Many years ago, in my life before vintage, I watched a film I’m sure many of you are familiar with; The Postman Always Rings Twice. I only saw the film because it was required for my film studies course which focused on the noir genre and to be honest I can only barely recall the story due to being completely taken and mesmerized by Lana Turner and her outfits.
The wardrobe worn by Lana’s character in the film consists almost completely of white to symbolise her characters purity and innocence only to change to black after she aides the murder of her husband. One of the trademarks of Lana’s beautiful wardrobe in the movie was the addition of a simple white head wrap to many of the outfits.
Todays outfit is a homage to this outfit worn by Lana Turner in the film, featuring the Lisa dress in white by The Seamstress of Bloomsbury. In the eternal search for wearable vintage many look to vintage reproduction to fill the gaps in their wardrobe. The Seamstress of Bloomsbury specialise in creating authentic 1940s designs and are the closest that I have seen vintage reproduction come to creating 1940s pieces that look and feel vintage.
The Lisa dress dress is based on the classic 1940s shirtwaist dress and if you are to examine Lisa together with this dress worn by Lana you can instantly see the attention to detail that has gone into authenticity! From the cut, the buttons, and the pique style cotton that the dress is made of it is easy to see how this dress could be mistaken for a vintage piece – a true testament to the craftsmanship that goes into all of The Seamstress of Bloomsbury’s creations.
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When it comes to dresses with buttons down the front I like to size up to accommodate for my bust and to ensure that there is no unflattering puckering of the buttons down the bodice. I decided to size up to a size 12 on the Lisa dress as the belt that comes with the dress is adjustable and the waist can be reduced to a perfect fit.
So if you do find yourself between sizes on the Seamstress of Bloomsbury size chart, don’t be afraid to order the next size up for the most comfortable fit for your proportions. The Lisa dress is lined and therefore does not require wearing a slip, making it light to wear and lovely and cool on a summer day – or a winter day in sunny Queensland!
Wearing:
Lisa dress courtesy of The Seamstress of Bloomsbury
Puppy brooch – courtesy of The Seamstress of Bloomsbury
Bait Footwear shoes
Catch a Thief sunglasses
Head wrap via ebay
I actually thought you look more like a WWII nurse! So so gorgeous!!
Beautiful. You do Lana proud!
Immensely pretty outfit. It suits this shoreline setting impeccably and looks like one of the nicest ways imaginable to help keep the heat at bay.
Wishing you a splendid weekend,
♥ Jessica
Wow such a beautiful white dress on you! xo Love your photos too on that wonderful jetty! 🙂
Lovely dress, the shirtwaist is such a great, classic style.
So elegant <3 these pictures were worth getting up early for 😉 and you are rocking a turban! I've never tried one as having big hair is my security blanket really, but you may persuade me…
I love how much effort you put into reproducing Lana Turner’s outfit in the movie! It’s so great to find inspiration that way. 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever based an outfit directly off something I’ve seen though, but it’s a really good idea! Plus you can’t beat a good shirt-dress.
Jessica – littlehenrylee.net
The Postman Always Rings Twice is such an iconic movie! Great source of inspiration, and great realization of it. You did an amazing job bringing a classic look back to life – you’re making me want to do the same!
You are always SO elegant, you’re like an other-worldly creature! That first shot is great, taking in the entrance to the pier. I have to admit I’ve never seen the film, despite being a Lana Turner fan. One to watch soon, might as well make use of these rainy summer evenings we seem to be having here in the UK. Oo, and thanks for checking out my post of the check version, it’s very Autumnal isn’t it? Whereas this lovely white is so summery! I think I need the white too?! x
How absolutely darling! I don’t think I could picture you before your vintage style days! LOL! It just suits you so perfectly! You look fantastic in this dress! You are so right ever detail is perfect from the cut and the sweet buttons to be vintage! I think that brooch is the cutest compliment!
Rebecca
http://www.winnipegstyle.ca/blog/
The turban is the perfect accessory. You really have captured Lana Turner’s style in this outfit!
The Artyologist
I adore white! It has that understated elegance that can be difficult to capture with other colours. This dress has such an easy feel about it. The simple cut and flattering fit. Really great look, topped with the perfect little turban! I can imagine this look would be perfect for swanning about Wimbledon, looking fabulous!
You look absolutely stunning in this outfit!
I love all the little details of your look and how you put this outfit together.
Many hugs,
Sandra <3
So refreshingly chic and simple, you look beautiful x