By Siobhan Lam

It is easy to be swept up in the hysteria of Valentine’s Day. Every media outlet in everyone’s vicinity is pushing the wondrous image of couple-dom and the only colours that seem to be acceptable are those favoured by Ms. Strawberry Shortcake.

So instead of our normal February Must Haves or Valentines Gift Guide approach, I’ve looked towards a medium that I have found to be more inspiring – film.

‘The Notebook’ is one of those sweeping love stories filled with desperate love and heartbreaking choices and if you have not seen it, do so immediately but that’s beside the point – the costumes are beautiful.

The film is set in the 30’s-40’s and fashion in that era focused on flattering the female form, in other words focus was on the waist and on creating that ‘hourglass’ shape. So let’s take that as our starting point and get a shopping…

Heart-Print Silk Dress, Anna Sui

The first dress on my wish-list happens to be my favourite and not surprisingly – the most expensive. Anna Sui is renowned for her fearless combinations of raucous patterns and this ‘Heart-Print Silk Dress’ (pictured, €444 net-a-porter.com) dress is no exception, the predominant pattern is a scattering of red confetti love hearts but she holds back just enough and keeps the rest of the palette dark navy blue.

The short capped sleeves and nipped-in waist work for the 40’s look and also promise a great silhouette for the wearer. Wear this with a pair of sky scraper red high heels, black waisted belt and a slick of red lipstick – a more sophisticated alternative to the stereotypical red dress this Valentine’s Day.

40s Print Dress, Oasis

If you love the idea of this dress but aren’t too keen on the price tag, never fear, Oasis have a great alternative for a fraction of the price (and if you are a student you get an extra 20% off at the moment!). The ‘40’s Print Dress’  is practically identical to the Anna Sui, with the same shape and colour palette – the pattern is more simplistic, (a leaf motif replaces the heart shapes) and it comes in at more realistic €56.

Frock of Love, Modcloth

For those of you still hankering after something a little more ‘romantic’, Modcloth.com have a sweet collection to choose from at the moment. The ‘Frock of Love’ ($59.99) dress is beyond adorable, with a flattering low neckline, fitted waist and a choice of red or blue gingham fabric but it was the back of the dress that really won me over. It is dominated by a huge heart-shaped cut-out which really leaves no room for a bra but with the day that’s in it – why not go without?

Black and white underwear set from Topshop

While lingerie around this time is usually associated with crotch-less knickers and  black lace parading as fully functioning bras, this year – why not buy an undie set that you actually like and not one that disappears in the dark recesses of your drawers after one tentative outing (oh that Catholic guilt is strong!)?

Taking my lead from Rachel McAdam’s two piece (above), I fell for a black and white underwear set from Topshop. The double ruffle on the bra and the polka dots give it a 40’s feel without losing its element of fun. The set costs €32 all together and trust me, he’ll love it, but more importantly you will!

“Julia doesn’t do tongue”, anewspace

Now I know that a lot of ladies detest this time of year and all the slush that it entails and the last thing they want to do is go out and buy themselves a new dress…but how about a shiny new piece of art?

Possibly the coolest shop in our capital, anewspace (on Chatham Street in Dublin 2) currently has an art show on in store called ‘julia doesn’t do tongue’. The show is a sort of exploration into the painful and sometimes dark nature of love and features some of Ireland’s most promising young artists such as Aine Macken and my favourite, Loki. If you want to buy something that is totally unique and won’t depreciate with time, this art is the way to go, but hurry the show only runs until Valentine’s Day.