H&M makes Salander's style safe for the rest of us

[December 16, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Stieg Larsson's enigmatic anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander, from the best-selling books and upcoming U.S. film remake "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," is an unlikely trendsetter.

From her multiple facial piercings and choppy, jet black hair to her ripped tees and work boots held together with duct tape, Lisbeth's look is not only unconventional, some might find it off-putting.

"We always wanted her clothes to sort of repel people and be a means of keeping people away," said actress Rooney Mara at the film's New York premiere Wednesday, a day before nabbing a Golden Globe nod for the role.

Yet huge Swedish retailer H&M saw an opportunity in sprucing up Lisbeth's style and making it safer for the masses.

The Dragon Tattoo Collection, created by costume designer Trish Summerville, features faux-leather coats, biker pants, shredded tees and dark denim miniskirts.

"There's different key pieces that I took out of her wardrobe that she wears in the film, and we kind of changed the silhouette a little bit, changed the fabrication, cleaned the pieces up," explained Summerville in a recent interview.

The collection ranges from $3.95 for swirly, spiked earrings to $199 for a fitted black leather coat. There also are studded belts, slouchy canvas bags and black boots distressed just enough to reveal a grey under layer.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig, hits theaters Dec. 21

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Online:

http://www.hm.com/us/dragon-tattoo/

http://www.dragontattoo.com/

[Associated Press; By NICOLE EVATT]

Nicole Evatt covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NicoleEvatt.

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