A global field guide to design, (life)style and secret finds est. 2007
Get the Look: Call the Midwife
This post is inspired by a text message from my sister after the final episode of Call the Midwife aired in Australia. She said she loved the outfit the nurse was wearing when she taught the Reverend how to dance, and it reminded her of something her Sindy doll wore.
I knew exactly what she meant, as she may or may not know that the Sindy doll in question was actually handed down to me. And I also found her online in the V&A Museum of Childhood's archives. This particular Sindy (no. 1) below, was released in 1964, and the striped-top-and-jeans outfit was known as her "Weekender" outfit. And she originally wore red shoes with it!
Nurse Patsy's sassy rockabilly look is easy to reproduce with tops and bottoms on the high street. There are loads of vintage-style gingham shirts around - check out brands like Splendid, ASOS and Banana Republic. And there are quite a few original '50s shirts on Etsy, too.
Look out for jeans with a high waist and straight legs which can be worn with the cuffs folded up. Some of the best brands doing this look include MiH, Rag & Bone and Madewell. These retro-style cuts are great for girls with curves, as the high waist doesn't create that muffin-top effect you get with low-slung jeans. Choose a vintage-style plain black leather belt to pull it all together and create a '50s-style defined waistline.
Patsy wears a very cute pair of red leather Oxford pumps. If you're not comfortable in heels, you could wear flat-heeled Oxfords or vintage-style loafers. Etsy has a great selection of vintage Oxford pumps and I've added a few good options to my 'Call the Midwife: Get the Look' page on Etsy.
Bring the look home with a dash of ruby lipstick. I love Besame's vintage style lipsticks, which come in glamorous gold cases and have a semi-matte finish: perfect for capturing that iconic '50s pout. And if you want to learn how to give your hair vintage-style waves, follow this great tutorial over on The Beauty Department.
1. Vintage Sindy doll, circa 1964, from the V&A Museum of Childhood archives.
2. MiH Halsy straight leg vintage-inspired jeans, AU$176 from Shopbop. Some other good options for high-waisted, retro-cut inspired jeans are Rag & Bone's Marilyn hi-rise jeans, AU$275 from Shopbop; Madewell's Perfect Summer Jeans, AU$118 from Shopbop and DKNY X Opening Ceremony's jeans with faux sleeves, now reduced to AU$185.50 from Shopbop.
3. After a pair of original '50s jeans? Try '50s dead stock Crown blue jeans, AU$14.75 from Wear It Again's Etsy shop.
4. ASOS Vintage look waist and hip belt, $11.76 from ASOS.
5. Besame Red Hot Red - 1959 lipstick, US$22, from Besame Cosmetics.
6. Softwash gingham shirt, US$69.50 from Banana Republic. Other good high street options include Gingham button-down shirt, reduced to US$89 from Splendid; and ASOS Black and White Check Shirt, AU$54.90 from ASOS. If you're after an original vintage gingham shirt, try the Vintage vichy blouse, AU$28.04 from Cube and Squirrel's Etsy shop; and 1950s gingham shirt, AU$29.49 from Savvy Spinster Vintage's Etsy shop. I'll add more options to my 'Call the Midwife: Get the Look' page on Etsy.
7. Model home heel in red, $96.99 from Modcloth. Also, look out for The Best of Times Heels, $39.99, coming soon to Modcloth. If you're after a pair of vintage Oxford pumps, try Vintage leather Oxford pumps, $AU60.48 from Love Old Time's Etsy shop. I've also updated my Call the Midwife: Get the Look' page on Etsy with some other vintage Oxfords.
If you loved Call the Midwife, you might like to read about how to get Nurse Jenny's style here.
Tell me: do you love Patsy's rockabilly look? And did you have a Sindy doll, too?
This post is inspired by a text message from my sister after the final episode of Call the Midwife aired in Australia. She said she loved the outfit the nurse was wearing when she taught the Reverend how to dance, and it reminded her of something her Sindy doll wore.
I knew exactly what she meant, as she may or may not know that the Sindy doll in question was actually handed down to me. And I also found her online in the V&A Museum of Childhood's archives. This particular Sindy (no. 1) below, was released in 1964, and the striped-top-and-jeans outfit was known as her "Weekender" outfit. And she originally wore red shoes with it!
Nurse Patsy's sassy rockabilly look is easy to reproduce with tops and bottoms on the high street. There are loads of vintage-style gingham shirts around - check out brands like Splendid, ASOS and Banana Republic. And there are quite a few original '50s shirts on Etsy, too.
Look out for jeans with a high waist and straight legs which can be worn with the cuffs folded up. Some of the best brands doing this look include MiH, Rag & Bone and Madewell. These retro-style cuts are great for girls with curves, as the high waist doesn't create that muffin-top effect you get with low-slung jeans. Choose a vintage-style plain black leather belt to pull it all together and create a '50s-style defined waistline.
Patsy wears a very cute pair of red leather Oxford pumps. If you're not comfortable in heels, you could wear flat-heeled Oxfords or vintage-style loafers. Etsy has a great selection of vintage Oxford pumps and I've added a few good options to my 'Call the Midwife: Get the Look' page on Etsy.
Bring the look home with a dash of ruby lipstick. I love Besame's vintage style lipsticks, which come in glamorous gold cases and have a semi-matte finish: perfect for capturing that iconic '50s pout. And if you want to learn how to give your hair vintage-style waves, follow this great tutorial over on The Beauty Department.
1. Vintage Sindy doll, circa 1964, from the V&A Museum of Childhood archives.
2. MiH Halsy straight leg vintage-inspired jeans, AU$176 from Shopbop. Some other good options for high-waisted, retro-cut inspired jeans are Rag & Bone's Marilyn hi-rise jeans, AU$275 from Shopbop; Madewell's Perfect Summer Jeans, AU$118 from Shopbop and DKNY X Opening Ceremony's jeans with faux sleeves, now reduced to AU$185.50 from Shopbop.
3. After a pair of original '50s jeans? Try '50s dead stock Crown blue jeans, AU$14.75 from Wear It Again's Etsy shop.
4. ASOS Vintage look waist and hip belt, $11.76 from ASOS.
5. Besame Red Hot Red - 1959 lipstick, US$22, from Besame Cosmetics.
6. Softwash gingham shirt, US$69.50 from Banana Republic. Other good high street options include Gingham button-down shirt, reduced to US$89 from Splendid; and ASOS Black and White Check Shirt, AU$54.90 from ASOS. If you're after an original vintage gingham shirt, try the Vintage vichy blouse, AU$28.04 from Cube and Squirrel's Etsy shop; and 1950s gingham shirt, AU$29.49 from Savvy Spinster Vintage's Etsy shop. I'll add more options to my 'Call the Midwife: Get the Look' page on Etsy.
7. Model home heel in red, $96.99 from Modcloth. Also, look out for The Best of Times Heels, $39.99, coming soon to Modcloth. If you're after a pair of vintage Oxford pumps, try Vintage leather Oxford pumps, $AU60.48 from Love Old Time's Etsy shop. I've also updated my Call the Midwife: Get the Look' page on Etsy with some other vintage Oxfords.
If you loved Call the Midwife, you might like to read about how to get Nurse Jenny's style here.
Tell me: do you love Patsy's rockabilly look? And did you have a Sindy doll, too?
