I love a good turtleneck, and The Shining is full of them. Wendy Torrance, played by Shelley Duvall, is a master at layering her clothing to create sophisticated looks that are simultaneously unique and fun to look at.
Outfit #1
At the beginning of the movie, Wendy is wearing a grid checkered, blue dress layered on top of a red, long sleeved blouse and matching red tights. The dress has two deep square pockets on the front of the skirt and zips up in the back. Personally, dresses with a gathered skirt are my favorite to wear, so I absolutely adore this look.
I also love this look because it is so easy to replicate, and it is a practical way to wear dresses in colder weather. This was my Halloween costume last year, and I was so pleased with how it looked that I began to layer dresses in other combinations as well.
There are a few reasons that the layering is so successful in this case. The colors compliment each other well and she is able to throw in those pops of bright red because the blue of the dress is so muted in comparison. Additionally, the dress is quite long and visually takes up the majority of the space. As a result, the pops of red that we do see are not overwhelming.
Outfit #2
This is the outfit that Wendy is wearing when she first arrives at the hotel. In comparison to her first look, this is much more muted and toned down. While I don't think this look is as playful as her first, it is still an elegant ensemble.
While the blazer creates a more fitted silhouette, it is broken up by the floppiness of the turtleneck and the gathered skirt. Throughout the movie, Wendy wears a lot of plaid and checkered patterns, something seen more subtly here in the skirt. The skirt pattern is vital because of the visual interest it creates in an otherwise kind of bland outfit. The broach is another fun detail that accomplishes something similar on a smaller scale.
Outfit #3
Ah, yes. The ultra iconic outfit that made a comfortable place for itself within the American pop cultural cannon. The outfit she wears while facing off with Jack. Outside, the winter weather has intensified, leaving them snowed in. This outfit helps to communicate just how cold it really is.
Wendy wears a thick, knit, turtleneck sweater layered under a long sleeve button up that once again displays the checkered pattern seen throughout the movie. With the overalls, this outfit feels a bit more practical than some of her more fashion forward looks. That's not to say this is not fashionable, it's just a little bit more on the casual end of Wendy's spectrum of outfits. Even when we see Wendy wearing pants earlier in the movie, they are chic more than they are practical.
Even though this outfit stands apart from the rest, it is not necessarily an unexpected choice. The changes in weather are severe enough that the coziness of the outfit makes sense. The outfit also consists of several elements that tie in to Wendy's style throughout the movie. The color scheme is something we have seen her wear before and there is more of the layering that we see in the majority of her other looks. The checkered pattern is also on display, something that is obviously very present throughout her wardrobe.
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