If you’re like me and feel you were born in the wrong era, you will often find yourself gravitating toward actresses of yore for style and beauty inspiration. When it comes to film fashion, you can’t get much better than the ten years spanning 1955-1965. We’re talking Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch, Tura Satana in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, and the one and only Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock classics like The Birds.

Tippi famously battled both birds and the notoriously difficult director himself, but always did so with a perfectly coiffed head of golden blonde hair and a meticulously fabulous wardrobe that straddled the changing fashions of the age. Equally comfortable in styles similar to Dior’s “New Look” (cinched waist, full skirt) and the mod awakening in the 1960s, Tippi started her career as a model for brands like Sea Nymph. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I want and need the bathing suit she is wearing in this gorgeously retro campaign below (that’s Tippi relaxing casually in the middle).

Once she started working with Hitchcock in 1963, her style persona was fully realized. It takes incredible poise and, frankly, guts to endure what Tippi endured during the filming of The Birds. And yet she never missed a beat style-wise – her hair fashionably messy, her dress and jacket ensemble matched perfectly with a clasp-close tote (I am hoping said tote was filled with some sort of bird-deterrent. Girl deserves to have an adorable cat friend that will pop out and save the day stowed away in there).

After the film’s release, Tippi continued to impress with her effortless style in over fifty other motion pictures and television appearances. Her classic make-up preferences would not look out of place on today’s models – after all, the winged eyeliner trend was all over the F/W 2013 runways. No matter where you go, no matter what the occasion, a classic beauty look like Tippi’s will never steer you wrong. It’s pulled-together, smart and looks effortless (even if it’s really not – but no one else has to know that).

When in doubt about what to wear, ask yourself, “What would Tippi do?” You can wear tailored pants or you can rock a calf-length skirt that billows out beautifully from your body. Either way, you’ll be able to make a swift getaway from flocks of roving birds while maintaining your own style icon status.

Want to score Tippi's effortlessly pulled together look? Shabby Apple's fitted and flared dresses will get you there. My favourite, the Estate Houndstooth Pencil Dress, is classy and cute. Pair it with a blazer for a modern look or go full-on Tippi with a large, pearl accented brooch (like Shabby Apple's Krista!)

Shabby Apple Estate Dress