By Libby Evans, Copy Chief
Here are seven female protagonists of 90s romantic comedies, specifically in the fall, who dress to impress. The key takeaways of style for a romantic, empowered, young woman in these films are red accents, chunky sweaters, messy, curly hair, blazers and minimalism. The hue of colors might be skewed due to the overs-saturation of film coloring of the time, but I don’t have any complaints. However, they don’t make these clothes like they used to. All the more reason to shop second-hand and collect vintage pieces that are straight from the 90s. Send us all back to a simpler time.
Photo: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection from GQ Magazine
“When Harry Met Sally” (1989)
Starting off strong with “When Harry Met Sally” is almost like cheating because this movie actually came out in 1989, but it simply can’t be ignored, and ‘89 is close enough. Meg Ryan is the 90s it-girl of fall fashion. Her character Sally Albright reminds us all to free the curls, wear chunky sweaters and include red accents into a look to embody class and romance. Red symbolizes passion and power, exactly what a romantic comedy’s female lead is made of. All of her looks in this film are adorable, mostly consisting of blazers, baggy dress pants, scarves and turtlenecks.
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
“Pretty Woman” (1990)
Here we see Julia Roberts playing Vivian Ward in “Pretty Woman,” which came out in 1990. Vivian has a spectrum of styles in this film, starting off with her introduction working as a prostitute with her platinum blonde bob wig and big hoop earrings. She starts to explore sophisticated looks, pulling back her messy curls and showcasing more natural makeup looks. Vivian’s consistency of style that coincides with her character is power and independence that we see with sharp blazers and bold colors. She pairs messy hair and bushy eyebrows with clean lines and minimalistic jewelry to demonstrate her new sense of power while retaining her freedom and wild, fun energy.
Photo: Photofest
“While You Were Sleeping” (1995)
In 1995, Sandra Bullock played Lucy Eleanor Moderatz in “While You Were Sleeping.” Her love interest is asleep and spoiler someone else comes along while she waits for him to awake. It’s like Snow White except Bullock is Prince Charming and Prince Charming falls for one of the dwarves. Her outfits featured a lot of comfortable-looking, oversized sweaters, pajamas and a lot of scarves. A chunky scarf is a tell-tale sign of a 90’s fashionista. Wrap it around your head on a windy day to evoke a sense of mystery and to stay warm.
Photo: IMDb
“My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997)
“My Best Friend’s Wedding” came out in 1997, with Julia Roberts facing down the iconic Cameron Diaz in a sinister love triangle. Roberts plays the journalist Julianne Potter trying to steal the heart of her longtime best friend. The fact that all romantic comedies feature a journalist is another topic, but Roberts' ensembles in this movie make her character effortlessly cool and an intimidating opponent for Diaz. Just like Meg Ryan and Julia Stiles, Roberts embraces the frizz and makes her curls an inimitable accessory. A pair of tiny, minimalistic sunglasses like these will make you at least 5% cooler and 20% more like Julia Roberts’ character in this movie.
Photo: Moviestore/Shutterstock
“You’ve Got Mail” (1998)
Meg Ryan is back, her hair is shorter and now she’s a sophisticated book publisher. In 1998, she played Kathleen Kelly in “You’ve Got Mail,” paired with Tom Hanks. In comparison to “When Harry Met Sally,” Ryan dresses more conserved and modest, with simple black sweaters and dark brown dresses. The dark, bold colors enhance her light blonde hair and blue eyes and are exacerbated by the high color contrast of 90s filmmaking. Simple, black tops like this one are timeless in their abilities to evoke a sense of class, mystery and edge.
Photo: Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock
“10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)
Kat Stratford in “10 Things I Hate About You” is played by Julia Stiles in 1999. Stiles wears a lot of bold colors like red, black, dark grays and blues. She wears her wild curls confidently and usually has a simple makeup look with a bold lip and very little eye makeup. Stiles exemplifies the saying “less is more.” Simple, straight lines and bold colors paired with minimal, dainty jewelry, allows her character to become a part of the look. She’s fierce and fiery and it’s written all over her face. Almost all 90’s love interests have accents of red. A simple answer would be that red is a symbol for love and romance, but I’m taking it as an empowering act of feminism reminding us she is the moment, she knows it and she’s not afraid to show it.
Photo: Look at These Gems
“She’s All That” (1999)
Can we take a moment or two to appreciate this adorable red mini dress? “She’s All That” from 1999 has my favorite weird-girl-gets-a-makeover trope. Glasses come off and, ‘Wow! Who is she?’ Rachael Leigh Cook plays Laney Boggs, the art freak turned prom queen. High school stereotypes are brutal. I think the overall message we can take away from these 90s women is that red is the color of the cool-girl protagonist. However, I think Laney’s pre-makeover looks are underappreciated. Cool girls wear overalls and glasses too. Don’t get confused.
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