Even after 32 years the film Heathers has been inspiring the world of fashion with pleated skirts, plaid, structured blazers and coloured tights. The 1989 dark comedy follows the story of two teenagers who accidentally make suicide popular amongst their high school (or the idea of it anyways). Trench coat wielding J.D. takes popular girl Veronica on a killing spree, staging the murders as suicides. His thought process, much like the loud 80s fashion, proves that, “The extreme always seems to make an impression”.
While browsing online I came across a plethora of Heathers-like clothing, proving that its impact, or that of the 80s in general, has survived decades. Let’s take a look.
Blazers
Most outfits worn throughout the film, mainly the clique made of up three girls named Heather, include a blazer. In the 80s blazers were the moment, equipped with now outrageous shoulder pads and a variety of colours. Finding blazers like that today is sometimes met with difficulty, yet recently I’ve been seeing more shoulder pads, and more blazers in general, immediately making me think of Heathers.
Monochrome
Each character in the film was assigned a colour they sport in each outfit. Veronica was blue, JD black, Heather Chandler red, Heather Duke green and Heather McNamara yellow. This often invited monochrome outfits and coloured tights into the wardrobe, which I love. Colourful garments and tights are popular amongst brands like Lazy Oaf and Balenciaga.
Pleated Skirts
Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of pleated skirts floating around the internet (specifically on TikTok). So, naturally, after purchasing a couple for myself I thought I’d return to their roots and finally watch Heathers- I was not disappointed. One major difference is the length of their skirts in the film, which are a lot longer than those most commonly worn today.
The Trench Coat
Next up, a classic fall wardrobe staple- the trench coat. Worn throughout the film by anti-hero, J.D, the trench coat is one of the most iconic fashion moments due its associations with the character.
Co-ords / Matching Sets
Probably the most iconic and influential fashion in the film is the two piece sets worn by the Heathers throughout the film. Equipped with all of the above trends, these sets were colourful, obnoxious and downright gorgeous. I’m a sucker for a matching set so those worn in the movie
left me salivating, and I was beyond excited to find several across the internet, this one specifically from Zara.
Scrunchies
Finally, if you’ve ever seen Heathers, you know I can't end this list without including the scrunchie. Whenever springtime comes around scrunchies are everywhere. And listen, I get it, they’re cute AND functional.
Conclusion
Heathers encompasses peak 80s fashion, filled with shoulder pads, bright colours and monochrome outfits to command a room. With so many of these trends resurfacing the only thing we’re missing is a clique of girls named Heather!