Gatsby Glamour: How to be a 21st century Daisy Buchanan

Now that the end of winter is nearly upon us and the weather is starting to pick up, it’s time to look ahead to a beautiful spring and the wonderful change it will bring to your wardrobe.

Old Hollywood Glamour is back in a big way – a trend that was all over the S/S12 catwalks is one that’s become known as Gatsby style. Think lavishly beaded flapper dresses, cloche hats and Art Deco accessories – yes, the glitz and glamour of the Roaring Twenties is the trend to follow this season!

Ever since Baz Luhrmann’s highly anticipated adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s modern classic The Great Gatsby was announced, pieces inspired by the 1920s have been all over the runways and the high street. The film is a long way off yet, not hitting cinemas until December, but it’s already sparked flapper frenzy.

The Spring/Summer catwalks were overwhelmed with Art Deco-inspired pieces: tasselled trimming at Gucci, feathers and intricate beading at Marchesa and an abundance of ostrich feathers at Ralph Lauren. Some may recall that Ralph Lauren costumed the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, and it seems the era has inspired his S/S12 collection. Tory Burch and Philosophy by Alberta Ferreti also showcased glamorous 1920s-inspired gowns.

Stills from Luhrmann’s set have cropped up on the internet and show that the film will be going all out to embrace the fashion of the era – as if it would do anything but! Images of Leonardo DiCaprio, a perfect choice for the mysterious Jay Gatsby, show him looking more dapper than ever in perfectly tailored suits. And, of course, the object of Gatsby’s affections? Carey Mulligan is a stunning Daisy Buchanan; pictures from the set reveal her as the perfect 1920s girl, in everything from a ruffled drop waist summer dress to a champagne-coloured beaded dress and matching headband.

So, if you fancy yourself as a modern day Daisy Buchanan, here’s how you can ooze the glamour of the Jazz Age on a budget, with high street flapper fashion.

A palette of creams, whites, peachy pinks, pale yellows and understated florals in chiffons and silks is perfect for daytime wear. Pair a silky blouse with a floaty skirt or accessorise a flimsy drop-waisted dress with a patterned silk scarf. Complete the look with an iconic emblem of the 1920s – the cloche hat.

For a night on the town, there can never be too many beads, sequins, frills or feathers! An Art Deco-inspired geometric dress in a rich palette of golds, blacks, whites or metallics will do the trick, but an intricately beaded flapper dress in a luxurious champagne colour is exactly what Daisy Buchanan would wear to a cocktail party, teamed with layers of pearl necklaces.

This season’s nostalgic return to the Roaring Twenties is by no means temporary – I predict that 1920s fashion is not going anywhere and once Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby remake arrives in cinemas this December, the Gatsby trend will be bigger than ever. For authentic 1920s style, hit your local vintage shops!

Khaleda Rahman