Made in Dagenham

Tonight, I finally got around to watching Made in Dagenham. I wanted to see it when it was first released back in 2010 but I just never got around to it.

If you don't know, it's about the 1968 strike at Ford Dagenham where the women working in the factory went on strike for the right to equal pay. If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend it. It's an empowering little film.

I also have quite an attachment to Dagenham as I lived there for 3 months during a school placement earlier this year. The best chicken shop in the world is there (opposite the garage attached to Wood Lane Morrison's, if you're interested). The man in there always gave me an extra hot wing and I had Chicken Wednesday every week. Anyway, I digress. (Though it was amazing chicken).

As it's set in the last years of the 60s, it also has an amazing wardrobe department! I've been obsessed with the 60s since I was a little girl so this film has really inspired me.

Here are just some of my favourite looks.

1. I have just bought a Topshop skirt in the sales. However, although it's a lovely shape, it is brown and I've never worn brown before. I was at a bit of a loss as to what to wear with it and then Rita, the heroine of the film, turns up wearing this almost identical skirt:
Conveniently, I have a vintage white broderie Anglais blouse lurking in the spare room somewhere. I reckon I could team it with a white cardigan (I have one of those too) for a warm winter look.

Rita (played by Sally Hawkins) is a striking factory worker so she wears the same clothes time and again in the film- a detail that I think many costume designers forget about. Later in the film she teams the skirt with a white polo shirt and a floral blouse, both accompanied by a white belt.

2. Rita does own some more fancy clothes though. Here she is in a gorgeous powder blue minidress with lace collar and sleeves.


Interestingly, that lovely last image shows Eastbourne pier in almost the identical spot that my fiance proposed to me (we were on a hotel balcony just behind shot).

3. Jaime Winstone appears in this film as aspiring model Sally. Sally loves her miniskirts and she loves to be noticed. As she says "This ain't Knightsbridge, this is Dagenham. If you want to get spotted, then you got to stand out that little bit more".
These floral hotpants are incredible. If only I had the legs to pull off something like that!
4. My favourite styling goes to Brenda (Andrea Riseborough). Her beehive is incredible and she has such a sassy style. This black and yellow outfit is my absolute favourite from the whole film.

Apart from the clothes, there are also some amazing hairstyles, particularly from the posh, wealthy Lisa (Rosamund Pike). I actually have a pair of earrings similar to these which makes me very excited!
Then there's this cute ponyail style which is lovely. I'll give it a go soon, I think. It looks fairly simple.
I couldn't possibly begin to list every style tip or idea I got from this film. There's just too much to see at once. I'll have to watch it another couple of times to take it all in. For now, though, I have plenty of ideas to play around with.

Becky.
xx

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