Urban Noir: Rock Chick Meets 50s Classy Lady *

-This post is in collaboration-

Back in the 40's and 50's, noir was a cinematic style. It was musky, dark, gloomy, mysterious and always intriguing. Audiences were captivated by the smoke, the classy women who were also deadly dangerous. Perhaps for the first time women were depicted as not so dainty and delicate. Scheming beauty, women weren’t afraid to play the evil character in film and finally this style brought up new challenges for viewers. The style of dress many of the women wore was that of a classy woman, alluring, tempting yet someone who carried themselves with dignity. They wore blouses, blazers and most importantly skirts. Skirts that were somewhat snug but they also wore draped skirts too but normally inside. This gave a parallel view to the audience, innocent and sweet indoors but out in the open she was someone you should not second guess. In this day and age, styles are merging and now you have the opportunity to mix rock chick with classy noir.

The Mr. moto

There are all kinds of tops you can wear to mix the noir style with the newer urban or rock fashion. However, if you’re going to do it right you should be wearing black leather. However, punk leather jackets have a lot going on, they’re supposed to drown the onlooker in attitude and rebellion. Yet, for the merge to happen successfully you have to look at bold lines and jackets that are thicker than their counterparts. Of course, Mr. moto jacket is one of the top choices. It's simple yet it's got a flare to it that instantly says, urban rocker. It's also got a little bit of the motorcycle gang look to it. Or perhaps you would like the modern high waist long arms leather jacket that is worn mostly with dark jeans. This is something that again, won’t be overpowering and take the center stage but it will be something you can wear to staple the overlook outfit. Granted because of it's color and material, it's perhaps the one item that won’t be forgotten about the urban noir vibe.

Gotta get somewhere

All urban styles come out of large cities and mainly the capitals of Europe and America. You need something that will fit the modern lifestyle of the metropolitan woman but also, not be too casual. Trainers are far too casual for this look. Black leather jacket and running shoes don’t really blend together as you can imagine. However, something that is more classy yet still comfortably urban, are Vans shoes. It's recommended that you get a white pair of sneakers for this outfit as you will balance out the powerful dark shade of your top. The authentic - unisex model is perfect. The heel is not too low for it to be a slip-on, which would be too casual. The face of the shoe is flat and slightly rising and the high volume of lace holes make sure it's not too casual and distinctly urban. 

The classy addition

This would not be a noir outfit if not for the skirt, but which kind should you have? It has to have the classic drape style and it has to be slightly snug. This particular knee length pencil skirt is the modern variation of the noir skirt. It has an asymmetric drape with detailed rings that clearly show a point of difference. This is perhaps a mix of the indoors and outdoor classic noir skirt as from the front it looks ruffled and from the back it's the classic plain straight shape. You have to see it from different angles to get the true picture of the overall outfit. It adds a little class and mysteriousness.

The hallmark

Watch any noir film and you’ll see the hallmark of the killer, the evil trickster and venomous flower. The woman you’d least suspect of being the ‘bad guy’ is always wearing satin long gloves. This is something that will complete the entire outfit and finish it off with a classic 50s smokey murder mystery noir feel. There are of course many different styles as with all gloves but, go for any that have small bows up by the wrists. Lace designs are also recommended and in fact probably even more so due to the deceiving look of innocence they give off. 

The modern urban noir style is something that could of only come out of cities like New York and London. It's got attitude with the black leather jacket, the class of the draped skirt and the contemporary modern lifestyle addition of the sneakers. 

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