Ilsa, Ilsa, Ilsa!

Coat: Thrifted (altered by me)

Boots: Stonefly

Every year on Valentine's Day, my husband and I watch Casablanca and eat pizza. Its a fine tradition. Some years we go to see it at the Brattle Theatre, but this year we just stayed home on the couch, but watched it none the less. No need for purchasing cards that will inevitably be thrown away soon thereafter. No need to buy roses that will wilt and die. And best of all, no mad dash to the store to prove how much we love each other...because we show one another that every day. Instead we indulge in comfort food and one of the best Hollywood movies ever made. This year was no exception. 

As we were watching Ilsa and Rick engage in their ill-fated love affair, I started thinking about how much I looove Ilsa's look, and always have. I even realized that a thrift store coat (which I bought and altered last year) looks alot like the one she wears when she returns back to Rick's Cafe in order to explain herself on that first night in Casablanca. I think its mostly the strong shoulders in the coats and also the way they fit in the waist and then go a-line down to the knee. 

 Anyway, every time she walked onto the screen I couldn't help but think 'I really like her outfit!' No surprise. First of all, Ingrid Bergman was a beautiful woman. Second, her wardrobe was pretty darn sharp. So here's a tribute to Ilsa, Ingrid Bergman, and the studio designers at Warner Brothers in the 40's. Inspiration for any day of the year, but especially on Valentine's Day. 

Image of Ilsa from Casablanca came from Hollywood Picks the Classics: A Guide for the Beginner and the Aficionado by Afton Fraser (2004)