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The School Uniforms - For our Hallyu-loving readers, this one’s for you! Morshead recalls researching the Korean school girl aesthetic for the movie’s heightened sense of reality to come to be. With a pastel purple-and-green plaid mix-and-match collection, we love seeing the characters put their personal spin on it! Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
- To show each character’s individuality, accessories of choice included berets, knits, capes, socks, shoes and jewelry. In fact, our main character Drea (played by Camila Mendes) struts down the hallways in a more tailored uniform to highlight her personality.Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
Drea and the 90s - Drea is the pinnacle, put-together young woman. Owning a tiny bag for any occasion, the character’s obsession with the 90s aesthetic is palpable. But don’t fret! Even Morshead resorted to thrifting to find the perfect coordinated ensembles, so dressing up like Drea won’t put a dent in your pocket.Photo by Kim Simms via Netflix
- With supermodel inspirations like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, the over-the-top drama of Drea’s outfits is not one to miss out on! From necklaces and earrings to the prim and proper, she would look at home at Fashion Week someday. Photo by Kim Simms via Netflix
Eleanor and the 60s - Although we’re talking about Eleanor getting the quintessential makeover of her unmanicured hands from the prime diva of the school, Morshead didn’t want the character to become a carbon copy of the queen bee. She wanted the makeover to highlight the underlying personality Eleanor truly had.Photo by Kim Simms via Netflix
- Enter Twiggy and young Goldie Hawn as inspiration for Maya Hawke’s character! In hippie silhouettes, to knits and overalls, as well as the floral prints, Eleanor is making an elevated statement of who she really is!Photo by Kim Simms via Netflix
Max as the Modern Man - Despite being a rather handsome addition to the cast, Max is more than just arm candy to ex-girlfriend Drea. His character is a modern timestamp of what the progressive men look like today: comfortable in their masculinityPhoto by Kim Simms for Netflix
- Cue in the colorful cardigans, bow ties and all sorts of jewelry. Morshead’s strict rule was that everyone could wear whatever they wanted, despite uniform regulations. His character is the antithesis to the stereotypical man in teen movies, contrasting macho and masculine against androgynous and feminine.Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
Surprise Guests are Welcome! - A surprise addition to the cast of recognizable faces from the current generation is Sarah Michelle Gellar who plays Rosehill’s headmaster—a nod to her character in Cruel Intentions! Talk about a strong, independent woman, am I right?Photo via Netflix
- According to Morshead, Gellar’s iconic off-white pantsuits are a scene stealer to highlight the headmaster’s desire for balance and order in the school. She recalls how “[Gellar’s] this ethereal, dreamy woman,” and we can’t say we aren’t enchanted. Photo via Netflix
Characters and Color Palettes - Throughout the film, the use of color to express dichotomy is evident. Pink is for the elite (very a la Mean Girls), while the pastels are often reminiscent of Miami art deco culture. But one thing to note is Drea and Eleanor’s complementary palette.Photo via Jennifer K. Robinson for Netflix
- Where Drea is often seen in cooler and jewel tones—think blue, purples and greens—Eleanor is a champion of warmer colors like yellow, orange and brown. This is a further testament to the difference in stylistic choice of fashion era between the two!Photo via Jennifer K. Robinson for Netflix
Designers Inspire Designers - Everyone needs to draw explicit inspiration from somewhere! And in the case of Morshead, it wasn’t just Pinterest but rather runway catalogues and paparazzi photos from their relative style eras! For example, here is Drea’s houndstooth ensemble inspired by the B&W Alaïa set Iman wore in Paris, circa 1992. Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
- Or perhaps Eleanor and the British Designer Mary Quant. Although the iconic florals are present in Quant’s collection and Eleanor’s wardrobe, the designer is most notable for introducing the mini skirt into 1960s fashion—perfect for Eleanor’s wardrobe! Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
- Lastly, Drea’s Admissions Party dress hails influence from Carla Bruni’s 1995 Pale Blue Versace Dress. With the reverse sweetheart neckline and modified with belts bought at the craft store, the garment is transformed into something we’d see on the 90s Moschino runway.Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
The Final Clue(less) - If there’s any costume that shifted the paradigm of costume design in film, it’s the iconic yellow plaid suit Cher Horowitz strutted down the halls with in Clueless. Costume Designer Mona May truly cemented the perfect cinematic academic attire.Photo via Paramount Pictures
- For Morshead’s personal spin on the look, she took Drea and put her in an equally bright and eclectic yellow, but with ostrich feathers at the hems. This use of bright yellow pulls us back to the 90s roots and we couldn’t help but point and smile seeing Drea in it.Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
Romy and Michele - Yet another iconic moment in teen pop culture, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion makes the list of references in the film. The metallic dresses and loud accessories are not one to easily miss out on!Photo via Buena Vista Pictures
- Talk about expert lighting in this scene! Drea and Eleanor go back to their roots to perfectly match the pink-and-blue side by side of Romy and Michele in this scene. But in reality? It’s a reference to their color palettes with Eleanor actually in orange and Drea actually in blue!Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
The Pink Ladies - One last teen pop culture reference for the road! Who could forget the iconic preppy, grungy makeover from Grease? But what you might not remember, were the Pink Ladies from Grease 2!Photo from Everett
- The jackets are a symbol of hierarchy around Rosehill. With Drea’s squad sporting their own, and even Eleanor being gifted one. No one truly does research and references like Morshead!Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
Women Support Women - A certain qualm that comes with costume designing is the often lack of budget to heighten all of the pieces that play a visual narrative for the audience. As Morshead noted with this film in particular, she had to go on eBay and vintage thrift store listings to relay eye-catching fits without blowing away the budget.Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix
- Another one of her solutions to this was to support women-owned independent brands! Such as Miracle Eye for the matching ’60s floral dungarees and bucket hat Eleanor wears, Lesjour! for the pastel loungewear that guest star Sophie Turner wears, and RoseCut’s 8 ball-print two-piece suit for queen bee Tara.Photo by Kim Simms for Netflix