She Wore Blue Velvet

„Blue Velvet“, film noir by David Lynch, is one of those movies that you love or hate – myself being in the first group. The film brought back long forgotten „noir“ genre for a new film audience, with a very important role of its music soundtrack and fashion. Until main femme fatale Isabella Rosselini had appeared in her blue velvet robe, the velvet wasn’t very popular material, but since then it has had its fashion revival. Every couple of years fashion designers give their hommage to blue velvet and the movie itself, with good or not so great results. Velvet is rather difficult fabric to work with, and not very easy to pull off when wearing – you certainly won’t wear it in your ordinary everyday outings. It is perfect for evening wear, and even today stands as a symbol of flamboyance with a touch of mistery, for which we all yearn in our lives.

H&M blue velvet heels

Bite My Style by Zoran Aragović dress

My husbands blue velvet jacket :), second hand by Kamensko

Kitty stockings bought on E-bay

Earrings by Piggy Tail Design with motive of my hometown Split – bought at Modni Alter Ego

Blue Velvet is a 1986 American mystery film, written and directed by David Lynch. The movie exhibits elements of both film noir and surrealism and stars Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern. The film is now widely acclaimed, and earned Lynch his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director.

“Blue Velvet” opening scene

Blue Velvet has achieved cult status and is widely regarded as one of Lynch’s finest works. It is also seen by many critics as representing a modern-day version of film-noir.

The film centers on eccentric college student Jeffrey Beaumont who, returning from visiting his ill father in the hospital, comes across a human ear in a field in his hometown of Lumberton. He proceeds to investigate the ear with help from a high school student, Sandy.

Jeffrey Beaumont played by Kyle MacLahlan

Jeffrey’s investigation draws him deeper into his hometown’s seedy underworld, and sees him forming a sexual relationship with the alluring torch singer Dorothy Vallens (Rossellini), and uncovering the psychotic criminal Frank Booth (Hopper), who engages in drug abuse, kidnapping, and sexual violence.

Frank Booth played by Dennis Hopper

The film owes a large debt to 1950s film noir, containing and exploring such conventions as the femme fatale, a seemingly unstoppable villain, and the questionable moral outlook of the hero, as well as its unusual use of shadowy, and introduces several common elements of Lynch’s work, some of which would later become his trademarks, including distorted characters, a polarized world, and debilitating damage to the skull or brain. Perhaps the most significant “Lynchian” trademark in the film is the depiction of unearthing a dark underbelly in a seemingly idealized small town.

Dorothy Vallens portrayed by Isabella Rossellini

The most consistent symbolism in the film is an insect motif introduced at the end of the first scene, when the camera zooms in on a well-kept suburban lawn until it unearths a swarming underground nest of disgusting bugs.

The soundtrack makes heavy usage of vintage pop songs, such as Bobby Vinton‘s “Blue Velvet” and Roy Orbison‘s “In Dreams“, juxtaposed with an orchestral score inspired by Shostakovich. During filming, Lynch placed speakers on set and in streets and played Shostakovich to set the mood he wanted to convey.

Although it initially gained a relatively small theatrical audience in North America and was met with controversy over its artistic merit, Blue Velvet soon became the center of a “national firestorm” in 1986, and over time achieved status as an American classic. In the late 1980s, and early 1990s, after its release on videotape, the film became a widely known cult film, well known for its dark depiction of a suburban America.

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