For your perfect picnic look be inspired by the movies

With the ’90s making a comeback that has even returned Paris Hilton to pop culture relevance, these looks are the perfect starting point for your picnic debut.

If you’re drawn to Blair’s innocence then champion a youthful pink skirt but ditch the check unless you want to clash with 85 per cent of picnic rugs. A high-waisted A-line skirt from Aje ($245) sets the mood in a durable neoprene blend.

Gellar’s Dynasty drama is best achieved with accessories, this is one of very few occasions where a little black dress won’t cut the seeded mustard. Top-off oversized black Glo Getter sunglasses from LeSpecs ($69) with the Montana Midnight Muse II ($119) from Lack of Color, for a look that dares your companion to serve you Prosecco instead of Champagne.

The Sound of Music

Superwomen such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah Winfrey and Jacinda Ardern should make room for Julie Andrews as Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. When she wasn’t climbing mountains, whipping out the occasional high C and outwitting Nazis, Maria could turn drapes into fetching picnic ensembles.

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Drapery brocade is too heavy for any picnic spot north of Hobart but it’s Andrews’ understated approach to outdoors dressing that will turn the heads of any single fathers struggling with homeschooling seven children.

Whether you’re 16, or going on 60, you can be inspired by hausfrau chic with the Tacoron green check dress ($380) from Melbourne label Bul, with a perfectly innocent picnic print, billowing sleeves and just enough edge to stop you from looking like a convent dropout.

Accessorise with a wicker basket but leave the guitar at home. You don’t want to be that person.

Up

Sure it’s in a montage, but Carl from the tear-inducing Pixar movie Up is an animated example that ’50s styles do more than just suit post-lockdown hair. Cary Grant in To Catch A Thief is a close second, with his jacket and jaunty cravat but it’s Carl’s knitwear that pushes him to man of the moment status.

We suggest ditching the tie and going a step further than a striped collar and waistband by adding texture and making a cricket jumper the catch of cricket day.

Melbourne menswear designer Christian Kimber has created a spring-friendly version in breathable, lightweight cotton (Christian Kimber, Cricket Knit, $530) that isn’t too thick to throw over the shoulders.

Feel free to accessorise with environmentally friendly alternatives to balloons.

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