The Bletchley Circle – Loving Millie and her glamour

I’m a bit of a latecomer to The Bletchley Circle, I sky +d it so I could watch ‘Good Cop’ and shamelessly drool over Warren Brown. But I’ve watched two episodes this weekend, and have found myself falling in love with the fabulous glamour and style of Millie, played by the wonderful Rachael Stirling.

The Bletchley Circle is set in the early 1950s, but forget about any Marilyn Monroe/Grace Kelly sort of 1950s glamour. This is Austerity Britain, a time when ration books were still de rigueur and when you found glamour and elegance where you could. Millie is a slightly bohemian character, all auburn hair and long swishing headscarves. She is homegrown glamour, and she looks great.

In terms of style, Millie is working the 1950s but looking back to the 1930s. Wide legged trousers,teamed with knitted polo tops or silk pussy bow blouses are her uniform, although the trousers are sometimes swapped for knee length skirts. Shrunken Arran knits, pure wool overcoats in camel and moss greens, and a vast array of gorgeous accessories, from quirky berets worn jauntily at an angle, or green leather kid gloves, all make this a really great look, elegant, easy to wear, and surprisingly glamorous.

The muted shades are perfect for Autumn, browns, greens, russets are all utilised well. But the glamour comes from Millie and her flaming red hair, and bright Scarlet lips. She lights up every scene she is in by looking so sensuous and so earthy, like an homegrown Gina Lollobrigida or Ava Gardner.