Dr. Colleen Darnell: dressing for Lost Treasures of Egypt

If you’re a fan of National Geographic’s (DStv Channel 181) Lost Treasures of Egypt series, you’ll be familiar with spotting Dr. Colleen Darnell walking around the ancient temples in cool, crisp vintage 1920s and 1930s fashion like a character from an Agatha Christie film… or a contemporary of Howard Carter, who uncovered the tomb of boy king Tutankhamun 100 years ago, on 26 November, 1922.

Or you could already know her from a place where pictures do all the talking, just as they did in ancient Egypt. Dr. Darnell is Vintage Egyptologist on Instagram, where her posts combine fascinating scholarship notes with images of her stylish outfits. She has over 200,000 followers.

Aside from talking and queens, monuments, temples and hieroglyphics this season, we got to ask Colleen a couple of questions about setting her style for the latest season of Lost Treasures of Egypt. And she reveals why she dresses this way.

Watch Lost Treasures of Egypt Season 3, Fridays at 19:00 on National Geographic (DStv Channel 181)

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Dress for respect

How did the filming of the season fit in with your digging schedule?

“I work with an expedition directed by my husband, Professor John Darnell, of Yale University. Most of the work of the Yale Elkab Desert Survey project is tracing ancient routes through the eastern desert outside of the ancient city of Elkab. And what's incredible about that type of archaeology is that the roads quite literally take you from site to site. So we've found remarkable rock inscription sites never before seen in the Eastern Desert, as well as some really fascinating late Roman settlements with hundreds of buildings. But there's always some time when you get to Egypt, from signing all the papers with the Ministry of Antiquities, to getting everything set up in the equipment pack. So I was lucky enough to be able to do some filming at Abu Simbel and in Luxor while John was getting everything set up logistically, and then I was able to join him for the rest of the season.”

How did you select your outfits for the season?

“Anything particularly old is for visiting temples, and sites where things are a lot more controlled. Whereas in the actual field, when I'm doing archaeological work, we're talking about used clothing from the ’70s and ’80s. If they get ripped up, no big deal, it's intended to get dirty. For this season, I wanted to do something a little bit more interesting so I chose a linen walking suit with a boater hat. And then for Luxor, a very durable 1920s tennis dress, actually. It was designed to be an outdoor athletic dress even in the 1920s. And I always like to have a parasol because the sun gets so strong in Egypt. And that, that ends up being a fun accessory, but also a very practical one.”

How did you match vintage shoes to your mint green tennis dress?

“I got lucky. I tend not to wear true vintage shoes, because they're not as durable. They're also not very comfortable, whereas vintage clothing is super comfortable and it's something you can wear every day. There is a company called Bettie Page Shoes, and they just happen to make a pair in exactly the right colour. I love them because they have a very low heel, so they're practical for visiting temples and sites. And then I was wearing a straw cloche and had found a piece of fabric that also perfectly matched the dress that I was able to add to the hat with a little pin. I do really enjoy putting together something that looks interesting. And I also feel like when I'm visiting a site and not doing work, to me, it also feels like I'm giving a sense of respect that these are truly important sites, both for ancient Egypt and modern Egypt. I'm not just treating this as your everyday tourist location.”

Watch Lost Treasures of Egypt Season 3, Fridays at 19:00 on National Geographic (DStv Channel 181)

 

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