style idol: nancy drew

Nancy Drew in the Now

I know I've said this twice now, but here we go again: THIS WAS THE HARDEST ONE.  This time it wasn't because of cover art (clearly, I was working from naught but my own imagination), nor was it due to my own conflicting memories.  No, this difficulty was due to the fact that fashion terrifies me.  In the earlier posts, I was looking backwards and thinking like an historian, which I can do, since I am an historian.  However, when it comes to modern stuff, I am an infant.  I mean, I did it, but now I never want to see another pair of shoe for the rest of my life.

Anyway!  The biggest decision was whether to put Nancy in pants again or go back to skirts.  I went with trousers because that's the direction in which the cover art was moving when I last read new Nancy Drews.  I tried to class it up, however, and made a point to get Nancy back in some heels.  Return her to her roots, if you will.  I also updated her tech!  Considerably!  I knew I needed to get a smart phone in there, and I went with the Palm Pre because my techie friend Adam has one, and he swears by it.  All I know is that it can run multiple apps, and I betcha Nancy would dig that.  I decided to give her a snazzy Kate Spade necklace and matching earrings because I think we can all agree that Nancy is the type of gal who wears matching sets of jewelry.  And makes them work.

Speaking of returning to roots, I also decided to return Nancy to her roadster roots, and opted for a Mini-Cooper convertible.  Nancy always had a new car, so I built this baby over on the Mini website.  It was for Nancy, you understand, and not at all because those things are hella fun to build.

And that's that!  There you have it, Nancy's fashion through the ages.  I hope everyone has enjoyed reading these as much as I have making them.  If I've whetted your appetite for Nancy, there's a lot out there.  I for one am shamelessly addicted to the computer games--they are so well made and such fun.  The classic books in audio are now read by Laura Linney, who does a fantastic job (I'll be listening to The Hidden Staircase on my drive to South Carolina this Sunday).  I should note that I do a lot of laughing when I read or listen to classic Nancy Drew books, mainly because Nancy excels at EVERYTHING.  If you're at all interested in the story behind Nancy Drew, then I HIGHLY recommend Girl Sleuth by Melanie Rehak.  It's a fabulous book, and it reads a little like a mystery itself.

Sources:
New Feminine cotton blouse by DAY Berger et Mikkelsen, $220
Check Pants by Junya Watanabe, $680
Ringsend Heels by Anthropologie, $90
Javanica Tote by Anthropologie, $88
It Takes All Sorts Triple Necklace by Kate Spade, $125
It Takes All Sorts Stud by Kate Spade, $38
Palm Pre by Palm, $149.99
Magnifying Glass from Amazon, $9.95
A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Lilien for being the perfect style reference for my feeble brain.
(I went through a LOT of items making these sets.  You can browse the stuff that didn't make the cut here)

*this is the fifth and final post in a series on the fashion of Nancy Drew.  Browse full series: 1930s-1950s-1970s-1990s-Now