Why ‘The Virgin Suicides’ Should Inspire Your Spring Dressing Goals

The influx of ’70s-inspired style in recent seasons has spawned enough ultra-suede A-line miniskirts and lace-up leotards to create an army of sexy glamazons to rival Veruschka and Bianca Jagger. But if you find that the overt sex appeal of the decade isn’t quite your speed, why not try a softer, fresher take by taking inspiration from The Virgin Suicides.

Sofia Coppola’s morbidly romantic 1999 film—set in ’70s suburbia—has all the prerequisites for capturing the era’s fashion but with a demure, slightly off-kilter twist. The five winsome Lisbon sisters (including a young and precocious Kirsten Dunst), fenced in by their ultra-Catholic parents and an inherent sense of dread, become the obsession of all the boys in town, all while wearing enviable, if somewhat conservative floral dresses, hippie-esque tops, easy denim flares, and DIY-monogrammed underwear (Trip Fontaine; be still my heart!)

If you’ve seen pictures of the clothes, you don’t even need to watch the movie to gauge its vibe—the costumes evoke virginity with an underlying and undeniable sensuality: Casual clothing such as denim, peasant blouses, and collared shirts, and even their school uniforms become instantly more provocative, hinting at what’s not shown—and what’s ultimately forbidden, encapsulating the film’s themes of repression, fascination, and dread, with a searing-hot side of lust.

So if you’re looking to get that Lisbon-girl look (sans a fatal end), here are 10 ways to shop it this spring.