I Think All My Favorite Outfits Were Subconsciously Inspired By My Favorite Movies

I've never been much for Halloween or theme parties. I always feel like there's too much pressure to be the perfect combination of clever, topical and slutty. Just let me wear what I want and eat all your snacks, please.

 

While I don't embrace holidays dedicated to costumes, I still find myself viewing every-day life as a series of occasions to "dress up." When I got my first office job, I bought blazers and briefcases with joyful abandon so I could create the perfect Grown Up Work Woman costume. Do I wanna go to yoga class? Sure, let me put on my trendy mom costume. Yes, it is Lululemon! Thanks for asking! Wanna get lunch at Whole Foods? 

Most of my references for what people are supposed to wear in certain real life roles come from movies and tv, which might explain why I've been realizing lately that a lot of my outfits resemble those of my favorite onscreen characters. Let's take a looksee, shall we?

Patricia Franchini, Breathless (1960)

Like every other boring white girl you know, I too went through a phase where I got really into French movies. My favorite of all them was (and still is) Breathless, or À bout de souffle if you actually speak French and don't rely on subtitles like plebes like me. 

Even though I'm super bored/annoyed by any and all articles trying to convince me I should look, dress, walk, and smoke more like a French girl, (have the fashion and beauty industries not yet realized that there are women in France who aren't tall, thin and white?

) I love Breathless. Maybe it's because I too wore my hair in a short pixie, or because I was crazy depressed when I watched it, but I found myself very drawn towards the quiet and pensive Patricia Franchini. Or maybe it was just her adorable striped, a-line dress. Also, Jean Seberg wasn't even French so it feels okay. 

That dress was clearly on my mind when I picked up this number on a mindless post-grad shopping spree a few years ago.

I rarely wear this dress anymore because it's a little too big now (sayonara, college weight!) but it looks very cute with some oxfords and a wide belt. It's not a perfect dupe for Patricia's dress, but it will do for now. 

Vivian Ward, Pretty Woman (1990)

My love for Pretty Woman knows no bounds. It's my favorite of all the Cinderella stories (sorry, Ever After) and I watch it at least once a month. It was probably inappropriate, but this was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I loved Julia's smile and big curly hair, I loved Richard Gere's grey hair, I loved Vivian's revenge on the snooty boutique employees (Big mistake, HUGE), and I love, love, love that "She rescues him right back." 

While Vivian's look in the beginning of the film is truly iconic (and I clearly have no problem recreating that look from time to time), it's her post-makeover look that I still turn to for inspiration. Specifically, her polka dotted dress at the polo match. 

So when my friend Justin gave me a dress that's almost identical, I wasn't sure if he knew of my Pretty Woman obsession or if I just subconsciously give off vibes that say, "I'd like to dress like a prostitute who just found herself the world's greatest sugar daddy." 

While I still haven't found myself a wide-brimmed hat or gloves, I do wear this dress all the time. Almost as often as I watch the movie. 

Baby Houseman, Dirty Dancing (1987)

Here's another movie I will never feel bad about unabashedly loving forever. Dirty Dancing is cheesy, lovable, romantic, intelligent, and everything else I want from my dance themed romances. They just really don't make 'em like they used to. 

There's a LOT of style inspiration to be gathered from this movie, thanks to some serious servings of realness from both Baby AND Penny. Between the dance costumes and the 80's summer casual wear, I could die happy inside the universe of Kellerman's. 

Also, Dirty Dancing is a crop top paradise. There are midriffs to be had in nearly every scene, and for that I am thankful. One in particular that stands out to be is this sexy tied-up white top paired with a beautiful, pink, pleated skirt while Baby and Johnny practice their dance moves in a sweaty, sexy cabin. 

Oh man, those abs are some serious motivation for me. My midriff is nowhere near as toned or tan as Baby's, but I'm still always down to give it some stage time regardless. Baby must have been on my mind last week when I found myself wearing this outfit to the grocery store.

I've had this pink skirt for years, and while it's slightly different from the skirt in the film, this outfit definitely made me wanna dance. Or jump in a lake with a hot dance instructor. (RIP Patrick Swayze.) 

Veronica, Heathers (1988)

This is yet another movie I've already publicly declared my love for, but seriously-- how can you not? It's so very. 

Winona is my one and only, ride-or-die celebrity crush ever since I saw Mermaids when I was 10. It's hard to narrow down my favorite Winona film, but Heathers will always and forever be in my top three. It's such a masterpiece of a film, with more iconic one-liners than I could ever attempt to sneak into this article. The film's also chock-full of iconic outfits, from the color-coded blazers and tights in the opening sequence to Veronica's freaking MONOCLE. 

One of my very favorite looks from the film is Veronica's grey off-the-shoulder top paired with a black skirt with built in suspender type straps that she wears to drink cherry slushies at the gas station with Christian Slater before she goes to the frat party and ralphs. It's very 80's, but super sexy. I've said it before and I'll say it again, shoulders are the new cleavage. 

Winona must have been on my mind when I put my outfit together, but when is Winona not on my mind? I wore this outfit for a different xoJane story photo, and one particularly astute commenter quickly pointed out my Veronica vibes. 

This is a perfect outfit for a date night or for murdering all my best friends. Wino forever. 

What film character's style have you been stealing lately? Whose style would you LIKE to steal? In my mind, I dream of being a combination of Penny Lane, Blair Waldorf, and every single woman from Steel Magnolias.