Today I have a new instalment in my 'Fashion Fancies' series, in which I take a fictional or historical character and put together some outfits I imagine they would wear. Previously I've created looks for Catherine Howard, Cathy Dollanganger, Wednesday Addams and Mia Thermopolis, and I honestly can't believe I never thought of Daisy Buchanan before now! She's absolute ideal as a character because of the period The Great Gatsby is set in, that is to say the roaring twenties. I love twenties fashion, and when I did my history project/essay on the history of European fashion last year it was by far my favourite decade to research and write about. It's so opulent and decadent, all the more so when you remember that the 1910s and 1930s were both relatively austere and functional.

Daisy Buchanan is not the main character of The Great Gatsby, but she's very much central to the storyline. A beautiful young woman from a rich family, she fell in love with Jay Gatsby during the war and promised to wait for him to come back from fighting but then married Tom Buchanan, a man from an aristocratic family who could promise her a wealthy lifestyle. Her cousin, Nick Carraway, eventually finds out that the extravagant parties that the mysterious Mr Gatsby puts on at his mansion in New York are all to impress Daisy, in the hope that she might decide to come to one of them. Daisy is rather notorious for being an unlikeable character. She's shallow, vapid, excessively indolent and seems to care for nothing other than parties and beautiful dresses - which makes her wonderful to dress.

One of the major 'episodes' towards the end of the narrative only happens because Daisy insists they go into town on one sweltering day. I think she would probably have worn something practical yet opulent, such as these amazing velvet shorts and chiffony top. Accessories are of course essential - a black cloche hat, for instance, and practical flat t-bar shoes.

This dress is probably the most authentically twenties of the lot: it has the distinctive drop waistline and medium length, with elaborate beading and details. The shoes match perfectly and again are a classic t-bar style with low heels. To me this screams partywear like nothing else and it's exactly the kind of thing I imagine Daisy would have worn to finally attend one of Gatsby's famous parties.

This was kind of an invented outfit since there isn't a part in the story where they all go clubbing or anything, but I like to think it's a modern take on the twenties vibe. To be honest anything with sequins or geometric patterns fits the bill, especially this glitzy top. And I bet Daisy would have gone wild for a perfume with her name, like the Daisy by Marc Jacobs scent!

Even with such an enormous house to wander around in, I'm sure Daisy would have had nights where she couldn't sleep and decided to go for a walk in the grounds. The green light at the end of the Buchanan's dock is hugely significant as a symbol of hope in the novel, so I like to imagine she might have wandered down to the dock to stand by the green light so that Gatsby, on the other side of the bay, might have been able to make out her silhouette.

I could probably write a whole fanfic on Gatsby mini episodes or Things That Might Have Happened In The Novel, ahahaha.

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