The Bridget Jones' style

By Daniela Oliveira*

Helen Fielding's book cover which inspired the movie .

The movie Bridget Jones's Diary, an Anglo-American co-production, directed by Sharon Maguire, starts almost like in the Helen Fielding's best seller. With a hangover and several kilos more because of the New Years orgy parties, the nearly anti-heroin Bridget (the Texan Renee Zellweger, perfect as a Londoner, with the accent and everything else) goes to turkey curry buffet from some friends of the family, ready - but not so much - for the eventual questions about her unsuccessful love life.

She arrives covered with an overcoat and a scarf. And at the same time, receives a summons from the hostess, Una Alconbury (Celia Imrie), to dress something more appropriated. The result is a scarlet match of a dungaree and a shirt, so flowered as the curtains of many English homes, that makes the girl feels very uncomfortable. And worst, her mother Pam (Gemma Jones) and the friends, moved with Bridget's bachelordom, try to arrange her with the politically correct lawyer, specialised in Human Rights, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).

Bridget : wrong outfits and bad impression.

He would even be attractive backwards, but when he turns to be introduced to Bridget, revels a woollen pullover with a reindeer printed on it. This first meeting has caused a bad impression on both. According to Mark's own words, Bridget dresses so badly as her vulgar mother (!!!). Hate at the first sight.

That is not the only one moment that the wrong outfits, in the occasions which should be right, disturb Bridget's life. The search for the perfect outfit, including underwear, permeates the adventures of the most famous occidental Balzac woman, who is filling with crowds the movie theatres in Europe and United States.

Different movie posters for England and USA.

Bridget Jones is a Londoner office girl, works in the publicity department of a famous book publishing company and has a soft spot for her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). In spite of promising to herself not to fall in temptation of sleeping with him, one nice day she decides to go to the office wearing a black mini skirt and a transparent top... Daniel, a typical yuppie, casual chic style, is a born lady-killer and doesn't withstand such voluptuousness.

She fights with the weighting apparatus from the beginning to the end, but doesn't let the fact of being plump mean being less sexy. Dares in necklines, transparencies and revealing dresses. Bridget is the mirror of the Londoner high street woman. She admits in the book, being a daughter of the Cosmopolitan culture: she dresses herself in stores like Warehouse and Miss Selfridges, buys basics at Marks & Spencer and ventures in lingerie in special moments. She questions the real convenience in spending less in department stores… After all, why should she buy clothes that she doesn't even like so much, if for the price of 3 or 4 pieces, she could have a top from a real "in" store? Ok, but Bridget doesn't earn so much to allow herself this luxury and, like most of the women, has to join price and convenience. Ends up with some items stuck in her wardrobe.

Black, grey and pastel shades (and huge pyjamas to stay at home devouring fattening things and Chardonnay wine glasses, of course!) dominate her winter wardrobe. Many of the professionals of the English capital follow Bridget's primer: reserved tailleurs, discreet jewellery and black woollen overcoats, in the depth of the winter, can unusually come with a pair of sexy sandals, that leave a question in the air: "how can they?" And it isn't just during the working hours - but mainly at the party hours - the Londoner doesn't let the cold waves spoil the effect. The motto is: always powerful when needed, who cares about the rain?

Pied à Terre's shoes, in a common London office and streets style. The desire of being sexy doesn't care about the weather forecast.

But, besides her loving misadventures, Bridget has good faithful friends. Among them, is Jude, who lives between heaven and hell with her boyfriend, but has a successful career, thanks God. She doesn't care about spending and in a passage of the book, saves our heroin in a certain fatidic party - the Mark Darcy's parents Ruby Wedding. Bridget has the accessories - stretch pantyhose and shoes from Pied à Terre but misses the principal: the dress. A classic black from her wealthy friend is the solution. And she feels as fancy as the party. But as Bridget's life isn't a pink cloud, the model inspires the following comment from Natasha, Darcy's escort: "A John Rocha? From last fall?? I recognise the hem!".

Poison apart, that doesn't spoil the happy ending that waits for Miss Jones. Who, in spite of her mortal imperfection, lives in London and, therefore, wins with improvisation and own style .

The Bridget Jones's Diary arrived at the European and North American screens in April, and has the première forecasted in Brazil in August. Official site: http://entertainment.msn.com/bridget/. More Bridget in http://www.bridgetjones.co.uk and http://spring.net/karenr/mdbro/bjd.html.

Daniela Oliveira has been living in London for 3 years and is a freelancer journalist.