Just as memorable as the darkly comic one-liners and the twisted romance between Winona Ryder and Christian Slater in this teen classic are the preppy, shoulder-padded plaid blazers and primary color tights of the high school clique that lend the film its name. The trio of girls—all named Heather, of course, and who begin to meet untimely ends after Ryder enters their inner circle—serve as a perfect reflection of the superficial excess found in the corners of 1980s culture that the film skewers. Meanwhile, Ryder’s mostly black, white, and gray take on the school uniform instantly marks her out as the darker, renegade force that will expose the hypocrisies of the dominating social hierarchy. The film may veer into the madcap, but the costumes always remain razor-sharp.
2. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Photo: Everett Collection
Alright, so Gogo Yubari isn’t technically a schoolgirl. Still, while Kill Bill is packed with unforgettable fashion moments—Daryl Hannah’s nurse outfit and eyepatch, Lucy Liu’s white kimono as Yakuza boss O-Ren Ishii, and, of course, Uma Thurman’s yellow motorcycle suit accessorized with a samurai sword—Gogo Yubari’s schoolgirl bodyguard remains the film’s most stylish assassin. Oh, and if the actor playing Yubari, Chiaki Kuriyama, looks familiar, that’s probably because of her powerhouse performance in another film on this list, Battle Royale. (Tarantino has previously acknowledged that Yubari’s casting and costuming were heavily inspired by the film.) The full look of a blazer, plaid skirt, knee-high white socks, and sneakers—plus a meteor hammer, the ancient Chinese weapon she wields and swings above her head—has become an evergreen Halloween-costume favorite for a reason.
1. The Craft (1996)
Photo: Everett Collection