does not love it nearly as much (he actually finds it rather stupid, but that’s besides the point).

Catherine Banning played by the ultra-sexy Rene Russo has the chicest wardrobe, and almost all the clothes are Celine by Michael Kors. She wears tons of suede, cashmere and tweeds in beige, brown, taupe and camel tones while trying to make a case against the millionaire art-lover Thomas Crown (and simultaneously falling for him of course).

One of my favourite looks is her head-to-toe tweed ensemble with a matching cashmere turtleneck:

Inspired by this I pulled out my noName Nor Turtleneck in chocolate brown and matching Dries van Noten corduroys. As I don’t have a chocolate brown jacket I borrowed my boyfriend’s suede one.

Catherine Banning would probably have gone for black boots to go with her black birkin bag, but to make it more me and modern I went for something white (shock). Instead of boots I actually chose my white old Céline shoes with a snake print heel, making the look a little less…obvious?

noName Nor Turtleneck in dark chocolate, Dries van Noten chocolate brown corduroys (last season), Céline pre-fall 2017 pirate shoes in white (found them in black on Vestiaire)

Catherine Banning always carries a large bag for all her insurance paperwork so my white Osa Khaite tote felt like the right size.

Men’s Rose & Born suede jacket, Khaite Osa tote in white (sourced by SourceWhere)

The second look to replicate had to be this one, her last outfit in the movie where she wears all black with a caramel suede coat over:

I purchased this Toteme suede shirt last season because I loved the colour and felt it would transform my spring wardrobe (lol). However, it didn’t and I haven’t worn it all that much because suede became just a little too trendy… But it’s a timeless piece and one I will have in my wardrobe for years.

It also comes in handy when wanting to look like Catherine Banning. So I styled it with a pair of black tailored trousers, but instead of adding a black poloneck I went for a white t-shirt and the same white Céline shoes from above. She doesn’t wear a bag in this scene (she probably forgot hers at The Met), but I added my old Céline box bag in python to match the heel of the shoes.

Toteme suede overshirt, old black Toteme trousers, Cos white t-shirt, old Céline python box bag, Céline pre-fall 2017 pirate shoes in white (found them in black on Vestiaire)

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II. Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (2001)

God how I love this movie - watching it is like getting a motivational pep-talk from a friend.

While her pre-Harvard outfit choices may have inspired me back in 2001 when the movie came out, the Harvard outfits are what inspired me for these looks.

In the movie she is hired as one of the few first-year interns to work on Professor Callahans court case (alongside her ex-boyfriend). On her first day she wears a black conservative dress with a white frilly blouse underneath:

In my mind the dress was velvet, so as a nod to this and her conservative block heels I pulled out my velvet blazer from The Row, and my old Céline black boots with a similar heel. However, as I’m not going to court, I added a white t-shirt and jeans instead of say a tailored trouser. The red clutch is a nod to Elle’s red rose pin and red lips:

The Row velvet blazer (this one from Blaze Milano looks beautiful), Cos white t-shirt, jeans from Zara, Old Céline boots (here they are on Vestiaire but in a small size), red Alexander McQueen clutch

While proudly and correctly not wanting to share Brooke Taylor’s alibi, Elle wears a black and white gucci shirt and trousers:

As a reference to this I changed the t-shirt and blazer with a black button down shirt from Mark Kenly Domino Tan, which has white buttons. I absolutely love the fit of this shirt, it is slightly fitted at the waist but with beautiful balloon-like sleeves. I imagine Elle would change hers out for this today:

Mark Kenley Domino Tan black shirt, jeans from Zara, Old Céline boots (here they are on Vestiaire but in a small size)

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III. Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City season 6 (and I threw in season 2 for good measure)

When it comes to getting inspired by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City I feel it is more about the vibe rather than a specific look. I particularly love her style in season 6 as it feels more grown up and possibly closer to my own personal style.

Inspired by the above looks I ended up in the following; my oversized Toteme trench in a very light beige, cargo pants and my vintage Prada fur scarf. I think the latter made it the look very Carrie - quite random, but fun: