3-8-2026 MY INSPO: golden girls

- March 08, 2026

this week i found inspiration in some fucking awesome women, as well as the bronze-gold vibes of the 2000s, and what the bridgerton woman would like in 2026...

the great femmes

in honor of international women's day - today, and women's history month, here are 10 women, some fictional, some real, that serve as style icons, role models, and muses in my life.

bridget jones - the realest fictional character

bratz - and their passion 4 fashion

jenna ortega - our goth queen and film intellectual

carrie bradshaw - i rebuke the gen z hate toward her!

lindsay lohan - she shaped our childhood

princess diana - no one can top her

vivian ward (pretty woman), but also julia roberts period.

brontë sisters - so relevant we're remaking thirst trap films

miuccia prada - she is a philosopher first, then designer.
a woman dressing women, with intention and intellect.

coco chanel - controversial, but culturally relevant.
let's not brush away her murky history tied with nazis.
women can be villains too.
and this villain revamped womenswear 100 years ago

golden noughties

a specific aesthetic has been stuck in my mind this week. we're going to hop back into my past for a moment:

back in croatia, middle school era, 2008-2010s, we used to go visit cousins in the village about 15 minutes away from our house. the cousins - including two daughters 15 years older than us, always had stacks of up-to-date womens' magazines: gloria, elle, ljepota i zdravlje (beauty and health), and other croatian magazines. after working all day in the field (child labor - yes!) with the parents, and feeling un-fabulous, i loved grabbing those magazines off their coffee table and completely ignoring the adults talking. who didn't love the perfume samples? i loved the juicy romance stories, but most importantly - the fashion and editorials.

i don't remember anything particular other than the super-bronzed skinny goddesses. their tan always glowing, with a fresh blowout and a sexy skimpy outfit. usually, dresses made from pure gold and rhinestones (what it felt like to me) and strappy heel sandals. they were usually pictured with hunky men or in a club setting, where their hair flowed freely and their dresses sparked like firecrackers. i could hear it, i could smell it - certain songs and perfumes evoke those pictures.

another magazine f/w 2011
ajak deng photographed by paolo roversi

how do i add this golden sexiness into my life? i created a playlist that would make you feel like adriana lima in her prime of the 2000s. of course, this is basically the mcbling or y2k generic playlist. but there's sentiment for me, reminding me always of the dream girl with long legs and the perfect tan.

speaking of tan - this look needs a special makeup look: bronzer, shimmer, dewy makeup, not heavy but accentuating. hair needs a victoria's secret blowout. i need to completely manifest this look, so i created a couple looks from my wardrobe - including makeup inspo:

new york & co ribbed knit off-shoulder dress, with shimmer.
2000s raffia and metallic wedges
micro purse a la jacquemus from urban outfitters

staud dress with gold coins on hem
vintage purse
marc fisher suede heels with gold accent heel

jovani dress
pouch purse from croatia (with removable strap - in this case it would be)
vintage sandal heels

nicole miller liquid gold satin dress
justfab d'orsay stilettos with gold heel
vintage magazine clutch

here are some fashion photography archives from this era that give a glimpse of gold, found on anne of carversville:

vogue germany 2012 'murphy's law'
carloyn murphy photographed by alexi lubomirski

sunday style magazine 2013 'fifty shades of play'
kim riekenberg photographed by darren mcdonald

marie claire spain july 2011 'new age'
regina feoktistova photographed by david roemer

i-d april 2010
abbey lee kershaw photographed by emma summerton

playing fashion june 2010
anu koski photographed by emma tempest

glamour poland october 2011
zuzanna bijoch photographed by raphael delorme & thierno sy
styled by ina lekiewicz

numéro 122 april 2011
magdalena frackowiak photographed by liz collins

vogue us december 2007 'the luster factor'
doutzen kroes photographed by patrick demarchelier

tush spring 2011 'viktoriya the great'
viktoriya sasokina photographed by txema yeste

exit ss 2011 'a narcissistic ballad'
britt maren photographed by hugh lippe

woman magazine spain june 2011 'brillos'
bekah jenkins photographed by richard ramos

lady whistledown would have a finsta

dearest gentle reader,

as we finish another end of a sparkling season, one may only wonder - how can a lady find her own dazzling match in the new era? we know garments do not make a woman, noble or not. however, every lady must admit that the perfect pair of heels feels like a fairytale fit. garments tell stories, we've seen all the characters at the bridgerton masked ball.

can one, in the digitized time, translate their polyester garments into a noblewoman dream? this author did her own digital research and looked within. if you were to see the author in passing, these might even be the sensible ensembles one would, or perhaps should, per societal norm, wear.

yours, with a keen eye for unconventional attire,

lady whistledown