Vintage Bel: Inspiration for a Monday

I love Poiroit - both Agatha Christies books and the series for television starring David Suchet.

Not only is it the clothing that I love, but the sets are always perfect. The props and costume/make-up departments always make me believe the story all the more. In my quest to steal the style of all the lovely ladies and a bit of Poirot's OCD I have put together some basic information and some good references for those who have also been put under Poirot's spell.

Here is Hercule Poirot in the one I watched most recently Death in the Clouds (a murder is committed on a flight from Paris to London)

Here is where Poirot lives in London and works from. In the series the apartments are referred to as Whitehaven Mansions but are in actual fact: Florin Court, on Charterhouse Square in Clerkenwell. It was built in 1936 by Guy Morgan and Partners. Poirot's address is 56B/28 Whitehaven Mansions, London and his phone number is Trafalgar 8137.

Here is the view from an apartment in the building currently for sale for 250 000 pounds. Follow this link the view the property details. Note the pool and roof terrace photos on the link.

Here we see Poirot having his breakfast in his apartment. He has a boiled egg and a piece of toast cut into 9 squares (no crusts) each with a small blob of jam on (this I have seen in the one where Poirot goes to his country house for the weekend).

This is a clear shot of the perfection with which Poirot dresses. He always wears a well-tailored suit - even to the beach and has a fresh posy in his lapel pin (specially made for the series and often refered to as "tussie mussie"). Poirot accouterments are always spotless and he is definitely of the maxim"less is more" and "quality over quantity". In many episodes Poirot is showed alining his dressing table items, removing non-existent fluff from his sleeve, waxing his mustache and husbanding his gloves. A lesson I could well learn as when I come home mostly I "dump" all of my bags and kick my shoes off! Here is a link that will give your more information on David Suchet's Poirot and his costume.

Poirot is inevitably brought a case when he is about to go on a holiday, is coming down with a cold or is about to take a reprieve (though most begrudgingly). Often Poirot stories feature a beautiful women in some sort of trouble, a older and more suspicious aunt, a bohemian man, a foreign medical/science/business man and occasionally an aging colonel.

Here are some of the women I have found to be most intriguing and have me reaching for high-waisted paints, shawls and finger-waving my hair (or attempting to).

I am also pleased to note that there aee thousands of images on the web of Poirot style and stills from all of the episodes/films. There is even quite a few games following Poirot quests - here are a few stills - some of them looking quite realistic: