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GOOD DAY FOR A PICNIC Remembering And Reviving The Fashion Of Twin Peaks.

 Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks

With the announcement Twin Peaks will be returning to the small screen (Laura Palmer called it), there’s been a nostalgic resurgence of love for the cult show.

On the fashion front, the series offered some of the best understated early ’90s small screen styling – perhaps because the spooky ‘n kooky mood made even the most staid ensembles somehow ominous. 

Aside from inspiring many a “wrapped in plastic” Halloween costume, the styling of Twin Peaks offers a certain timelessness. While most early ’90s shows hung onto a touch of ’80s zaniness, Lynch’s creation had more of an old school feel. Wild colours weren’t on the radar: neon/fluoro never really made it to this sombrely clothed small town.

Sara Markowitz, who costumed the show – except for one episode by Patricia Norris – has mentioned in interviews and convention appearances that she made glasses with coral filters to wear sourcing so she’d know what the costumes would look like filmed. (Sunglasses that Twin Peaks your world? There’s an eyewear range we’d all buy.)

Designers and editorial stylists have been re-inspired by the news of fresh fashion fodder from the home of the incredible cherry pie. Odds on the zigzag pattern from the Black Lodge appears in 2015/2016 collections. (With a splash of crimson, of course – possibly in scarf form. Though this is the runway, so models may just walk with an actual curtain still attached to the rod.) Oh, and some Douglas fir prints.

With fashion’s eye turning again to the cult masterpiece, a more pertinent question would be, how to channel the Twin Peaks love closer to home (i.e. in your own wardrobe)?

Most minds go to Audrey, vamping so tastefully in her teen years: a touch of subtle cat’s eye liner and a fitted skirt with the inevitable knit. (All the check/plaid/tartan on this show made me wonder if the townsfolk mistakenly assumed they were living in the British Isles.) This look still works a quarter of a century on.

Pretty, pale brunettes were big in Twin Peaks. The show was also a fan of waves/curls for hair, in varying degrees of control and freedom, from Norma’s careful blowout to Donna’s messier bob. The makeup was always beautiful; these people weren’t afraid of a little red lip now and again.

For guys, Special Agent Cooper made the FBI suit-and-tie combo (with the occasional trench) eternally sexy; surely Agent Mulder’s hotness had a little Cooper inspiration? Flannel was pretty much de rigueur in Twin Peaks. A black leather jacket never went astray, especially when vying for the role of town rebel.

And the ultimate Twin Peaks accessory? Why, a log of course. (Plus a dictaphone for those into the sound of their own voice.)

If I had to offer one Twin Peaks styling tip, it would be this: dress as if something is simmering inside you.

 

GILLIAN O’MEAGHER

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