Vivien Leigh

My sisters and I, as small children, possessed some inexplicable fascination with all things Gone With the Wind. By 7, I could probably quote the movie in its entirety. I'm not joking.

I've watched her screen tests, how they made those gorgeous costumes...the works. She's the reason I rented A Streetcar Named Desire in high school. Last week, I stuck That Hamilton Woman in my Netflix queue. Only because of Vivien Leigh (well, I also read that Winston Churchill held a screening of it for Roosevelt at the onset of WWII). So in my book, few actresses are more beautiful or talented than Vivien Leigh. Which is why I choose her for my first style study.

She could've made a paper sack look effortless and beautiful. Standing next to then husband Laurence Olivier completed any look.

I don't always understand the severe part in her hair. This two-toned foamy dress is magnificent, though. I love the sash.

She could pull of a smart hat and suit:

Wide-legged pants:

Summer halter dresses:

Um, holiday wear?

And that messy bed-head, I haven't eaten since this blasted war broke out, great balls of fire look:

That last distinction goes to her alone. No one else could pull of that bit of fluff that was Scarlet, also providing her character complexity and growth.