This winter I'm gonna be a femme fatale

One of my favourite things about fashion is getting into character, adapting a look from an era and channelling it through your clothes, hair and make-up (but obviously keeping it a little modern in some way to avoid 'just walked off a film set syndrome'). For that reason I am in love with the whole 1940s trend this winter. Red lips, elaborate hair dos, floor length dresses, Dior - esque full skirts; heaven in my eyes. Although fashion in the 1940s largely reflected the turmoil of that decade, the lasting image of 40s fashion is that of the Hollywood sirens and the seductive glamour of Film Noir.

Those femme fatales of the silver screen, are some of the most loved throughout Hollywood history. Lauren Bacall, Veronica Lake, Ingrid Bergman, Katherine Hepburn to name a few, were the red lipped vixens who inspired this years autumn/winter collections. Gucci, Dior, Roberto Cavalli, Louis Vuitton and Valentino all had obvious 1940's elements and several collections had floor length satin gowns reminiscent of those worn in 40's cinema.

Uber - glamorous a/w 2007 pieces inspired by 1940's screen sirens (From top - Just Cavalli, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Dior, Gucci and Valentino)

To achieve the sultry glamour of 40's femme fatales -

Some fashionable looks of the 40s - Rita Hayworth in a dazzling floor length dress, shirt and belted skirt combination as worn by Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall wears a trench and scarf for fashionable day wear and Lana Turner is the epitome of Hollywood excess and grown up glamour in the final two pictures.

Veronica lake, Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner are still much loved Hollywood icons today

Of course in many ways 40's style is defined by it's iconic hair and make up rather then it's clothes, for indeed it is the signature hair and makeup of this era which is often how it is identified, for it can regularly get muddled between the 30's and 50's fashions.

Veronica Lake's peekaboo hairdo is obviously the most celebrated, as the a/w catwalks will tell us, as so many shows looked to her for inspiration. Hair was central to the 1940's look, elaborate 'dos finished off every look. Side partings and glossy waves smouldered on the silver screen. Of course make up was a major element too - matte red lipstick, well groomed brows, lashings of eyeliner and false lashes for extra seduction.

(I fully own up to going a bit heavy on the pictures for this post, but really there is no point talking about the femme fatales and their sinuous gowns when there are just so may jaw - dropping -ly fabulous pictures.)

Iconic - Veronica Lake