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Falling for autumn trendsetters

It feels like Autumn already here in the North of England, what with the rain, and the ever-present clouds, so it’s only natural that our minds start turning towards what to wear in the colder weather.

However, I can’t say I was overwhelmed by the Guardian’s list of 10 style inspirations for fall. Sade? Princess Diana? And, worst of all, sulky Kristen Stewart who it appears no-one has noticed actually looks like a boy wearing a binbag no matter which couturier she wears.

That said, I wouldn’t complain to much if the boyfriend started dressing like Ben Whishaw, although possibly not in his role as Richard II, as excellent a piece of acting as it was. Rather, the Guardian hails his turn as Q in the new Bond flick – a role it seems Whishaw was born to play. For his hair alone, much more tousled than the current neat side partings on Burberry’s catwalk, Whishaw is the male fashion pin-up du jour.


They also do well to mention the forthcoming film version of Anna Karenina (screenplay by my favourite, Tom Stoppard), although it is galling that after its release Keira Knightley will undoubtedly be hailed as a fashion icon when really all credit should go to Jacqueline Durran – the costume designer behind Karenina and who was also responsible for Knightley’s other greatest fashion moment, that green dress in Atonement.

Durran also styled Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, which saw the divine Benedict Cumberbatch looking lush in a series of three piece suits of a formality rarely witnessed outside the boardroom nowadays. I’m a sucker for toffs on telly, so I’ll definitely be tuning in to another Stoppard drama, Parade’s End, which starts on Friday. I’m not so sure about Benedict’s hat, though.

Personally, I’m more excited about the return of The Hour, set to be back on screens later this year. The first series was all sassy dresses and pencil skirts, Whishaw looking dishevelled and Romola Garai’s clothes acting as a stonking great visual metaphor for her transformation into a sexy, modern woman. With the depressing resurgence of WAGs and CBB after the Olympics, the strict lines and low key grooming of the 1950s will be the perfect antidote.


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