Victorian Noir…
Marianne steps into the ‘dark side‘ with a look that harks all the way back to the Victorian era. The colour is black, the details are lace, ‘jet beads’ & ruffles & the style is dramatic with an added look of ‘mystery’…there will be no ‘mourning’ here for a lost era & time…as this look is being reinterpreted this season as ‘Victorian Noir‘. The sinister undertones from this gothic era are now being encapsulated & celebrated. Black was the colour one wore when in mourning epitomised in Queen Victoria’s black taffeta dress she wore for the whole of her reign after Albert’ s untimely death.
So if it was good enough the monarch it was ‘good enough for everyone else’…though generally worn for much shorter periods of time (& interspersed with greys towards the end of the mourning period). It’s definitely a look filled with drama from a period when death was commonplace…(all the Bronte’s died before reaching the age of 40 some just 30..) this was the time when spiritualism was discovered & Jacob Marley’s ghost was rattling it’s chains at Scrooge’s door, Ms Haversham waited & waited, & Kathy haunted the moors looking for Heathcliff (to name but a few…). The streets were dimly lit by the glow of gaslight & smog blackened the evening light…& then from the shadows stepped ‘the Lady in Black’ Marianne..dressed in one of this season’s key looks!
But there is no mystery how this was achieved..the first look the ‘foundation garment’ (as it were) is a black & dark green crocheted metallic detail dress from the Isle of Man table sale a mere ‘snip’ at £3, the black lace shawl was £3.50 from Asos.com on sale, the black net skirt eBay £3.80, black diamanté sandals £4 Isle of Man charity shop, black satin bag £1.50 from the local charity shop, cameo chain necklace also £1.50 again local charity shop, black birdcage net eBay £2.65 & hair accessory Poundland for you guessed it £1! & the essential black lace gloves again eBay 99p!
The belt a scarf I already had so ‘free!’ (+ I can’t remember where or when I got it..). The bow detail another Poundland bargain making a grand total of £21.95! In the second look I ditched the skirt and face veil and added the dramatic peacock embroidered lace shawl from eBay £1.70, a small clutch bag from the charity shop 50p (where else??) completes the ‘deal’. In the final look I used the black lace shawl as a skirt, with it’s ‘bang on trend’ fringing detail it brings ‘sheer elegance and simplicity’ to this dark Victorian style. All in all I feel a very successful look for Marianne. So much so I think she’ll definitely take another walk on the ‘dark side‘…& since the Victorians ‘invented’ our modern day Christmas may I bid you the ‘Season’s Greetings!’
