The Normal People obsession continues…

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My fascination and admiration for Daisy Edgar Jones started long before I watched Normal People. Daisy is the daughter of a very lovely man called Phil that my husband and I had the pleasure of working with for many years at Endemol. I remember Daisy coming to the office when she was about 11, around the time I was pregnant with my first baby, Olivia, and I remember thinking how much I loved the name Daisy. I think Liv would have been Daisy if it hadn’t been for an ex-girlfriend with the same name. (His, not mine!)

Fast forward 14 years (yikes) and I read about Daisy being a rising star in the acting world. So of course I couldn’t wait to watch her in Normal People, and as I am sure you’ll agree if you have watched it, she is a real talent. Phil and his lovely wife Wendy must be bursting with pride.

I gobbled the entire series in a day, then when I finished it I berated myself for not making it last. (I tend to do this with chocolate and cake too…) I wasn’t alone. According to Fiona Campbell, the controller of BBC Three, a significant proportion of people watched all the episodes in the first 24 hours.

I haven’t read the book, but I have heard mixed reviews. A few people, my mum included, found the book a little frustrating and repetitive. I can see why. There were moments of frustration watching the series and even though I was gripped from start to finish I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with the ending. I won’t give anything away, in case you haven’t seen it or finished yet, but I will just say that I am a hopeless romantic and a sucker for ‘happily ever after’…

I think the reason I was so gripped by the series is largely because of Daisy and Paul Mescal and their incredible performances. At times I felt like I shouldn’t be watching because I was right there, in the room with them. I don’t think I have ever watched such intimate and real sex scenes in a film. I think many of us who are beyond the target age for the series (16-34) found ourselves reminiscing about past relationships, and being transported back to our first experiences of love. A part of me felt sad that that time in my life has long since passed. Another part of me felt sad that I hadn’t met Paul Mescal age 23 and an even bigger part felt sad that I was old enough to be his mother!

I was particularly gripped by the scenes set in Italy. Marianne’s dresses, the beautiful villa, (which I read you can rent on Airbnb for £31 a night. My guess is not for long!) their romantic bike ride to the local village. Swoon. For all of us locked in our houses, with no holiday plans on the horizon, it was a much needed escape. I found myself dreaming up our next holiday in Italy and packing my virtual suitcase.

Then when I received a message this morning asking me for a Normal People fashion blog, I couldn’t wait to get going. So let’s start with Daisy’s black dress. A summer essential. You simply can’t beat a black sundress on holiday. I love the way she paired her black dress with white pumps. Perfect footwear for a bike ride. Superga are always an excellent choice of trainers for pairing with dresses if you like to keep your look feminine.

The Black Summer Dress

The bad news is I can’t find Marianne’s exact dress, but I have found some lovely black dresses for summer. I’ve included a few dresses with covered shoulders as I know not everyone likes to have their arms on display.

The White Broderie Dress

My guess is that Marianne’s white broderie dress is a vintage find though I could be wrong. I thought the Boden dress below was lovely if you are looking for a dress this shape. It has a lovely scalloped trim and is on sale.

While I was looking for ‘Normal People’- inspired dresses, I stumbled across these Rhode sale pieces and I thought they were too good not to share. (Nothing whatsoever to do with the blog topic, apart from the fact that I think Daisy would look incredible in these dresses.) I am huge fan of Rhode, but at full price they are a little beyond my budget.

I may have just purchased my first Rhode dress. Can you guess which one? Well that’s it from me. I still haven’t found anything to watch that comes close to Normal People, so I may just watch it all again! And if you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for?

Love,

Chloe x