darkness falls and she will take me by the hand

Pink and white - 'Candy - coloured'..

Of the multitude of strange things at work in David Lynch's Blue Velvet, I've chosen the least threatening of all to discuss. There's nothing remotely complex about Laura Dern's wardrobe as high-school sweetheart, Sandy, but I like it precisely because of it's sweetness. The entire wardrobe is candy - coloured [Believe it or believe it not, I unintentionally made this pun... for those of you who haven't seen it, I am referring to Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" which famously features in the film, rendering the ballad rather eerie, especially with it's 'candy - coloured clown' opening'...] - pinks and lemons and virginal white as opposed to the mysterious and grown - up blue velvet robe of Isabella Rossellini's character.

Despite all the other bizarro shizz in this movie, I was primarily bothered by the fact that I couldn't set it in an accurate time. Sandy's wardrobe plays an important role here. While everything else suggests that the surreal mystery is probably set in the present day, Sandy's costume is indisputably 1950s - swishing full skirts, cardigans, floral prom dress, white cotton tops, candyfloss-soft sweaters and tennis shoes - and indeed, a shot outside her school of Sandy and her classmates could easily be mistaken for that sort of cutesy-kitsch Americana of Grease (even the name..Sandy..). Sandy is the wholesome, All - American, 'girl - next door' who so happens to become embroiled in this dark and creepy saga, but her clothes help to set her apart (there is a nostalgia about them...) and suggest something of her untainted goodness in this macabre portrayal of sullied suburban life.

Long story short, it's back to university next week, and I quite like the idea of a pretty skirt and cardigan combo.

So All - American - convertible, high school, and blonde Sandy.

Amateur sleuths.

Simple white summer top.

And again. And the diner.

Candy Cashmere sweater and pendant. 

Coral notebook, Paperchase, Tea dress (Sandy wears a similar style dress in her first scene), Monki, T- Shirt, APC, Cashmere sweater, APC, Deer pendant, Forever 21, Duffle bag, APC, Tennis shoes, Margaret Howell, Skirt, Vladamir Karaleev at Topshop, In Dreams CD, Roy Orbison, Cardigan, Topshop.