As you all know, I am an avid watcher of the guilty pleasure Gossip Girl. I watch it for the clothes (Blair Waldorf's wardrobe is just amazing) as much as anything else, I promise. And it's not the only show I've watched for the clothes. Long before GG, there was The L Word--quite possibly the worst show ever to have aired on television. It started out promisingly enough and soon devolved into a plot-challenged mess. The writers changed character personalities from season to season, as if in the meantime they (the writers and the characters) had gotten lobotomies. It was nuts. I always admired Mia Kirshner for rolling with the crazy punches in the writing. Her character, Jenny Schecter, might easily go down in history as the most hated TV character ever, but Jenny Schecter was the reason to watch The L Word for me. And the reason was: her clothes. Whoever did the costuming for Jenny just nailed that vintage-cool-glam-but-not-trying-too-hard vibe that a lot of us aspire to get right. To this day, if I see a dress or blouse or skirt somewhere that says "Jenny Schecter" to me (that is, vintage or lacey, or deco, what have you), I instantly buy it. I'm too lazy to insert a bunch of pictures of Jenny, so just click on the links I've sprinkled throughout and you'll see what I'm talking about. Here's a hint of what I mean, though:
Ever since The L Word ended, I've been at a bit of a loss for a vintagey-crazy style muse. I have now found her, you'll be glad to know: Cassie Ainsworth, from the UK teen drama Skins. Yes, Cassie's a teenager, but she dresses just like Jenny Schecter (and how I would ideally love to dress, except I have an office job and can't). Lots of vintage, lots of cool pieces unexpectedly put together that work beautifully. When we first meet Cassie, she's dressed for a party in a black tailcoat (very cool accessory) and gold sequin dress:
Later on, we see her in the lunch room at school with the boy she has a crush on, as she explains exactly how she's able to pretend to eat and have no one notice she didn't touch a bite (her character has anorexia, among other mental problems):
I love that she took a patterned skirt and still wore patterned tights with it. Cassie sports a printed dress and gold shoes in another scene:
I love this vintage sailor blouse:
And in another scene (when she goes to her eating disorder clinic to weigh in), she wears an accordion pleated midi-skirt with a bright t-shirt and cute mary jane shoes:
I'm telling you, I just love everything she wears. Apparently most of the clothes belong to the actress playing her, Hannah Murray, who does an amazing job portraying Cassie's humanity and vulnerability. Cassie could have easily become a caricature of the Anorexic Teen, and instead she is a nuanced, surprising and engaging character. The clothes are all a part of that; apparently Murray does her own styling, or works with the show's costuming team and her own wardrobe to give Cassie that faded 20's movie star aspect. Sartorially inspiring, and adventurous.
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