The Assassination Bureau (Miss Winter)

Posted on by The Girl

Diana Rigg as Miss Winter in The Assassination Bureau has a beautiful and practical wardrobe as the Modern Woman of the turn of the (last) century. In aspiring to this look, which is great working in a library, I have made a skirt, restyled a hat and hunted down a round collared white shirt (Madamoiselle R).

Miss Winter – tilt/ perch hat

I bought a large straw boater and unravelled it to the base size I needed. Then I hand stitched around, bending the straw at the beginning of the side edge and the brim. Once the brim was the desired width, I tied it off and flattened the front brim with heavy books while turning the back up. It can be dressed with different ribbons.

Straw boater/ perch hat

The blouse with the round collar is good for 1920-30’s (Peaky Blinders) dressing too.

The skirt is an A-line cut, and the elasticated wide belt nips in the waist without wearing a corset underneath!

Straw Edwardian style hat
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Here is an outfit not yet attempted. I do have a steam punk pattern for a skirt with a deep pleated hem, and my mum has made an outfit with a matching jacket, which I’ll post soon.

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Accesssories

The Prisoner

Posted on by The Girl
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Portmeirion Village

A few days in Snowdonia, North Wales, but not mountain climbing! I went with my family to Portmeirion, where the cult British series The Prisoner was filmed. My choice of outfits hopefully reflect the era and were inspired by the series. As a seaside village, stripes and summer blazers feature quite heavily. As I visited in February, when I went exploring I wore a boxy wool coat. Block colours are also obvious in The Prisoner, keeping lines clean and simple too.

It was filmed around the same time as The Avengers (with Steed and Emma Peel). I think the orange boat neck and baker-boy cap are very Emma Peel.

Day 1
Day 1

Striped roll-neck, Blazer and bright blue courdroy A-line skirt.

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Day 2- With a similar jacket to The Prisoner and a badge!

Breton stripes, A-line skirt and Chelsea boots and Baker boy cap keep the Sixties in mind. All from the high street recently.

Kurt Geiger shoes
Evening outfit
shaping detail

For a meal out at the castle (which is used as the hospital in The Prisoner) I wore a mint A-line dress with low heeled pointed Mary Janes (Kurt Geiger). I made the dress from an original Sixties pattern, in thin sweatshirt fabric.

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I made the boat neck orange top based on a Marilyn Monroe photo shoot from 1962, and this style is easy to wear. I’ll have to make it in more colours.

We stayed in the Toll House, Portmeirion. The photos were taken here.