Hot Mess: Kirsten Dunst in The Virgin Suicides

Most people miss the most important message of this film:

die young, beautiful, and stylish.

Well, maybe not the most important, if you want to get all philosophical about it. But I firmly believe that my new obsession in life, the ever-so stylish Sofia Coppola, is also somewhat obsessed with style, to the extent that she would incorporate it as a major theme in most (if not all) of her films.

Case in point: The Virgin Suicides (1999). 

All the sisters in the film have quite conservative styles (obviously, because of their strict parents), except for Lux (Kirsten Dunst). She's a rebel. Sure, she wears the virginal dresses while her parents are around, but as soon as they're out of the picture, the 70s' tease comes out. It's genius.

This look is perfect for summer time craziness.

Teenage Rebellion: The Girls of All I Wanna Do / Strike!

There's not much better than a movie made in the '90s about girls in the '60s.

I remember seeing this film for the first time when I was about fifteen years old. Back then, I'm pretty sure it was called Strike! but I think it's now referred to as All I Wanna Do (1998). Strange.

Either way, this film is fantastic. It's about an all girls boarding school back during a time when it wasn't "boy, girl, boy, girl", but rather "boy on top of girl" (watch the film and then you'll understand). Perhaps more importantly, it was made during a time when Kirsten Dunst and Rachael Leigh Cook were still relevant. It was a much simpler and happier time.

I just can't get over all the amazing dresses they wear. It's like spring time, all the time. 

Everything is just so aesthetically pleasing. It makes me happy...

...and then angry because it's still winter, even though we're almost in April.

I WANT TO WEAR SUMMER DRESSES ALREADY.

Thank you.

P.S. Make sure you pay attention to Tinka (played by Monica Keena). She's the slut of the group, but she has an awesome name and wears the best clothes.

Fashion Fail: Bachelorette

I want my bridesmaids to look like this on my wedding day.

...except for those dresses. I highly approve of three BFFs acting like maniacs the night before their friend's wedding, but I do not approve of poor taste in clothes.

The clothes (much like the film) were so five years ago, and pretty much resembled what teenage girls in the UK wear on a night out.

Not cool.

Though I did enjoy the brief scene where Lizzy Caplan, Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher are chilling on a bench instead of taking part in the ceremony because they're upset they slept with their ex-boyfriend last night/ have puke on their dress/ just survived an OD. Classy.

Americana: Dick

Yeah, that's what I thought too. But it's true: there's actually a movie called Dick (1999), starring Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst, which isn't Rated X. Funny, huh?

I saw this once when I was fourteen or so and I remember quite enjoying it as one of those silly/girly movies, but I hadn't really thought about it more since then. It wasn't until the Obama-election fever had spread over the Atlantic (mainly via Twitter) that I started thinking about American presidents and their portrayal in movies. I'm quite sure Nixon, JFK, and Lincoln are the most popular, sometimes for serious films and other times for just plain awesome films (Frost/Nixon vs. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). But has any film actually ever mastered combining an American president AND some serious stylishness?

The answer is: yes, Dick.

Vintage Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst, wearing vintage-style clothes in the White House, during the 1970s.

Love. It.


P.S. Bobby was another stylish, politically-charged film, but it wasn't about a president. It was about his brother and he was only a senator. So even though I loved the looks in it, it doesn't really count (Sorry Robert Kennedy. I still love your family).