So, H&M must have been listening to an earlier rant of mine in which I decried the current state of women's fashion—the Sister and I have made numerous unsuccessful trips into our regular clothing haunts this month, and we were met with a flood of frilly dusty-rose nightmares just about everywhere. Why? Why must I wear puffed sleeves in abysmal colours because I am a lady? Where are the androgynous alternatives for a queer gal like me?
As of December 14, select H&M locations will be carrying a line of post-grunge threads modelled after the unlikely (and also fictional) trendsetter, Lisbeth Salander.
Now, I know Salander might not register on the ol' radar for most readers—I mean, the character comes from that rather modest, obscure Millennium series penned by the late author Stieg Larsson. I think there was a low-key Swedish adaptation of the novels, and I know the Americans were interested in re-making the films for English-speaking audiences…? I know, few people out there know about the work, which leads me to believe the clothing line will under sell, you know…
All right, all jokes aside—I am wicked excited to see this Lisbeth Salander–inspired spread. Now, I am not a hard-edge girl at all. I think my profile photo for this blog makes that abundantly clear. However, having clothing options that fall more in line with your tastes is a remarkable win for this blogette right here. I've scanned some online articles discussing H&M's announcement and writers are taking a more sceptical stance—I mean, Salander is a little, shall we say, anti-social? And the new designs are comparatively watered down to the original?
Exhibit A: Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander
Exhibit B: Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander
H&M made their version of Salander a little… less intense, shall we say? Goth-lite maybe? Suburban safe? Whichever label one applies, one cannot deny the lovely bit of breathing room this new line offers to ladies who are not of the ultra-femme persuasion. Also, the thought of straight ladies donning clothes inspired by a queer character is a delightful revelation on its own.
So, what say you, dear reader? Are you intrigued with H&M's take on Salander's style, or do you think the chain missed their mark?