Style Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry
You can get into a lot of trouble when your husband is away for the evening and you’re left alone with a bottle of wine and full access to the internet. Lucky for me, and Brian, I didn’t get too carried away when he went to an out of town football game a couple of weeks ago. It was late October, the leaves were falling from the trees, and I was dreading the impending cold weather. Aside from my general disdain of cold, dark weather, I tend to fall into a winter wardrobe slump and repeat the same pieces until I’m ready to scream. That evening as I browsed the fashion blogs an idea came to me: pick a fictional character and emulate her best winter style for inspiration. I chose Ali MacGraw's Jenny Cavilleri from Love Story.
For those of you readers who are not familiar with Love Story, it is a cinematic piece of crap. It tells the story of two ivy leaguers, Oliver Barrett and Jenny Cavilleri, who fall in love, get married, and then Jenny dies. Also, it’s most famous line is “love means never having to say you’re sorry," for f*ck's sake!
For those of you who are familiar with the Love Story, it’s still a cinematic piece of crap. Oliver and Jenny still fall in love, they still get married, and she still dies. Despite the story, I think everyone can agree that there has never been a winter wardrobe more inspiring than Jenny Cavilleri’s. I say this with absolute certainty because I received multiple complements on every outfit of hers that I emulated.
Day 1: Tweed dress and bell sleeve blouse
Jenny spend the majority of the movie in plaid skirts and tights, but it didn’t seem like an appropriate way to start off a week of court hearings, so I chose Jenny’s piano recital ensemble but opted for an updated bell sleeve. I got major complements on this outfit. Thanks, Jenny!
Who What Wear blouse and J. Crew dress
Day 2: Yellow sailor skirt, navy blazer and turtleneck, matching tights
Jenny spend the movie calling her love interest a “preppy bastard.” This always felt a little too pot-calling-the-kettle-black for me because her style is nothing but preppy. She wears plaid skirts with coordinating sweaters and tights. I paid homage to her go-to look by pairing a yellow wool skirt, navy blazer, and matching tights. My favorite part of this outfit was how comfortable and warm I was. I received another round of compliments and will likely repeat this look again.
J. Crew skirt and blazer, Ann Taylor turtleneck, and Zara booties (last season)
Day 3: A belted wrap coat
Jenny’s character is a poor girl on a scholarship at Radcliffe, yet her collection of coats tells a different story. My guess is either she used a good portion of her scholarship money on a sale at Bloomingdale’s or she had generous roommates who let her borrow whatever she wanted. Either way, I’ve always envied her wool wrap coat and found my own last year at Ann Taylor. It’s available this year as well, popped collar optional.
Ann Taylor belted wrap coat, Banana Republic tweed skirt, and Sam Edelman booties
Day 4: ASOS red dress
Red is a power color, and Jenny is a badass. She comes from a poor family, studies music at Radcliffe, and marries a Barrett. She doesn't balk when she meets his stuffy parents but wears a red dress while they wear muted navy and tan. It’s a preemptive "f*ck you" that I admire.
ASOS red dress
This sartorial exercise was a success, not only because I enjoyed all the compliments I received, but also because it had me reaching for pieces I would not normally choose and refreshing my winter wardrobe slump.
This post is dedicated to my sister and Micro-Closet co-founder, Hilary, who convinced our mom to rent Love Story and eventually bought it, ensuring Jenny Cavilleri's style would influence us for years to come.