Fashion Focus: Bunty From Father Brown
One of my most popular posts on my site is dedicated to the television series based on the tales of Father Brown by GK Chesterton. Father Brown is just so popular, a gentle daytime classic with a cult following that has a brilliant central performance by Mark Williams, and a great supporting cast that includes the divine Emer Kelly as Bunty.
Bunty is absolutely my favourite character in Father Brown, a gorgeous posh girl who can sometimes come across as a bit of a airhead, but is actually anything but. She is brave, strong, totally forthright, looks like a bit of a flirt but is actually kind, loving and fiercely loyal, if you are looking for a heroine who fits the 21st Century as well as she fits the 1950’s, then Bunty is your girl.
And that’s without even mentioning her wardrobe. Father Brown is, of course, set in the 1950’s, and Bunty has a wardrobe that combines all the best elements of 50’s style, from the full skirted gowns of the sort favoured by Grace Kelly, to the capri pants and jaunty scarves that were worn by Audrey Hepburn. But Bunty is definitely more Marilyn Monroe than Audrey Hepburn, with amazing curves that totally suit that fifties nipped in and tailored look. Her dresses owe a lot to the Christian Dior styling of the ‘new look’ era, and she totally rocks them.
I love Bunty’s style, she reminds me of a 1950’s screen siren in her looks and has a wardrobe to match, and Emer Kelly just plays her brilliantly, with the right amount of sass and indignation. She certainly brings a level of pure glamour and escapism to daytime TV and I feel it is no surprise that Father Brown has been repeated during the period we’ve been locked down – we need Bunty style glamour in our lives at the moment.
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4 Comments
Retamarie Fortin
I’m looking for where I can buy the fashion like Bunty wore, whose designs are they?. I’ve always liked the fashion from the late ’50s and early 60s because it was built for women before the insanity of unisex. Nothing more than a cheaper way to cut cloth
fashion-mommy
To be honest I think they are probably original vintage pieces and that’s probably the best place to look – vintage shops, Vinted, Charity shops, Flea Markets etc.
Robyn
Hi gorgeous ladies
I had a bit of a quick dig and apparently the costuming for Fr Brown is a mix of vintage purchases, costume hire, and in the case of Emer’s wardrobe, mostly made for her because of her height. She’s 5’10”. Back in the 50’s, the standard length for garments was made for a model at least 5 inches shorter than her. So, bodices would look cropped and skirt lengths would have been above the knee.
I think she’s absolutely stunning and well proportioned. Whoever whips up her wardrobe has a wonderful eye for what suits her.
Robyn
The silhoutte of the 1950s was the waspish waist for the younger woman. (I’ve not come across patterns and styles from the era that suit the more ‘matronly’ figure.)
As a child of the 60s and 70s, I would have been able to wear the styles in my late teens and into my 20s, buy once I’d had my children; not so much.
Modern vintage reproductions do take our changed shape into consideration. But if you want the real deal, there’s very few modern bra styles that go with the true vintage shape – if you’re lucky enough to (a) have the vintage proportions – work off 34b/c cup/24 waist/34 or 36 hips and grade from there, and (b) find the genuine article in your size. If you are lucky enough to find the dress of your vintage dreams, I do know that Triumph have a bra that does give the vintage bullet shape.
There are loads of online stores devoted to vintage style fashions, but beware the dresses are blocked for today’s silhouette, so not entirely accurate.
If you’re into sewing for yourself, Gretchen Hirsch of Charm Patterns fame loves the silhouette of the 40s to 60s and has designed frocks to suit the modern woman that look the part. Bonus is her dresses cater from the smallest of sizes to the largest of ladies. She’s also a fan of vintage lingerie shapes, although she’s not got a pattern for making your own. Yet.