Making its North American Debut this March, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is a vintage fashion lover’s dream come true, and if you also love a good murder mystery, then it’s perfect for your next big TV series addiction!
Well know Australian playwright and author Kerry Greenwood is the creator of the leading character Miss Phryne Fisher played by actress Essie Davis. The series gained its notoriety through 19 separate historical detective novels by Greenwood stretching back to the late 80s through to the production of the show.
The first thing I noticed about the show was Phryne’s charismatic style and attitude. She’s a classy woman with an unequaled fashion sense and a go-to attitude, without being pretentious or rude to those around her.
At the start of the first episode I wasn’t sure if I would like her. She seemed shallow, posh and materialistic for a short while, but her personality grew on me significantly as the episode progressed and her character was slowly introduced over the course of the first engaging story line. As you find our more about Miss Fisher, her origins and her own self discovery, and continued growth throughout the series – her antics, wit and style become something to look forward to more and more. She’s intelligent, logical, a master of deductive reasoning and fights for women’s equality, all while dressed in a huge variety of fun and playful period outfits.
She’s very modern for the times, a little too modern for some of her cohorts and friends but she becomes exceedingly refreshing when compared to the world around her. She’s a sexy and open minded woman, comfortable with herself, her body and her decisions. Her confidence is so contagious it constantly changes and forms the other characters around her, persuading them to become their own personal bests.
Everyone around her seems to get more stylish as the series goes on, just by their proximity to Miss Fisher.
She dabbles in the burlesque in a very Pulf Fiction way (Pulp Fiction novels and the film if you like) with guns and lingerie, see-through tops, flapper style dresses, interesting headwear and high heeled shoes. My favorite dress is this sheer flapper style ensemble, complete with garter-belt, inner thigh holster and a handy backup dagger. The silver coin headband, middle eastern inspired, is an awesome addition and the tiny scarf necklace doubles as a feminine looking tie for an added air of “I mean business”.
My other favorite character in the series is her more masculine dressed Dr. Mac, Miss Fisher’s long time friend. She wear’s a lot of neutral tones but her rebellious style makes her a great character and maintains a lot of mysteriousness. Her suits are usually flattering and accessorized with touches of femininity like lipstick, headwear and ascots.
Miss Fisher of course just seethes femininity, but never lets her clothing get in the way of her sleuthing.
I highly recommend the show to anyone! The acting, set design, style, characters and story lines are all amazing. You can check out more about the first season of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries DVDs here, or for you book lovers like me, check out Miss Phryne Fisher series here.
