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It’s The 20th Anniversary Of The Virgin Suicides, The Original Quarantine Girls

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Photo: Zoetrope/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the UK release of Sofia Coppola's most visually arresting film, The Virgin Suicides, and we can't help but notice that the story's ill-fated Lisbon sisters – the original isolation poster girls? – are inspiring our lockdown aesthetic.
If you’ve not seen the indie hit, it stars Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett and Kathleen Turner and is based on Jeffrey Eugenides' bestselling novel. Set in 1970s Michigan, the story follows the five Lisbon sisters through the eyes of a group of neighbourhood boys who become enamoured with them. After the suicide of the youngest sister, their strict Catholic parents increase supervision and take the girls out of school, furthering the boys' infatuation. As the girls become more and more isolated, the dreamlike film spirals into a claustrophobic suburban nightmare.
As well as a gorgeous soundtrack that features Carole King and Al Green, the costumes are among the film's major draws. Costume designer Nancy Steiner chose vintage virginal Catholic dresses for the sisters to wear for prom, to which their mother adds fabric – the "four identical sacks" are at once staid and romantic.
The aesthetic has inspired everyone from Tavi Gevinson to Petra Collins over the last 20 years and with the likes of Sleeper and Cecilie Bahnsen serving up hyperfeminine creations that double up as nightwear, there's no time like the present to drape yourself across your bed and long for the outside world. Click through to shop our favourite dreamy dresses and ethereal pastel pieces, which we'll be wearing as we float through the remainder of lockdown.
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