Nostalgia, especially for eras you weren’t actually born into, or perhaps old enough to remember, has become the cult phenomenon of ‘fashion’ trends in the last few years. It may have always been that case, but as I’ve only been knocking about on this planet for 2 decades so I am not able to vouch past my birth. I like 90’s fashion, I won’t deny it, I think daisy sunflower dresses are great and flannel shirts are lovely and I’ve had my hair in a middle parting for the past 3 years, presumably in some homage to Liv Tyler circa Empire Records, but I think its probably had its day. My mum can’t get to grasp with why something that seems like last year has been polarised into this hyper real fashion statement, and I suppose neither can I, but then you think about the cult of personality that the 90’s has. They had great films, great bands, great fashion. It came to 2000 when wearing all white was a thing and it was actually quite cool to like Von Dutch and I think everyone just got a bit sick of it, like hang on, can we just hit rewind and get back to the good stuff. The last 13 years haven’t exactly been a triumph of noteworthy cult teen film classics and great bands. Its had its day, here and there, but no wonder people want to glorify a decade that from what I can remember was more about Shazzas/Pikeys, bad TV and really shit hair as opposed to doc martens, Nirvana and making heroin abuse look sexy.
xx90sGrUnGexx
But the other day, whilst re-watching a high contender for my favourite film ever, Heathers, I got a wave of “hang about, I know a lot of the 80’s was shit, but a lot of the 90’s was shit, and have you checked out their outfits?”. Veronica Sawyer rocks tartan like I could only ever dream of, WINONA RYDER IS WEARING WHITE TIGHTS! Do you know how fat white tights make girls legs look? She actually pulls that off. Mind blowing. And her hair, voluminous and black, I wake up most mornings hoping to some how get it to puff up like that to no avail, how does she do it? Whilst we’re at it, boys, did you see Christian Slater in that film? If I was a boy I’d want to look just like Christian Slater, James Dean hair, leather jacket, psychotic tendencies, it works and I don’t really know why. I have all of sudden got an urge to wear matching pattern outfits and get a perm. Veronica Sawyer is teaching me more about fashion than any celebrity I can think of now. Jennifer Lawrence looked insane in her Oscars dress, yes, but thats not a practical look for day to day wear.
Blazer game is STRONG
But Veronica doesn’t just stop at fashion, oh no, she is a pinnacle of wisdom. She goes off the rails a bit when she ‘doesn’t realise’ she’s murdering all her fellow classmates (spoiler alert), but other than that she fills the film with great one liners – I’m in a school full of diet coke heads”, “Whats your damage, Heather?”. “Lick it up baby, lick it up.” and “my teen angst has a body count”. She also shoots off her ex boyfriends middle finger after he tries to kill her and the whole school, before letting him go ahead and detonate himself whilst she lights a cigarette off the flames induced by his blow apart body. If that isn’t empowerment, I don’t know what is.
“Veronica, you look like hell!”
“Yeah? I just got back.”
Then I got to thinking about other great pinnacles of eighties cinema who are fantastic with wisdom and even better with clothes. Despite the whole shoving unrealistic expectations of love down everyones throats for a decade and a few more after, John Hughes pretty much nailed it when it came to loveable characters/great wardrobe double whammies. Everything Molly Ringwald ever played was partnered with nice earrings and a sassy development of character that empowers woman and SMASHES THE PATRIARCHY.
In the last 10 years I’ve pretty much only been inspired by Beyonce when it comes to contemporary woman who are figureheads in the media (NB there are SO MANY woman I am inspired by, but I mean exclusively celebrity culture here). Where are my Winona Ryders and Molly Ringwalds? And excuse me, where is my Christian Slaters and Emelio Estevez’ whilst we’re on that note? Naughties cinema, despite the “Michael Cera Era” has been a bit of a joke when it comes to teenage films, and even his films are a perfect example of patriarchal bullshit “nice guys finish last” society. Mean Girls aside, we’ve pretty much stared into an abyss of hollywood blockbusters that doesn’t even scrape on what generations before have provided for in terms of angst/accuracy, and if I need to remind you of atrocities of 00’s fashion, think about what the Plastics wore. Hardly chic.
I heard a rumour that round the corner there is great things happening in the teen film genre. I am no longer a teenager but I like to think they’re still trying to cater to me a little bit. I watched that Kat Dennings film “Daydream Nation” and loved it, partly for the Sonic Youth reference, partly for the brilliant shut down from the protagonist in regards to people who think slut shaming is okay and though I don’t seem to remember much of the outfits (I feel again they may have just been hailing from the 90’s), it did give me a little hope for the future of film for outfit nostalgia, excellent one liners and general ticking all the boxes that you get from Heathers, The Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, Pretty In Pink, Clueless, Jaw Breaker, 10 Things I Hate About You and Romy and Michelles High School Reunion (those dresses!).
All of this was inspired by a new tartan jacket I bought that even with the shoulder pads removed makes me look like a power dresser hailing from a decade before I was born, but I love it very much because it feels like I’m going to a job interview with a time machine:
punching 