See Lana Del Rey’s Pretty, Melancholy H&M Campaign
At first, it was hard to imagine how H&M’s core Swedish aesthetic – hard lines, monochromes, minimal frills – could integrate with new model Lana Del Rey’s decidedly misty-eyed retromania. Then again, they bent the no-nonsense rules for their Versace capsule collection. In any case, H&M’s modernist elements and Del Rey’s vintage ones have combined and yielded cooler-than-expected results. The Fall 2012 line is gauzy and pastel and suits the singer’s fixation with all things Priscilla Presley while allowing room for interpretation in a casual shopper’s wardrobe.
Standout pieces include the pink angora sweater already seen on Del Rey in the campaign preview shots, as well as an aquamarine cableknit version. There are also crisp minidresses, tiered skirts, tailored blazers and painterly abstract separates, along with a nice white faux fur-collared winter coat. The unabashedly girlish palette ranges from charcoal gray staples (our favorite is the clingy shift dress) to dusky pinks, greens and purples. The mood is heavily Eisenhower-esque glamour, especially in the context of Del Rey’s styling, which continues to pay tribute the femme fatale Presley, down to her dark, highly volumized tresses, cat eyes and chandelier earrings.
In a stroke of multi-referential genius, Del Rey is planning to release a cover of Bobby Vinton’s string-laden 1963 tearjerker “Blue Velvet” as part of her H&M campaign. The oldie suits the pretty melancholia of the campaign and also nods cleverly to David Lynch’s movie of the same name, flaunting the unspoken connection between the musician and the film auteur. Del Rey will also include the cover on her upcoming, expanded “Paradise Edition” of her album Born to Die.