Midnight In Paris – The Wardrobe

Continuing on my wardrobe recap series, today I am covering another favorite wardrobe movie of mine – Midnight in Paris.

I found Midnight in Paris to be overall quite charming, and enjoyed the movie. The best part of it however (well at least for me), wasn’t the storyline itself, but the beautiful settings, great actresses and fashion! I really liked the casual, laid back “west coast/Californian” style of Rachel McAdams character, Inez, and loved getting to see her, the magnificent Marion Cotillard, Carla Bruni, Kathy Bates and Lea Seydoux on screen.

The opening scene of the movie with our main characters in it – woohoo! We’re in Paris!

I love Rachel’s dress here – it’s something I would could wear through a whole work day and still feel comfortable. I wear my own floral version all the time. Here’s a very similar version, from Joie (and it comes with the belt included!), and another version under $100, via Velvet Heart.

A full length (and much more grainy) shot of her outfit – one of my favorites in the movie. I think Rachel’s mom dresses very elegantly as well.

The next day out at Versailles, with Rachel in another shirtdress – this time white, paired with black espadrilles. I also like her girlfriend’s outfit a lot in this scene, very chic and plus involves flats (always a plus, especially when walking around Versailles).

My favorite version of Rachel’s shirtdress is by Alexander Wang, and there is also a great Eliza J option (that comes with the belt!) , at half the price.

Match them with these great black espadrilles which are still a reasonable height.

Casual in a henley top and blue jeans (the suede tote is Chanel by the way, and her mom is carrying a crocodile Birkin). I love a good henley, and my favorite versions are from Splendid.

Ah wait – it’s the whole gang, plus Carla Bruni! How come Carla always looks so good? If you like her drapey, casual blazer, check out this version via Soft Joie.

Later in the evening, on the roof of Le Bristol. We’re in Paris, we like wine, yada yada, For me the star of the show here isn’t Rachel but again her friend. The white dress is lovely and look at the suede detailed Jige clutch!

The next day, antique furniture shopping. I like Rachel’s outfit (more on that below), but I included this shot so you could see her mom’s outfit specifically. I like the Etoupe belt with matching Birkin.

A better shot of Rachel – I like the loose white t, draped belt and little tweed jacket. Nicely dressed but still casual. My picks for super versatile jacket – a black/white bracelet sleeved version from Iro, a spring blazer version from Rebecca Taylor, and a loose tweed cardigan from Anthropologie.

Later that evening – come out and play, Rachel! I promise you, we’ll time travel!

I like the silky shirt dress with the crossbody bag. And it doesn’t help that the bag is a very lovely, Etoupe Constance.

Hanging out casually the next day at the museum…jeans, a white tunic, belt, and the same lovely Chanel bag we’ve been seeing. You can find a version of her tunic here from Topshop, and an embroidered version from Tory Burch.

Rachel out to dinner that evening with a little black dress. For my own little black dress recommendation, I like this version from Joie – or if you want to go closer to Rachel’s, you can go with a classic Herve Leger option.

This is the one more form fitting outfit you see Rachel in, in the whole movie. She typically is in looser clothing which looks very comfortable – but you can see she wears this dress like her own second skin as well, and looks at ease.

While Luke is spending the evening with the magnificent Marion Cotillard. I love this sailor dress!

Now taking a walk with another lovely lady…Carla Bruni again.

A quick shot of Rachel’s drapey top (which I love), and her Goyard jewelry case (which I also love).

Another night with Marion and her beautiful flapper dress!

A final shot of of one of my current favorite actresses, the lovely Lea Seydoux and her pretty top.

And that’s about it for Midnight in Paris! My style lessons learned from watching this movie?

1. Comfortable can still be chic. Hooray for this! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve saved a photo of a wonderful outfit that I’d like to try later, only to realize that it’d involve multiple contortions and an evening of gut-sucking in in order to look good in it. A very stylish outfit can instantly be rendered unflattering if you look uncomfortable in it (ever seen a girl walking at night limping in high heels or constantly pulling at her dress?). I love the style of all the women in this movie – from Rachel to her mom to her friend to Carla to Marion and Lea. They all look comfortable, and very, very chic.

2. A belt can transform a tunic/dress. For some reason, I’m very lazy with belts. If a dress or tunic I’ve purchased didn’t come with one already, I usually can’t remember to pair one with it. But looking at all of Rachel’s outfits, I realize that a belt can really bring a simple shirtdress up a notch, and add definition to the waist. So I’ll be adding a few more very simple, flexible belts to my wardrobe!

 3. Consider suede. OK I’m reaching a bit with this one, but Rachel’s beige suede Chanel tote just looks so good. It is the perfect summer tote for her. I am quite practical with my purchases and given that I’m a clumsy fool, light colored suede is an ultimate no-no. But seeing this tote has convinced me that I may need to add a little suede bag in the future…a wonderful item for spring/summer that should go with everything.

Are any of you Midnight in Paris fans? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the movie…and the wardrobe, of course!