Hillier Bartley's plush version of the Canadian tuxedo is fit for a film noir heroine
Velvet Jacket and Trousers, Hillier Bartley
Double-breasted jacket, high rise trousers, 82% viscose, 18% silk
David Lynch's enduring impact on popular culture has established blue velvet as a fabric synonymous with Isabella Rosselini and mysterious provocation – so much so that, upon encountering this Hillier Bartley two-piece, it is near impossible to imagine its being worn unaccompanied by a Tony Bennett soundtrack (or at least, a decent application of blue eyeshadow à la Dorothy Vallens). Somewhat pervy in its appeal, it appears to occupy the same realm of film noir as Jeffrey Beaumont and Sandy Williams.
However, the cultural affiliation of these garments extends beyond enigmatic surrealism and into the utterly prosaic: this outfit also clearly speaks to the ubiquity of the 'Canadian tuxedo', but here rendered in shimmering, ice-blue velvet rather than double denim. Thus, this one suit channels two distinctly different strands of the 80s and presents them in a fabulous example of modern-day power dressing. Surely, Lynch would approve of such parallel realities. We certainly do.
