My favourite Vintage Fashion from Film & Tv

I often look to film & tv for fashion inspiration. Period pieces are among my favourite things to watch and I love trying to recreate outfits from them. I find it so interesting to watch how costume designers have deeply thought about how each character would dress and how their outfits reflect their personalities. 

So I have put together a list of some of my favourite outfits & fashion of all time from film and tv! 

Little women 2019 ~ 

Little women is one of my all time favourite books and I also absolutely love the 1994 film adaptation. So I was very excited about the 2019 version, especially as I am a huge fan of Greta Gerwig and Saorsie Ronan. This version is now one of my all time favourite films, and a huge part of my love for the film is the costume design, for which Jacqueline Durran won an Oscar. I am aware the fashion has received mixed reviews, especially on whether it was historically accurate. However for me, I don’t always mind too much if a costume designer ‘loosens up’ an era for the depth of the film. 

What I really love are the small details of the costumes, like how each of the March sisters have their own unique style and colours they stick to in their clothing. Then how Marmee wears colours combining all the girls styles. My favourite character is Jo and I love how Jacqueline provided her with a more masculine edge to her outfits, as well as her actually wearing pieces from Laurie’s wardrobe to show their close bond. 

Emma 2020 ~  

I absolutely adore this film. It’s so heartwarming, cosy and really funny which are a perfect combination for me when it comes to watching something! Alexandra Byrne, the costume designer, goes to great lengths to make each part of each outfit throughout the film feel very historically accurate. As well as this, again I love how each costume really portrays each character’s personality and social standing. The whole film is utterly beautiful and I love how the fashion falls perfectly against the backdrops of each scene. I especially love Harriets outfit when Emma is drawing her portrait. And I also love Emma’s bright yellow outfit, of course! 

Pride and Prejudice 2005 ~ 

I think this film’s cinematography is stunning, and I love how the costumes enhance the beauty to be found in each scene. Again I know the fashion in this film has received a little bit of criticism in the historical fashion world, for not being totally historically accurate, however I just love the clothing that is put together and I think the relaxed style makes it easy to get inspiration from. I especially love Elizabeth’s laid back style, made up of mainly earthy colours which I think really represent her love of her surroundings and nature. 

Friends (Phoebe) ~ 

Phoebe, my favourite character in friends, has what I would say is one the best wardrobe I’ve ever seen! Can I please find out what they did with all her amazing clothes and buy them all?! The main thing I love about Phoebe’s fashion is the effortlessly cool way she can pull anything off, and often combine a real mixture of patterns and styles in one look. The costume designer Debra McGuire did an amazing job of thinking of how each character would express themselves and Phoebe’s fashion certainly went along with her free spirited personality. She managed to make every piece of clothing look beautiful and work to create a whole outfit which was so unique. She really picked up on the boho/feminine/grunge styles of the early 90s but made it so that Phoebe created a new style in a way. 

Anne with an E ~ 

This show holds a special place in my heart and is maybe my all time favourite tv show. It’s more than just a show to me, it gives me such a feeling, it’s like a beautiful dream. Again the cinematography is stunning and I think the costumes really enhance that. I love watching Anne’s character development through her clothing, from very plain and practical, to letting her passionate and joyful personality shine through. The costume designers Alex Reda and Anne Dixon really captured the character of Anne and bought her unique personality to life in the clothes they put her in. Again they use colour to show how Anne is so connected to nature and the earth, with her often wearing green. And then in series three Anne is finally able to wear womanly dresses with her beloved puff sleeves and lace - this is a joy to see! I also love how they play around with a more masculine side of fashion for the wonderful character Miss Stacey. A definite must watch, even if it’s just for the cinematography and fashion alone! 

So those are just a handful of my favourite tv shows and films for vintage fashion. There are so many more that I love and I’m sure I’ll discover more so maybe I’ll make a part two to this blog post in the future!