The anti-heroine of Hart Of Dixie did an incredible Southern Belle. And by stealing these tips from Lemon’s style book, y’all can too!
BY NABANITA DUTT
Lemon Breeland – the haughty, snooty, golden-haired bitch of Bluebell, Alabama. Like Scarlet O’Hara, caught in the throes of the American Civil War, Lemon survives scandals and skirmishes breaking out in her personal life, and in the lives of the residents of Bluebell, and she does it with such guts and perseverance, our imagination has romanticized this character from the TV show Hart Of Dixie as the epitome of Southern charm and nostalgic Southern pride.
Lemon Breeland rules her town as principle `belle’ – maintaining South’s antebellum traditions with `pink tea parties’, bake sales and other fundraising events that she micro-manages with a heavy hand and a whiplash tongue. Her personal grooming is spectacularly pristine, and she sets fashion standards for her community with a fabulously retro collection of pretty printed dresses and cardigan twin-sets that might well have been ordered from a 1950s catalogue.
Annabeth, Crickett and all the other certified `belles’ in town slavishly follow the style trends set by Lemon, but it is easy to spot her as the queen bee of the posse in any social gathering.
Lemon Breeland is a formidable sartorial force to reckon with, and here at Bodmin Magazine, we confess to feeling slightly intimidated by what we’re about to do: deconstruct Lemon Breeland’s signature look and create our own Lemon Lookbook. If you had been watching Hart Of Dixie, you know full well what’s it’s like to piss the lady off and languish forever in Lemon Purgatory…
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE TIP #1: THINK GRACE KELLY
After all, the Hollywood style icon, with her ultra-feminine dresses, tailored twin sets and calf-skimming, high-rise capris nipped sharply at the waist was the original style inspiration behind the Lemon Breeland look.
“I was doing a homage to Grace Kelly, when [the producers of Hart Of Dixie] said, ‘We would love to design Lemon after this,’” says Jamie King, who plays Lemon Breeland in the CW Television Network show. As King confessed during an interview with InStyle, Lemon’s look is definitely exaggerated to drive home a stylized version of the chic Southern belle and imbue the character with generous strokes of romantic nostalgia.
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE STYLE TIP #2: LIME AND LEMONY
A daddy’s girl who’s grown up being called “Lemon Meringue” and “Lemonade” by an adoring Dr Brick Breeland, Lemon seems most comfortable in lemony yellow colors that echo her name and subliminally establishes her unique identity.
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE STYLE TIP #3: GIRLIE PINKS AND WARM NUDES
Another of Lemon’s color choices that leaves a lasting impression is feminine pink – ranging from delicate salmon to a bold fuchsia that matches her hot pink lipstick. Often worn in monochrome sets, even her outfits in nude tones carry a hint of pinkish warmth to unify this style direction.
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE STYLE TIP #4: QUIRKY MOTIFS AND PRINTS
When Lemon is having an informal, carefree day, she is likely to be seen in a motley collection of quirky prints. From classic toile motifs of racing horses to birds, bunny rabbits, citrus fruits and gardens full of blooming florals, Lemon redeems her highly-structured style with a pinch of super-cute, whimsical humor.
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE STYLE TIP #5: VINTAGE CARDIGANS
How can someone bear to wear cardigans round the year in the hot, sweltering Alabama weather? Ask Lemon, because she probably has a cardigan to match every outfit in her closet, and she’s rocking them even while others are getting sunstrokes from extreme Alabama summer exposure.
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE STYLE TIP #6: CHOKERS AND DANGLERS
It’s hard to miss the statement-making necklaces and earrings Lemon finishes most of her outfits with. The chunky, bib-like chokers and stone-encrusted danglers carry a strong hint of retro – like the odd, vintage piece of romantic granny chic bauble we sometimes find stashed in an old cookie tin in the family attic.
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE STYLE TIP #7: BLINGY HAIR ACCESSORIES
Lemon’s expertly coiffed and curled hair is usually topped off with an elaborate hat, a blingy headband or a sequined barrette and we rarely see her head bereft of any adornment – unless she has flat-ironed her golden locks into a neat, chin-kissing bob.
LEMON’S SOUTHERN BELLE STYLE STYLE TIP #8: MAKE-UP
Lemon’s Hollywood glam look with arched, groomed eyebrows, wing-tip eyeliner, and bold red/pink lipstick has been created by Emmy-nominated Hollywood make-up artist Joni Powell.
On the right, you can see the two products that went into creating her mod-vintage Hart Of Dixie lips. (1) Tarte’s Lipsurgence Lip Tint in Lust (2) Tom Ford’s Private Blend Cherry Lust Lipstick.
As a Southern Belle myself, I could not agree more. What a gorgeous post with so amazing graphics! Look ahead for more posts like this.