Pretty in Pink (1987)

Pretty in Pink is another of John Hughes’ contributions to The Brat Pack collection of films. Molly Ringwald plays an awkward, unconfident working class student who falls in love with her wealthy classmate.

The fashion reflects the characters states of mind. Andie’s style is a mixture of thrift shop, granny fashion typical of the vintage ‘make, do and mend’ style. The dress she designs and makes for her prom is a mixture between a cheap, tacky dress her father bought her and a vintage dress she was given by a friend. Despite the disappointment of the dress (as an audience we expected a much more capable, transforming effort) it shows an individuality of the character that she is not willing to give up for conformity.

The styles of the other characters are also very reflective of their personalities, her wacky friend Duckie wears brightly coloured very confident combinations of eighties teenage style with interesting twists as tweed jackets and bright cravats. Her best friend Annie is also a sartorial genius, sporting head to toe leather one day and forties style fashion the next. Marilyn Vance, the costume designer for this film who worked on other stylish films such as The Untouchables and Pretty Woman, was renowned in the Eighties for her use of designer clothing for product placement.