I Love Lists
I love lists and today I came across one so brilliant I’m envious that I didn’t think of it first.
It’s from Justine Picardie’s luminescent little book about fashion, My Mother’s Wedding Dress: The Life and Afterlife of Clothes (2005), and it’s called Best Dressed Heroines.
Here are Picardie’s choices:
Pippi Longstockings, in the book of that name by Astrid Lindgren.
Kate, in Rosamond Lehmann’s Invitation to the Waltz. This was beautifully re-published recently by Persephone Books. (Ask dovegreyreader about this one.)
Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.
Rebecca, at least as described by Mrs Danvers in Daphne Du Maurier’s enthralling novel.
Linda in The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. (See also Love in a Cold Climate.)
Cassandra, narrator of I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, who dyes all her clothes green.
Flora Poste and Elfine Starkadder in Stella Gibbons’ Cold Comfort Farm.
The Girls of Slender Means, who share a Schiaparelli evening dress in Muriel Spark’s fetching novel.
Esther, the narrator of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.
Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. (I find that one a bit iffy.)
Mrs Ada Harris in Paul Gallico’s Mrs ‘arris Goes to Paris.
Who’s on your list?
posted by Mary @ 4:02 PM
3 Comments:
Scarlett O'Hara in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind. She goes from delectable gowns to widow's weeds to green velvet drapes and back to delectable gowns! Doesn't get much better than that! Sharon
Yes, of course! Did you ever see the Carol Burnett sketch where she, as Scarlett, makes a gown out of the curtains, leaving the curtain rod across the back of her neck? md
Of course. That included Carol's priceless line "I saw it in the window and couldn't resist."
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