I should confess that I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who. I love a bit of good old British family TV, and it's surely the epitome of this (Merlin comes a close second). I fell in love with it when the delectable David Tennant came along and made the role his own, injecting his lovely cheeky wink into Saturday night TV. Such a fan was I of Mr Tennant that I, like many, was sceptical of his successor, Matt Smith. Luckily I was soon won over by the new Doctor, and series 5 proved to be my favourite so far. But if I'm honest, Matt wasn't the reason for this. No, it was his fiery assistant Karen Gillan (who plays Amy Pond) who made me sit up and pay attention. Fiesty, stunning and possessing the best hair, like, ever, ex-model Karen fast became my new girl-crush. And I was happy to see that this red-haired beauty is also in possession of some rather enviable style sense, too.
On the original promotional tour for series 5 of Doctor Who, Karen earned her fashion stripes in a series of lovely ensembles, including a metallic DVF skirt suit, a silky black jumpsuit and a flowing aubergine maxidress. Since then she's been papped out and about continuing her run of fashion successes: she attended a festival decked out in a cornflower blue Vivienne Westwood shirt dress, did a radio interview in a crisp white Victoriana shirt and Mulberry 'Alexa' bag, and turned up to the TV Choice Awards in a beautiful rust-orange lace dress.
But it's in the last few days, when scurrying about promoting the release of the series 5 DVD (which I so would get for Christmas, but it's a wee bit on the pricey side), that Karen has really struck fashion gold. The other day she showed off her mile-long legs in a sheer taupe playsuit teamed with a black blazer and Heidi-style plaits, and has also pulled off the tricky velvet trend by way of a gorgeous patterned dress. But it was her outfit for an appearance on ITV's morning show Daybreak yesterday that really piqued my attention (see it here). Erdem's beautiful digital floral prints have been seen on every stylish celebrity worth her salt recently, from Keira Knightley slipping into a floor-length maxidress to Leighton Meester stepping out in printed shorts. But it's Karen's take on the trend that really stands out. Teaming the statement dress with zero accessories, soft natural make-up and lightly teased hair allows it to speak for itself, but without overwhelming its wearer.
Now, obviously it wasn't easy to find a copycat of this dress on the high street, given the individuality of its beautiful intricate print (read: impossible). But sadly I can't afford the original (though I really, really want it) so I've decided to offer up some suitable printed alternatives. However, even this hasn't proved the easiest of challenges. Most of the high street's printed offerings are either mumsy ditsy florals (shudder) or unbecoming monotones. But I do quite like Topshop's Midnight Berry Midi Dress, £55. The rich berry tones are lovely and wintry, and I'm a fan of the chiffon overlay; just remember that midi-lengths always demand heels. For a shirt-dress style like Miss Gillan's, Mango's Flako Dress, £54.90, is a pretty good option, but it's worth noting that paisley is very tricky to pull off. I hate how they've styled it on the website: for one thing, mid-calf boots + dress is one of the worst fashion sins in any situation, in my opinion. Also, paisley paired with tan accessories = bad 70s throwback. Instead, take tips from our redheaded muse and team this dress with bare legs and simple black heels, and button it all the way to the top. However, if you're a wee bit scared of paisley (and I admittedly am), and put off by all the sickly sweet florals, then may I suggest a bit of animal print? You can't move for leopard print on the high street at the moment, and if you get it right, a fierce bit of feline can really update your look. French Connection's Blurred Animal Print Drape Dress is not cheap at £85, but has a very Erdem-esque colour palette and is probably much easier to pull off than my other suggestions.
Happily, the fact remains that whether or not we can successfully emulate Karen's exact choice of dress, we can still take inspiration from the brilliant way in which she wears it. Her genius formula of simple heels + nude make-up + swept back hair can, and should, be applied to any and every printed item of clothing you own. Try slipping on Topshop's Angelica Mid Heel Shoeboots, £75, sweeping Maybelline's EyeStudio Mono Eyeshadow in 'Silken Taupe' (my absolute favourite eyeshadow) over your lids, and backcombing your hair a little. And with that you'll be ready to take on anything the day throws at you, even a Dalek...
On the original promotional tour for series 5 of Doctor Who, Karen earned her fashion stripes in a series of lovely ensembles, including a metallic DVF skirt suit, a silky black jumpsuit and a flowing aubergine maxidress. Since then she's been papped out and about continuing her run of fashion successes: she attended a festival decked out in a cornflower blue Vivienne Westwood shirt dress, did a radio interview in a crisp white Victoriana shirt and Mulberry 'Alexa' bag, and turned up to the TV Choice Awards in a beautiful rust-orange lace dress.
But it's in the last few days, when scurrying about promoting the release of the series 5 DVD (which I so would get for Christmas, but it's a wee bit on the pricey side), that Karen has really struck fashion gold. The other day she showed off her mile-long legs in a sheer taupe playsuit teamed with a black blazer and Heidi-style plaits, and has also pulled off the tricky velvet trend by way of a gorgeous patterned dress. But it was her outfit for an appearance on ITV's morning show Daybreak yesterday that really piqued my attention (see it here). Erdem's beautiful digital floral prints have been seen on every stylish celebrity worth her salt recently, from Keira Knightley slipping into a floor-length maxidress to Leighton Meester stepping out in printed shorts. But it's Karen's take on the trend that really stands out. Teaming the statement dress with zero accessories, soft natural make-up and lightly teased hair allows it to speak for itself, but without overwhelming its wearer.
Now, obviously it wasn't easy to find a copycat of this dress on the high street, given the individuality of its beautiful intricate print (read: impossible). But sadly I can't afford the original (though I really, really want it) so I've decided to offer up some suitable printed alternatives. However, even this hasn't proved the easiest of challenges. Most of the high street's printed offerings are either mumsy ditsy florals (shudder) or unbecoming monotones. But I do quite like Topshop's Midnight Berry Midi Dress, £55. The rich berry tones are lovely and wintry, and I'm a fan of the chiffon overlay; just remember that midi-lengths always demand heels. For a shirt-dress style like Miss Gillan's, Mango's Flako Dress, £54.90, is a pretty good option, but it's worth noting that paisley is very tricky to pull off. I hate how they've styled it on the website: for one thing, mid-calf boots + dress is one of the worst fashion sins in any situation, in my opinion. Also, paisley paired with tan accessories = bad 70s throwback. Instead, take tips from our redheaded muse and team this dress with bare legs and simple black heels, and button it all the way to the top. However, if you're a wee bit scared of paisley (and I admittedly am), and put off by all the sickly sweet florals, then may I suggest a bit of animal print? You can't move for leopard print on the high street at the moment, and if you get it right, a fierce bit of feline can really update your look. French Connection's Blurred Animal Print Drape Dress is not cheap at £85, but has a very Erdem-esque colour palette and is probably much easier to pull off than my other suggestions.
Happily, the fact remains that whether or not we can successfully emulate Karen's exact choice of dress, we can still take inspiration from the brilliant way in which she wears it. Her genius formula of simple heels + nude make-up + swept back hair can, and should, be applied to any and every printed item of clothing you own. Try slipping on Topshop's Angelica Mid Heel Shoeboots, £75, sweeping Maybelline's EyeStudio Mono Eyeshadow in 'Silken Taupe' (my absolute favourite eyeshadow) over your lids, and backcombing your hair a little. And with that you'll be ready to take on anything the day throws at you, even a Dalek...
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