Britsh Retro Vintage Fenella Fielding Halloween - bodycon pencil dresses, bodycon, pencil, dressesForgive me, I cannot repress the urge to share cheesy jokes, but I always have the very good manners to apologise afterwards. On this occasion I refuse to apologise. In my defence, I will direct the jury to the sumptuous, cut glass tones of Miss Fenella Fielding in a Twitter clip from a while back. Such perfect comedy timing, that delicious raspy voice mixed with the precise delivery of an old school classically trained actor, she could really deliver a comic line. Fenella Fielding, who died last month at the splendid age of 91, was a consummate professional. She worked right up to the end of her life, appearing in all sorts of shows from classic theatre, to Morecambe and Wise, and Radio 4’s Just a Minute. She turned down an offer to work with Frederico Fellini as she was already booked to perform at Chichester Festival Theatre! Her career could have been very different had she bailed on a local British theatre in favour of the Italian film maker. She never married or had children, but carried on affairs with two lovers at the same time. Duplicitous? Certainly. But both relationships lasted for twenty years, so at least she was constant in her affections.

The Fenella we all know and love is the comedy vamp, that glorious cocktail of milky skin, heavy eyeliner, chestnut bouffant hair and crimson lips. In ‘Carry on Screaming’ she reclines on a chaise longue in a clinging scarlet dress and asks a bumbling Harry H Corbett, “Do you mind if I smoke?” Clouds emanate from around her body as she writhes on the couch, all moue mouth and talon nailed fingers beckoning. Totally irresistible. I think that is our Halloween look sorted, right there, don’t you think? Recreate the look in one of our beautiful bodycon pencil dresses, in vivid scarlet or sumptuous black satin. Wear with heels and begin backcombing your hair and practising the flicky eyeliner right now!