Vintage Style The Marilyn Monroe Way
Everybody knows who Marilyn Monroe is – the beautiful, glamorous yet troubled movie star of the 1950s, who sang “Happy Birthday” to JFK and ended her life prematurely with an accidental drugs overdose in her 36th year. A relatively short life, but in that life she wore some of the world’s most iconic dresses, and created a look that was all her own! She really was a style inspiration, and we can all take some fashion lessons from her. Marilyn believed strongly that everyone has a signature style and they should stick to it – adapt it for the situation you are in, be it business or pleasure – but set your style and stick to it.
One of the things I love the most about Marilyn is her curves – look at her, this is a real woman with boobs and butt! Does she hide them in a t-shirt and baggy sweatpants? No way! Marilyn embraced her shape, and wore things that flattered her womanly curves. We could all learn a thing or two from her – whatever your body size or shape, embrace it. Hiding your body under loose clothes just makes you look bigger, so wear clothes that fit and flatter and hit the streets in style.
A Body Hugging Dress
Marilyn loved to show off those curves in a body-hugging dress, which is commonly known as the Wiggle Dress as it should be so figure hugging that it causes you to wiggle when you walk. These types of dresses will emphasize your hour-glass figure, and are just so feminine to wear. Here at Little Wings Factory, vintage clothes online, we are partial to a Wiggle Dress, so there are quite a few to choose from, but for this blog post I have gone for the Lindy Bop Vanessa Red Wiggle Dress:
I think Marilyn would really approve of this dress – red was one of her favourite colours to wear and she used to like matching her lip colour to her dress! She was a big fan of polka dots too, although more often than not she wore block colours. Red is a great colour to base your wardrobe around too, as it suits most women – whether your hair colour be blonde, brunette, red or somewhere in between! Be warned though, this vibrant colour will draw attention to you, so wear it with confidence!
You can really work this look at night-time too, the Lindy Bop Veronica Black Dress is super sexy with its hint of lace:
And no-one can deny the appeal of a little black dress! This style is also available in Burgundy too.
Marilyn was also famous for pairing her pencil skirts and wiggle dresses with some sassy stockings to draw attention to her legs. Little Wings Factory have managed to source some amazing tights which are so Marilyn like:
Jive Seamed Tights – Black & Red
Marilyn was actually a huge fan of bows, and used to have them on any item of clothing she could so these 3D Bow tights would really appeal to her:
Jewellery
Marilyn was a huge fan of jewels – what girl isn’t? – and she believed that no outfit was complete without a jewel or two. She loved a bit of bling – diamonds, rubies, emeralds, she wasn’t fussy! Can’t afford the real thing? No worries as Little Wings Factory, Vintage Clothes Online, have some amazing quality faux pieces which look just as good as the real thing!
Of course her short hair was amazing for showing off a pair of chandelier earrings such as this Aqua Tassel:
Marilyn was also a fan of a pearl necklace, and this handmade in the UK Cherished Trinkets Wonderland Necklace would surely appeal to her princess side:
The trick is to keep it looking classy like Marilyn by not overdoing it – wear the necklace with some small earrings, or the earrings with a simple necklace.