It's Been 26 Years And We Still Want To Dress Exactly Like This Character From A 90s Movie
Four words: Michael Kors for Celine
Image: 90210 | NBC
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by The Candidly Team
Do you need a hint?
The Son Of Man by René Magritte
Ok, we’re guessing that didn’t help at all. How about this?
Image: MGM
Did you say The Thomas Crown Affair?
Even if you scarcely remember the plot, anyone who saw this 1999 film came home thinking about René Russo’s canonical clothing. And like all undyingly classic and chic cinematic wardrobes, we want it just as much today as we did the first day we saw it.
Now, if it depresses you to hear that the movie came out 26 years ago, here is something that might cheer you up. René was 45 when she filmed the role, and she was so smoldering that she managed to make a sea of cashmere and turtlenecks and wool coats look both wildly chic and well … sexy.
It’s kind of the dream. And it is also basically a capsule winter wardrobe for every single 40+ woman. The clothes were predominantly designed by a young Michael Kors for Celine, but we managed to bend time and find every piece you need to recreate it today. (And not at Celine prices.)
Image: MGM
1. THE TURTLENECKS
The turtleneck is at the center of almost every one of René’s looks. When you wear it as a base layer, you’re immediately 10x closer to looking put together and luxe. Her turtles range from oversized and slouchy* to skimming and sleek, from soft, fitted longsleeves* to 3/4 tees*. Some are an investment and some are $15. Can you guess which is which?
Image: MGM
2. THE OVERCOAT
She had the kind of coat you could throw on over sweats and look captivating. If we had to invest in only one great coat, it would be camel, because it matches everything but also breaks up the sea of black we tend to wear in winter. Here are our three favorites at low*, mid*, and high* price points.
Image: MGM
3. THE COLUMN SKIRT
So many of us get scared off by wearing fitted things on the bottom, but we miss out on creating this - quite possibly the single most flattering silhouette known to (wo)man. A column skirt can be very smoothing on curves and it balances any looser or heavier layers on top. Many of Rene’s looks rely on a to-the-knee (or below) skirt that covers what it needs to but also makes everything look more striking and exciting than pants.
We found THIS* staple skirt that’s full of stretch and holds you in exactly the way you hope it will. We also love THIS* leather skirt that looks incredible with our cozy sweaters but also makes our $10 tees look like we’re in $1k fits. We wear THIS* cashmere all winter because we look sophisticated but feel like we’re swaddled in a throw blanket. And when we want to channel extra powerful art thief inspector energy, we wear THIS* striped pencil skirt.
Image: MGM
Image: MGM
5. THE LEATHER AND SUEDE JACKET
If this movie taught us anything, it’s that your outerwear can completely shape a look. The classic turtleneck and column skirt look becomes something far edgier (younger even) but no less timeless when you add a flattering leather jacket like THIS* or even more orignally, a suede coat like THIS*.
Image: MGM
6. THE WHITE BUTTON-DOWN
Yes, every superbly dressed woman requires a tailored button-down and yes, you need one that’s fitted and cut to be more hourglassy and less voluminous and another that’s oversized and feels like menswear, but also makes any dumb pair of jeans into a look. We’re not being that original when we say that THIS* is the best place to start for a slim-fit and THIS* is the best oversized. What can we say? They’re known for a reason. But we will be a bit more original by adding René’s black corset, but we found an inexpensive version* that will make you look positively snatched (as the kids say).
*SHOP NOW*
Image: MGM
7. THE BLACK SEQUIN DRESS
The scene where René slivers around the dance floor in a sequined slip dress is possibly the most talked about “sheer moment” in movie history. But we are not as ballsy as René and therefore we wear THIS slip* under a similarly slinky, sequined, see-through dress* (say that five times real fast), and we feel amazing. Especially round the holidays and ESPECIALLY because we spent less than $100 on the dress. Alternately, we like to copy her mock-neck sequined dress*, which covers all the important bits but shows lots of leg.
Image: MGM
8. THE BOOTS
Tall boots do a TON of the heavy lifting in making anything we wear look styled, and René’s boots were inspired. Of course, she had the perfect, classic, buttery leather pair (THESE* are our absolute favorite), but she also had the lace-up* that gave these otherwise classic pieces some grit.
* Gifted items included
Image: MGM
BONUS: THE ACCESSORIES
On the other hand, you can ignore the entire outfit template we outlined above and just add one or two of Catherine Banning’s accessories (yes, it took us this long to call out her character, because we were way too deep into her closet to even mention her name). You can’t go wrong with a double strand of pearls* or a structured, satchel bag*. She may have been wearing the most perfect sunglasses if you want to look a wee bit original but also like Audrey Hepburn (though we picked a slightly wider pair* to also fit a fuller face shape). And finally, when in doubt add a silky, cashmere pashmina in a fun color. Red is a statement but there are many more colors HERE*.
* Gifted items included
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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