Unlikely Style Muse: Esther from "The Orphan"

I saw a post about Victorian children's fashion on the lovely Frances Baker blog, and it reminded me that I have some stills from "The Orphan" that I want to share. As much as I love films that are known for their fashion eye candy ("The Eyes of Laura Mars," "Marie Antoinette," "Bonnie and Clyde"), I find that I derive a great deal of inspiration from movies that are not known for being particularly stylish. When I first saw the movie trailer for "The Orphan," my first thought was not "oh look, another rip-off of 'The Omen'" but "oh, look at all those cool costumes on that weird little ghost girl!"

There may be something wrong with Esther, but it ain't her sense of style! Just look at that sweet little checked dress with the Peter Pan collar and the way she offsets it with a burgundy velvet neck ribbon.

You can see she knows all about layering, too. Her shabby chic wooly cardigan add just the right professorial note as she practices her piano -- and her menacing glare of doom:

Esther stands out from the rest of the crowd in her dusky blue military-inspired coat. I love how her cream-colored cuffs peep out and the hair ribbons in her perfectly curled hair:

As the resident creepy girl of this film, Esther might be haunting her adopted sister's dreams... but her gorgeous white nightgown will be haunting mine! I love the delicate lace detailing at the neckline. With a natty belt, this beautiful piece of nightwear can do double duty as a breezy summer dress!

Is this nun stunned by premonitions of her possible imminent doom (I wouldn't know... I haven't seen the movie) or by the sheer awesomeness of her chunky knit scarf? The somber gray color may say "I'm a nun who has to deal with weird ghost orphans all the time," but the fashion-forward texture says "but that doesn't stop me from reading up on all the latest fall collections!" Esther's wool coat, layered over the winter white pinafore, is also a fashion must, even if it takes its styling cues from a hundred years ago!

Indeed, Esther is the queen of layering, with a collection of sharp pinafores that must be the envy of Catholic schoolgirls, alive or undead, everywhere!

You, too, can achieve the Esther look without having to set your brother's tree house on fire or push your little sister in front of your mommy's station wagon.

Esther loves beautiful collars that highlight her pale skin and the malicious glint behind her big eyes. Check out this gorgeous lace blouse from mysweetiepiepie on Etsy...



... or this dazzling number from kissesfromana.

Longing for Esther's enchanting nightgown? DearGoldenVintage has a grown up version.

Share Esther's penchant for dusky slate blue and checked fabric? You might like this pretty blouse from SmallEarthVintage.

No look based on "The Orphan" is complete without a bit of velvet in your hair. This fascinator by 13bees is a fancier than the little bows Esther wore... but then again, if she had been able to wear such a gorgeous headpiece, maybe she wouldn't have been so intent on killing all her classmates and siblings.

This colorful pinafore from verhext is so lovely that if Esther saw you wearing it, she'd probably attempt to strangle you with her eyes. It may come from the 1980s and not the 1880s, but the simple lines and sweet buttons are right up Esther's alley.

(I know my entry is tongue-in-cheek, but I genuinely love all of the pieces from Etsy that I featured here! And I do think the costumes in "The Orphan" look great.)

Esther 是一個非常可愛的"小鬼!"