How To Dress Like Clarice Starling
How To Dress Like Your Novel is a series in which we explore what Creative Director Raquel calls “the pursuit of literary aesthetic coordination.” In this edition, we turn away from the novel and, instead, towards an iconic film character whose wardrobe might literally be to die for. Resident Attic film buff and cult horror aficionado Zoë G. Burnett talks the formative film Silence of the Lambs and Clarice Starling's peak autumnal style.
“You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste.”
There are many reasons to be haunted by Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme’s multiple Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA award-winning film. Adapted from Thomas Harris’s pivotal crime novel, Sir Anthony Hopkins’s performance so disturbed Martha Stewart that she ended their brief relationship because she couldn’t dissociate his performance as Hannibal Lecter with the man himself. If the Empress of Home and Hearth can be so shook, imagine what it did to me as a twelve-year-old, watching it on VHS in my friend’s refinished basement because it was a Forbidden Film on the Burnett family shelf. For good reason, my mother will always add.
Similarly scarred, the line quoted above lingers in the back of my mind almost every time I put together an outfit. Lecter’s ruthless neg only gets worse as he goes on, pinpointing almost every belittling, sexist perception of Starling that she has to endure throughout the film. She is wounded, yet puts Lecter right in his place: a subterranean containment cell and the second closest thing to a hole in the ground that the viewer will witness in the next two hours.
Aside from the many examples of her astounding resistance, as well as Jodie Foster’s ability to seamlessly portray vulnerability and strength simultaneously, Starling’s style is squarely in line with the Autumn at the Attic aesthetic. The film’s moody, almost damp atmosphere lends itself to the many earth-toned layers with which Starling shields herself, both from the elements and the presumptions of her male peers.
We've all been there.
Costume designer Colleen Atwood’s creation of Lecter’s iconic face guard earned her a Saturn nomination, and she has since won multiple Academy Awards for films such as Chicago (2002) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). Although Starling’s minimal wardrobe doesn’t receive much attention from fashion in film buffs, the way in which Atwood combines her few garments speaks to her character. She’s determined and focused, yet just feminine enough to distinguish herself without standing out too much. The following outfits are the perfect disguise for a woman not to be underestimated.
❆
ONE: FIRST MEETING
What should one wear to meet one of the most dangerous men alive? A crewneck merino sweater to divert attention from the chest and a wool jacket to diminish bodily form. A pencil skirt lends some formality to the interview, albeit a nod to old-fashioned tastes and perhaps Starling’s Southern upbringing. Trousers were not permitted as womenswear on the U.S. Senate floor until 1993, and it was only until 1972 when J. Edgar Hoover died that female agents no longer had to adhere to his unsolicited opinion. With opaque stockings and sensible brown leather heels, this ensemble and the backing of the FBI should be enough to accomplish the task your academic advisor assigned without terrible hassle. And yet, it seems that the addition of a delicate gold necklace, pearl studs, and rose-colored lips is just too flashy. Starling is not only concurrently chatted up and insulted by the sanitarium’s director and her interviewee, but also assaulted by another inmate. The situation gives a new poignancy to the question, “What were you wearing?”
❆
TWO: INVESTIGATION
If you want something done right… Blanketed in an excellent forest green duffle coat, wool trousers, and flat ankle boots, Starling follows Lecter’s cryptic lead to a storage unit that looks too much like the inside of my brain. Jacking up the door when the complex’s owner and his chauffeur prove unhelpful, her outer layers aren’t enough to protect against tetanus and the trauma induced by what she finds “within yourself.”
❆
THREE: STUDY
The viewer is often reminded that Starling is indeed a student. While researching Lecter and his various atrocities, the giant sweater worn over her Academy uniform and essie-like nail polish nod to self-care, as well as retainers of her femininity. The cozy, comfortable attire contrasts with the dimly lit library’s sharp angles and with the harsh news that a mutilated body related to her case has been found after days in a river. Honorable mention to her friend’s cardigan.
❆
FOUR: AUTOPSY
The long-sleeved polo is an underappreciated garment in both men’s and women’s clothing, as this burgundy example clearly shows. Perfect for shooing a group of noisy cops out of an autopsy room when their services are no longer needed, and for visiting your problematic case study in the most extra holding cell ever.
❆
FIVE: THE STING
When has a floral cardigan ever looked so deadly? As anyone who listens to true crime podcasts would know, you should never enter a strange man’s house alone, especially when you suspect him of being a serial killer! That unfortunate breach of protocol aside, Starling is dressed to take care of business. Whether or not she does, I solemnly swear not to spoil.
❆
TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS LATER
Recreating Clarice Starling’s style has taken many trips to the thrift stores, and almost every garment shown was bought second-hand. With the return of eighties and nineties fashion into the contemporary mainstream and the growing movement of buying used clothing to reduce waste, such styles are fairly easy to find these days. The best aspects are that they complement every body type, and are quite warm and comfortable.
Ensembles like these are a power move, if anything because they actually make one feel like an FBI agent. My camel car coat, part of the Attic uniform, is a worthy stand-in for Starling’s duffle. Layer a cable knit sweater over any collared shirt, followed by belted high-waisted wool trousers or a knee-length wool skirt. Every girl needs a good pair of boots, as well as some thick, chunky gloves. Neither the bags nor the shoes were cheap, mind you, but can be a worthy investment. Pearls, dark stockings, and a general air of terrified apprehension complete the outfits. Sidearm not shown.
Zoë G. Burnett is a writer, menswear stylist, and film enthusiast based in Boston, Massachusetts. A born and raised New England Yankee, she feels equally at home in the 7th arrondissement. She is currently editing her first novel. You can read her personal blog here.
In our latest look at The Attic’s personal wardrobes, we visit the favorite cold weather prints, patterns, and cozy textiles that break us free of the hum drum dark days of the season.