I will start off by saying that I love The Virgin Suicides (1999). It seems like most people like Lost in Translation more in terms of Sofia Coppola movies but this is my favorite. I love the 70’s setting, the washed out green tint of everything, and of course the 70’s summery fashions. I have meant to use this movie as summer wardrobe inspiration for many years but have failed each time. This year will be different! Below are my favorite looks from the movie and I also included a couple of shots of the Lisbon house because I love the way it is decorated.
This is such a pretty shot of the girls room
70’s knit dresses and lace
I love this white ruffle dress that Lux wears
The shapes of these dresses (worn to homecoming in the film) are not ideal but I love the floral fabrics
He is wearing a maroon velvet suit!! But what I really like are the blue chairs in the entry way and the staircase
Smocked floral top that I would wear with a high waisted skirt
I love the gas mask chic asphyxiation theme of the party at the end
Debutantes…In high school I tried to wear my hair just like the girl in the middle (big mistake haha)
I have not read the book by Jeffrey Eugenides that this movie is based on but I am planning on it. From what I hear the book is much better than the movie and fans of the book do not like the film. However, after watching the behind the scenes footage on the DVD and seeing how involved Jeffrey Eugenides was in the production of this movie I feel like it can’t be that bad. Obviously he gave it is his blessing and input! I think what I love the most about the film is it’s surreal feeling. It is told from the point of view of several neighborhood boys who knew the Lisbon sisters right before they all committed suicide (no spoilers there since it is in the title and the first lines of the movie). I think Sofia Coppola did a great job portraying the dreamy quality of memories and fantasy combining together. Of course I also love the clothes! The casual 70’s summer clothing is great and lends an authenticity to the story.
Say what you will about Kirsten Dunst but I think she does a great job in this role as do the other sisters. Josh Hartnett (what happened to him?) is hilarious in his 70’s wig as Trip the hot guy in school. Kathleen Turner is great as the overbearing strict mother and I think James Woods is fantastic as the clueless father. Also, Giovanni Ribisi is the narrator, which he has such a great voice for. A few facts, Robert Schwartzman (Jason Schwartzman’s brother and Sofia Coppola’s cousin) makes an appearance in the movie, you might recognize him now as the lead singer of the band Rooney. Danny DeVito also makes a great Cameo as a psychiatrist and a young Hayden Christensen plays one of the girls dates to homecoming. Another fantastic part of this film is the music. It has an original score written by the French duo Air. It is really beautiful and haunting and fits the dreamlike nature of the movie. There is also a separate soundtrack of songs that the characters played/listened to in the movie which includes classics by Al Green, Heart, Styx, The Hollies, Todd Rundgren, and the Bee Gees. I actually own both soundtracks that go with this movie because I love them that much!
Overall I think this movie is beautiful and has a haunting quality that lingers with you after you’ve watched it. Now that I am putting my summer wardrobe together I am definitely using this film as inspiration and coming up later this week I will show you some summer items I have picked up.
Screen Shots by Me
