Ideas for 1940's Film Noir Fancy Dress? Desperate!

[Lovestosing]

I'm going to a friend's 40th in a month and the theme is Film Noir, I am already paying for a hotel, travel costs plus several meals so my budget is quite tight. Fancy dress shops in this town are awful, the quality is horrendous and I suspect people at the party will be spending a lot of money on outfits. Does anyone have any ideas for me? I am completely stumped, I feel like not going to be honest!

Thanks, I have looked for images but although I've seen lovely outfits I can't see me spending anything less than a fortune!

What kind of things do you have already?

You may be able to use your regular clothes, arranged in a different way, plus red lipstick, a fedora, and a cigarette holder.

Tight pencil skirt, tucked in blouse (silky ideally), heels, stockings with seams, lots of lipstick. That's a hard-boiled secretary look: very Barbara Stanwyck. Adding a fedora, as above, would be great.

Or if you have wide legged slouchy trousers, tucked in top (long sleeved t would be fine), brogues. Hugely Katharine Hepburn. She was very under-stated.

Evening wear is harder as you'd have to buy it, and yes, probably v. expensive to buy from scratch.

See if your local charity shop has a trench coat. That, belted, over clothes & a fedora type hat (also charity shop), loads of lippy, seamed stockings / tights & heels.

Love those ideas, thank you! I have a pencil skirt and heels of course, just need to find the rest!

Try ebay

I want to go to this party.
I have all my great granny's beautiful black silk evening dresses in the attic and nowhere to wear them too.

Lindy Bop have loads of noir style dresses in sale for less than |£20