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Style Inspired by Shirley Maclaine in ‘Gambit’

29 Mar Style Inspired by Gambit

Style Inspired by Gambit

  1. Scarab Pendant Earrings $224 at NoirJewelry.com
  2. 5 Color Harmony for Eyes – 13 Candy by YSL $56 at Sephora.com
  3. Black and Gold Suede Platform Sandals by Marc Jacobs $420 at Stylebop.com
  4. Spring 2009 RTW Collection by Tibi find on eBay.com

Dear Yolo,

I caught Gambit (1966) the other day on Netflix Instant to feed my Michael Caine obsession which was ignited by watching Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon imitate him in The Trip (if you haven’t seen that, you must immediately. It’s hilarious. I think I’ve seen it like, six times now. ).

It stars Michael Caine as cockney (way to push the envelope, Caine!) cat burgler Harry Dean and a young, crazily gorgeous Shirley Maclaine as Hong Kong dancer Nicole Chang.  It’s a light-hearted caper flick where cat burgler guy uses the good-hearted babe as bait for this mega rich middle eastern dude so he can steal a priceless artifact that belongs to the mega rich guy. And you’ll never guess what happens next! It’s not bad, but it’s not good. Yet, for some reason it got three Oscar nominations that year.

Persian Blue Bolero $36 at A-hem Vintage at Etsy.com

Persian Blue Bolero $36 at A-hem Vintage at Etsy.com

So while the storyline was pretty blah, I was totally enamored with the look of the film. MacLaine looks FLAWLESS.  Seriously, I had no idea she used to be so hot! The movie is of that era where any place aside from Europe was lumped under the nebulous header ‘The Orient’.  Characters in the movie, the sets and Maclaine’s look are a bizarre, made for Western-consumption mish-mash of pretty much every culture and country that exists from Japan to India to Saudi Arabia . Though it’s hardly accurate, (or politically correct) the stylized look is colorful, exotic and completely beguiling.

I was totally inspired by the look and since I already was BORN rocking the whole Eurasian thing… why not go all the way?

Isn’t that Persian Blue Bolero so cool? Click here to visit A-hem Vintage’s Etsy store. Lots of great vintage prints and I just noticed…20% off until April 1st. The code is their homepage.

p.s. Get ready for the re-make of Gambit with Cameron Diaz playing Maclaine’s role. Guaranteed it won’t have the charm and style of the original.  Can someone please come up with some original movies?

Style inspired by Gambit, Shirley Maclaine

click to enlarge graphic


  1. Floral One-Shoulder Dress $120 by Oasis at Oasis-stores.com
  2. Matte Gold Filigree Dangle Earring $23 from JulianaWJewelry at Etsy.com
  3. All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner $20 by Stila at Sephora.com
  4. Lollipop by Essie $8 at Duane Reade or Walgreen’s
  5. 18k Gold over Stainless Steel Filigree Design Cuff Bracelet $21.24 at Overstock.com
  6. Red Dragon & Phoenix Cheongsam $99 at MyiDress.com
  7. Ariadne Earrings $35 from SacredGallery at Esty.com
  8. Gold Coin Necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane $92 ON SALE at Net-a-porter.com
  9. Oriental Floral Dress by Oasis $129 at Oasis-stores.com