(This is in no particular order)
- Eric Forman (That ’70s Show)
Of the That ’70s Show characters, Eric Forman is the least likely to be on a fashion inspiration list. However, I always found myself drawn to his outfits more than anyone; his wide collars and high-waisted pants were what got me into 70s fashion in the first place. He wore cozy sweaters or a nice shearling lined coat with his dorky button-downs tucked into respectable khakis. While I love the layered effect of Jackie Burkhart’s outfits, Eric’s classic 70s collars and coats made me choose the least fashionable character on That ’70s Show.
- Violet and Klaus Baudelaire (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
The costume design on A Series of Unfortunate Events is what makes this show stand out to me. All of the children always contrast with the dreary backdrop of their lives. Violet’s pastel color scheme mixed with Klaus’ adorable sweater vests put these two on this list. The costume designer and executive producer of the show worked to make the costumes seem timeless with aspects of many decades going into every character’s costumes. During seasons 2 and 3, Klaus and Violet’s costumes become brighter and brighter as the adults around them have darker and darker outfits. I have always wanted to recreate some of the Baudelaire siblings’ ensembles because of their timeless and preppy nature.
- Villanelle (Killing Eve)
The first of the murdered girlfriends on this list. Villanelle never looks like she’s going to kill someone with her bright, high fashion, extravagant dresses. This highly-trained assassin dresses like she is a fashion influencer who lives their life in Paris (even though she would hate that comparison). The beautiful thing about Villanelle’s costume design is the dichotomy of her job and her style. She loves bright colors and poofy silhouettes. To embrace Villanelle’s style, you need to get out of your comfort zone and just be the overdressed person at the party, a lesson I have truly learned from her over-the-top outfits.
- Veronica Sawyer (Heathers)
The second of my murdered girlfriends. Ever since I first watched Heathers, I fell in love with the costume design for all the characters, especially Veronica’s. Admittedly, blue is not my favorite color to wear, but Winona Ryder makes it work as her signature color in this movie. Her outfits are a little less preppy than the Heathers, making her stand out with their warm-toned signature colors. Veronica rocks the shoulder pads and aggressively layered outfits of the 80s with looks that go perfectly with the murders she commits.
- Robin Buckley (Stranger Things)
When we first meet Robin in season 3 of Stranger Things, we are not met with a lot of opportunities for her personal style to shine through as for most of the season she wears her Scoops Ahoy uniform. However, in the last scene of the third season, she wears a simple outfit with high-waisted jeans and a blouse, but it’s the first time we see her in a non-uniform. It made me go absolutely feral. With season 4, Robin has only solidified her spot on this list with butch-adjacent outfits that bring in aspects of the 80s era of fashion while also giving modern lesbians something to be inspired by.
- Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Okay, this isn’t exactly a quirky choice. Buffy Summers is a long-considered fashion icon, but it wouldn’t be an outfit inspirations list without her. Buffy the Vampire Slayer defined the third wave of feminism as the epitome of grrrl riot groups and what they stood for. During the second wave, the feminists at the time fought to not be seen as traditionally feminine, implying that there was something wrong with the traditional approach to someone’s femininity. In the 90s, grrrl riot groups fought to reclaim femininity because the rejection of it was based in misogyny. As a reflection of the era of feminism, Buffy exemplified the reclamation of girliness by having a mission focused on power while never apologizing for her desire to be a normal high school girl. Not to mention her perfectly curated collection of leather jackets and boots paired with the girliest blouses. Buffy may have been a supernaturally powered superhero, but she was also the head cheerleader of her old school and never shied away from her femininity.
- Remus Lupin (Harry Potter Franchise)
The interesting part about this character is that most of what fans love about him is fanon. This means that his personal style has mostly been developed by fans, but that does not detract from his influence over my style. Remus is from a lower-class family and his storyline in the books is an allegory for the AIDS epidemic of the 80s. His outfits are going to be patchworked, oversized clothes with thick sweaters and trousers. The earthy tones of his canonical movie outfits lend themselves to the fanon of his general green and brown color scheme. The combination of the almost frumpy oversized style of his sweaters and pants with the earthy tones makes Remus Lupin a fashion inspiration for me.
- Sally Bowles (Cabaret)
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you the international sensation: Fraulein Sally Bowles!” Look, Liza Minelli deserves more credit as an icon of her generation. She’s the daughter of Judy Garland and yet almost nobody my age seems to know who she is. Her character Sally Bowles is an interesting one because Cabaret is set in Germany in the 1930s, however, the vibe of the movie is so distinctly 70s. Sally embraces the campy culture that surrounds her in the cabaret with risque looks. Her most notable outfit is during the song “Mein Herr” where she dances around on a chair in just a halter vest and stockings. She absolutely rules the stage with her confidence in her body and her autonomy, making her a fashion inspiration across decades.
- Fozzie Bear (The Muppets Franchise)
Okay, this is admittedly the weirdest character on this list, but hear me out. Fozzie has always been my favorite Muppet with his stupid puns and incredibly bad jokes. He isn’t supposed to be directly funny, but he still keeps his head up high no matter how many crowds boo him. The ultimate Fozzie-core outfit would be a pair of caramel color corduroy pants paired with a white button-down with pink polka-dots. While Fozzie may not have the most diverse fashion inspiration, the outfits with his vibe would slap.
- Ron Stallworth (Blackkklansman)
Can you tell that I like vintage fashion yet? I don’t think Blackkklansman is celebrated for its costume design enough. Ron Stallworth walked into that police station with the coolest coats I have ever seen. He embodied the warm tones of the 70s with his wide collars and fur-lined suede jacket. While the movie touches on racism and violence against black people in the 1970s, the costumes have always stood out to me as a highlight of this film. Ron’s outfits are an integral part of his character because they are part of his identity as a black cop in the 70s. He struggles with his identity throughout the movie because of disagreements with both racist cops and his peers who believe in the ACAB argument. However, his style stays true to himself both when he’s undercover at Black Power rallies and in the office. The consistency of his style and his epitomized 70s-era style makes Ron Stallworth a style icon in his own right.