How to Online Shop While Watching Chick Flicks: A Memoir
Hello reader, in case you just stumbled upon this blog post without reading the very out of date “About Me” section of my blog, my name is Hallie Cain. I’m 19 years old technically, but I feel my personality gives off more of a six, or sixty-year-old vibe. And much like a six-year-old, I like to play dress up… in my own clothes. I literally try on different combinations of my own clothes for fun, which is only like a 7 on the “how sad is my life based on how I use my massive amounts of free time” scale.
But I honestly believe there is no shame in participating in a classic dressing room montage. It’s in basically every movie you would watch at a sleepover when you were younger, which, might I add, are the greatest types of movies. Pretty Woman, The Sweetest Thing, Clueless, Confessions of a Shopaholic, even that shopping scene with Jamie Lee Curtis as Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday was life changing.
I’ve always been a huge fan of cheesy slumber party movies, maybe because I’ve been hosting cheesy slumber parties since I was conceived. Even as a fetus, I used to make my mom watch Clueless while wearing pink Pjs and eating mediocre microwave popcorn… I mean probably. So rather than describing my personal style in fashion terms (whatever “fashion terms” even are), I thought I’d explain a few sources of the style seeds planted in my brain so many years ago.
As my favorite movie, I’ve already mentioned it twice, so I simply have to throw Clueless out there once more. Third time’s the charm. Cher Horowitz is one of the most iconic movie characters to ever grace the old “sleepover basement” in my childhood home. But before elaborating, I just want to make it clear that while these movies created many style icons of mine, I by no means copy their wardrobes. Cher’s most memorable outfit was a plaid yellow blazer and matching skirt – SO not my style. I mention her more so because she and I share that almost over-the-top enthusiasm about the girly-girliest of pieces and a love of layering. Cher wears the type of clothing that make you happy to look at just hanging on the rack because they’re essentially adult versions of your dress-ups (this style is also rocked by Penny Lane in Almost Famous, an equally amazing slumber party film). Cher’s clothes are all matchy-matchy and many involve one piece of clothing being swallowed and then puked out at the bottom of another piece of clothing layered on top. My silk romper here is layered both over and under other pieces, and frankly I could imagine Cher picking it up for a date with her ex-step brother (that plot line still weirds me out a bit, not gonna lie).
When I had longer hair, I used to try and style it like Cher. It took me about three years to realize that wasn’t humanly possible, at which point I gave up and started tossing it up in one of those huge butterfly clips that stay-at-home moms somehow manage to rock effortlessly. Before I cut off all of my hair, I realized that the butterfly clip #lewk reminded me of someone – Chessy from The Parent Trap – Lindsay Lohan version obviously, I’m not old/the crypt keeper (if you don’t get this reference, refer back to Freaky Friday). Today, I see that same influence of the ever so classic remake in a lot of things I wear. The laid back, ranch life looks of Chessy, Hallie, and Nick remind me of my love for oversized t-shirts, booties, and all things denim. I think Hallie Parker was one of the first people I ever saw wearing a trucker jean jacket, the same kind I now repurpose and sell (there's that shameless self-promotion). While Hallie is my favorite twin for obvious reasons, Annie and her mom are pretty much goals too. Though many may think my favorite collared shirts are a result of obsessing over young Tom Cruise in Risky Business, I identify more with Natasha Richardson’s posh London looks and button downs.
Overall, I like to think my personal style is being shaped more and more every day, and that it attempts the juxtaposition of Cher’s extravagance, Hallie Parker’s relaxed simplicity, and Elizabeth James’ sophistication (plus a hint of acryllic paint like a smiley face painted on my knee - I'm an ~arteest~). But in reality, I won’t buy a piece of clothing without insuring it’s ultra-comfy, sleep-able, and can stretch to accommodate a food baby. Most slumber parties do involve loads of snacks, and I’m pretty certain most six and sixty-year-olds take naps too.