30 Days of Halloween – Day 3: "The Craft"

I was a middle-school Goth. Stop judging me! Or do, whichever. I know how ridiculous I was. And yet! I will never, ever apologize for taking all my style cues from the 1996 teen movie The Craft. Why should I? The movie is one of the best examples of ‘90s fashion. Babydoll dresses. Cropped leather jackets. Dog collars. GIVE ME ALL THE THINGS.

To link “Halloween” and “Goth” together is a bit reductive, but oh man, is The Craft evocative of the holiday. It just has so much atmosphere. You really get a sense of who these girls are by how they dress, and their fashions transform throughout the movie as their powers get more intense—especially Nancy, played by Fairuza Balk, who goes from typical white trash into a punky, rebellious bitch. I wanted to dress up like Nancy for a few Halloweens in a row, even though she was so goddamn crazy—if I could buy combat boots, long black dresses, and a leather jacket, then I could wear them year-round, too. What could be wrong with that?!

Sure, I grew out of being Goth. By eighth grade, I had put most of my black clothing aside; I still remember how shocked my friends were when I came to school with glittery neon pink eyeshadow rather than black eyeliner. (Uh, next up was a club-kid phase.) I’m 26 years old now, though, and Goth is coming back. Forever 21 is inundated with it. It’s all over couture runways. And maybe I’ll be Nancy this year for Halloween. Maybe. 

And here are the nine things you’ll need to dress up like you’re one of the girls from The Craft, too:

1. Green and blue plaid pleated miniskirt. Villain Nancy (Balk), henchwomen Bonnie (Neve Campbell) and Rochelle (Rachel True), and hero Sarah (Robin Tunney) all went to Catholic school, which, yes, meant uniforms. And is there any item more quintessentially ‘90s than a pleated miniskirt worn casually? No. It is flannel in female form! Everyone should have one! Sexy child connotations be damned! 

2. Granny witch boots (as seen on Nancy). If it looks like Elaine Benes wore them on an episode of Seinfeld once, GRAB THEM. You can even steal them off your grandma, I don’t care. Just add them to your closet and pretend they were always there.

3. Oversized, ironic cross. Nothing Nancy did during The Craft was particularly godly. Come on, she glamoured herself into Sarah so she could have sex with Skeet Ulrich! (Although, honestly, can’t blame her.) But what else suggests to people that you’re actually kind of a badass than a ridiculously large piece of religious paraphernalia? Forever 21 has trunks full of these kinds of necklaces for like, $4. Indulge the small Asian orphans who made them in Forever 21’s slave labor factories by buying one.

4. Cropped leather jacket. Look at all these teen witches, getting their chanting on in the dead of night! And look at what all the bad girls are wearing: CROPPED. LEATHER. JACKETS. The ultimately easy “Don’t fuck with me” accessory.

5. Black nail polish (like Rochelle has on here) and brown or black lipstick (like Nancy is wearing). Dark cosmetic shades, guys. It’s fairly obvious that bright colors for lips and nails = summer and deeper colors for lips and nails = winter, but go as lush and rich as you can. Wine, plum, burgundy, mocha, espresso, bronze, ebony; anything from the brown, purple, or deep red color families goes. Brands like MAC Cosmetics, Make Up for Ever, and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics are your best bets for a wide range of options. Or, use a deep purple or black eyeliner for your lips if you don’t want to buy a whole new product. Top off with some clear gloss and you're good, or keep it matte for a more foreboding look. Seriously, I have put a lot of thought in this. LOOK AT HOW LONG THIS PARAGRAPH IS IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHERS. I AM VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS GOTHIC MAKEUP THING.

6. Thigh-high black socks (like on Bonnie here) with a short black skirt and clunky black shoes. Done and done.

7. Spaghetti-strap granny dresses (like on Rochelle and Sarah in this picture). You know, being witchy and Gothic isn’t all about various shades of black. You have to have at least one gauzy, patterned, spaghetti-strap dress in your repertoire, preferably maxi length, worn over a thermal or with motorcycle boots. Bra: optional. Witches don’t need bras! Feminism! Down with the tyrannical patriarchy of women’s underwear! And if you can find a maxi dress in flannel, more power to you. Please let me know where you got it, immediately.

8. Dog collars and corsets, either worn separately or together (see: Nancy). This would be a weird trip to the mall, no? PetSmart for a studded dog collar and Victoria’s Secret for a trashy black lace corset. Work it, girl.

9. And finally, gauzy black sweaters (on Rochelle). Preferably open-weave, preferably flare-sleeved. Excellent for wearing during all-night Invocation of the Spirit rituals in which your crazy friend Nancy murders a bunch of sharks and narwhals so she can absorb their powers, and your square friend Sarah can’t be bothered to adhere to the dress code. (Brown leather jacket = major fashion faux pas). Animal sacrifice and all-black outfits; just a typical hang-out sesh!

Now, I’m off to dig through my closet to see what stuff I’m missing from this list. Anyone need to borrow a tube of black lipstick? Get at me. And Happy Almost Halloween!