Style Companion

It was with deep sadness that I learned yesterday of the death of Elisabeth Sladen to cancer aged only 63, more popularly known as Sarah Jane Smith from the long running BBC Television series Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Sladen had joined the series in 1973 and quickly became the most popular ever companion of the Doctor, a status that endures to this day amongst fans and writers of the show. She was a friend to no less than seven of the eleven TARDIS thieves.

As Sarah Jane she was impossibly pretty, stylish, practical and intelligent but full of fun and this was always reflected in her wardrobe. Whether she was hanging from a scaffold or running around with a huge spider stuck to her back she was always impeccably turned out. I think what makes all the Doctor's companions' styling special is that although they are always of the time, their clothing always compliments their personalities and as such they never look like clothes horses and no one represented this more than Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane wears a sweet fair isle knit sweater with puff sleeves

Denim jeans, chambray camisole and a short sleeved plaid shirt typical of her practicality edged with a hint of prettiness.

I love this bandana headscarf, such a simple way of keeping your hair tidy when escaping from a creepy disembodied hand trying to maul you.

She even managed to look cool in disastrous '80s spin-off K9 And Company by keeping it neat in a grey tweed trouser suit with a white Peter Pan collar and cute headband.

Elisabeth was one of the few women in television that seemed happy to grow older gracefully retaining her natural beauty whilst not becoming dowdy. This was shown in the recent Sarah Jane Adventures, how many other 60 year old women do you know who could carry off a horizontal striped jersey cling dress, mauve tights and knee boots? Sladen did and what's more she looked elegant doing it, even chasing after various monsters and jumping in and out of her Mini Cooper. Hope for us in the future possibly?

"What struck me about Lis was her grace. She welcomed me, educated me, and delighted me with her tales and adventures on Doctor Who. And she also seemed to have a quality of youth that not many people retain as they go through life. Her grace and kindness will stay with me because she had such qualities in abundance and shared them freely."

Matt Smith

Elisabeth Sladen

1st February 1948 - 19th April 2011

Blogged by Amy