Unlikely Sources of Inspiration: Jeremy Bentham's Auto-Icon as... Fashion Icon

Malene Birger Drambor ruffled silk blouse, cutaway hem cardigan, cropped cotton pants, studded leather brogues, straw hat,
walking stick with built-in telescope, gloves with bows

One of my favorite philosophers is Jeremy Bentham, a man who was both eminently sensible (his interest in social reform was sparked as a young boy when he observed the inequality between women and men) and very, very kooky. He stipulated in his will that after he died, he wanted his body preserved, dressed and left as an "auto-icon." It now hangs out in the University College of London, occasionally attending meetings as "present, not voting."


As I stared at this photo of Bentham's auto-icon, I found myself thinking: "Wow, his outfit is both practical and attractive! Just perfect for a late 18th century to early 19th century utilitarianist!" Thus inspired, I made a collage of items I think Bentham would have approved of. Everything is in simple neutral hues, in silhouette that are both basic but have just enough details to make them special, like the cutaway hem on the cardigan, the studs on the black brogues and the little bows on the gloves (though Bentham's gloves are apparently there because his auto-icon's preservation didn't go that well).

Unlikely Sources of Inspiration: "Eastern Promises"

It's been a while since I did an Unlikely Sources of (style) Inspiration post. In fact, I think the last one, about "The Orphan" was also my first one. I like finding ideas in costumes from films that aren't thought of as "costume films," especially if the outfits say things about each character that you can't necessarily glean from the dialogue.

Directed by David Cronenberg, "Eastern Promises" is about the Russian mafia in London and is known for its infamous naked knife fight scene, which involves Viggo Mortenson's character, Nikolai, and two other gangsters (though, technically, only Mortenson was naked and the knives were linoleum cutters, but I digress). The plot revolves around Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a large London hospital who becomes obsessed with finding the family of a Russian teenager who died giving birth.

Throughout the course of the movie, we find out that Anna is motivated by several highly emotional experiences, including a miscarriage and the recent death of her Russian-born father. Her uncle Stepan spends a lot of time with Anna and her mom and I loved the family's interactions because they reminded me of the dynamics between the first- and second-generation Taiwanese-Americans in the community I grew up in.

When she isn't in hospital scrubs, Anna's wardrobe consists mainly of jeans and heavy knits (the movie takes place entirely between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) in neutral hues, but they have little details like unusual closures and intricate stitch patterns. Her character is warm, practical, intelligent and hard-headed -- but at the same time very vulnerable. I think those traits are well-represented by her wardrobe.

In several scenes, she wears a motorcycle jacket to ride her father's old motorcycle, which he brought over from Russia. The jacket and helmet serve as a sort of armor, while at the same time tying Anna to her late father and, in turn, her Russian heritage. In fact, all of her jackets and overcoats are black and sharply-tailored, which links her visually to the gangsters, including Nikolai, that she becomes increasingly involved with.

The set detail in the movie is also great. Most of "Eastern Promises" takes place in Anna's mother's apartment, which is filled with the kind of knick-knacks you'd expect to see in a multicultural family's apartment (an embroidered wall hanging contrasts with Laura Ashley-ish curtains and a large collection of porcelain cows in the kitchen) or an upscale Russian restaurant that is a front for Nikolai's gang. The restaurant is grand and decorated in dark colors (pine green, dark varnished wood, crimson) that look festive or ominous depending on the scene.

I highly recommend "Eastern Promises," but it's a very violent film, so don't see it if gore freaks you out!

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!"