TV Inspiration: McMillan & Wife

You know I watch all detective movies/shows/old time radio broadcasts as part of my training to be a little old woman who solves mysteries. Of course most of what I pay attention to in the end are the wardrobes. Stay tuned for the insanity that is the Columbo costume dept - including a cameo by Edith Head herself - and a post dedicated to Mrs. Fletcher's massive collection of Coach purses and Cowichan sweaters.

Today let us take a moment to consider perhaps the best dressed crime solving heroine since Nora Charles - Sally McMillan of McMillan & Wife, 1971 - 1977. Susan St. James wears the hell out of some awful/amazing 70s ensembles and the best pantsuits ever onscreen.


Summery, w white lace-up espadrilles



white pantsuit w tubetop


She does the ribbon tied around the neck a lot. I did that all the time in high school. A wildly feminist teacher I had told me that it has the connotation of a dog collar and symbolized my desire to be controlled and degraded by men. What a load of crap.

Fitted glitter knit T



Blue velvet pantsuit



I wish I could get my hair to do this.. also best blouse ever.



Buffalo plaid pantsuit - must find.



Really good pixie cut on this waitress




Pretty much I wear this around the house/errands all the time - irish wool/old denim/60s hair



This glittery disco number is for a wake



Crochet & patent leather winter cap



That on the left is so MiuMiu a few years ago, no?



grey suit w oversize peach necktie





blanket skirt w overknee boots


Must find.

She does a lot of fitted long formal polyseter dresses too that don't screencap so well but look amazing.

the girl can't help it

check out little richard's shoes in the jayne mansfield movie 'the girl can't help it'.. flat black w gold tips & facings.

unicorn head

check out anna's new unicorn haircut




badass

movie inspiration: matt helm

snow days = marathon movie watching. this time around i watched all of the dean martin matt helm movies i could find online. you can see the ambushers and murderer's row on netflix watch instantly, and the silencers is on hulu for free. these are pretty much just like austin powers except it's dean martin instead of austin powers. the evil bad guy organization is 'the big O' and his assistant's name is lovey cravesit. but the costumes are some of the best 1967-69 had to offer.. holy cow the costumes are so good. gogo pop color and lowslung hiphuggers and see-through meshy divinities. he always ends up at some tropical locale surrounded by beautiful lady spies in amazing swimsuits. it's all ideal blizzard-movie-day material.
ready?:



1967 was the pinnacle of sunglass design. those above are gold hands giving the 'ok' sign.
and these



her suit is mostly mesh w solid inserts. hard to get pics of it because her character is clutzy and always falling over things.







serious badgirl earrings



serious badgirl cube ring
and matching super serious badgirl cube bracelet






insane asylum chic - white canvas gogo dress w giant red vinyl buckles and bleached pink hair. so future-now. i would like to be this girl today yes please. i have a drawer full of hairdye. i need some buckles.



blondie's mini is beautiful, but that on the right there is a proper double-breasted gogo shorts-suit. if it were leather that would be pretty right-now too.


love this - circusy harlequin but super classy

sheer mesh w solid yellow panels


there's an oleg cassini fashion show bit with a few dozen amazing prints. here is just one - all too good


i wish his fencing instructor wasn't standing at such a bad angle to really see her heart-shaped uniform. she never really turns around - more mesh



murderer's row has ann-margaret in it as a wild teen discoteque queen in cannes. i love a good longsleeved swimsuit


and pink vinyl hair bows for the pool



also can we talk about this daisy dress and matching daisy skullcap for a sec please


and matching daisy panties. bury me in this please.

she has yellow nailpolish on too. just sayin..

these are vinyl or leather. let's say they're leather

ann's is backless, which makes it weirdly sexy when she turns around. and those pointy white ankle strap shoes are my favorite. her whole thing (the blonde) is pretty ideal really. pink leather cape = true love.
but really. the daisies. w the red sunglasses. i don't need other clothes. i'll be the weird daisy chick, that's fine.

blizzard!

cornfed loves snow.

ok one more

it's friggin magical out

dog in the snow '09

snow is cornfed's favorite thing ever.

ball of fire

stanwyk/cooper. watch here.

note to self: old dangly clip earrings make excellent cufflinks.
and is that her necklace hooked to her belt?


sry detail is hard to make out - these are screen caps and as good as it gets. someone needs to restore this please.

doesn't that just have the glamourai all over it?

it's not the greatest movie (see stanwyk in baby face.. top 3 all time fav) but it is stanwyk & cooper.. i don't even love gary cooper's acting (in anything except morocco w greta garbo - there he was perfectly cast and maybe never again) which is why i am fascinated by him and watch him intently.. trying to figure out why he was so popular. whatever, it's stanwyk. she's a pistol. always. o and dan duryea is in it! he is my favorite dead guy, hands down. well, he's tied w leslie howard.

lick

i was going for scary toothy halloween pics, but this is what he gave me.

cameos & butterflies

more images from 'the casebook of sherlock holmes' series.
i'd like to live in this room lined w butterflies & moths





and chck out her mammoth cameo:



here is my little collection of cameos.. some gifts, some thrifted.





this is one of my top 5 all-time favorite pieces. 60s transparent yellow acrylic w green plastic profile and red rhinestone. ultimate.

red tights

note to self: must get red tights













netflix just added a few jeremy brett sherlock holmes movies to watch instantly. you know i can't get enough of that stuff. victorian mysteries with the best set design and costumes and shot design and cinematography. the master blackmailer in particular is very pretty. and jeremy brett is by far the best sherlock holmes ever. he is the ruler against which all other holmes should be measured.
aside from the above red tights, that movie also features this perfect victorian equstrienne costume, complete w tiny tilt top hat and skinny necktie. maybe my favorite mode of dress in history..



that skinny tie really kills me.