Pretty in Pink

I don't even know where to start with this one. Can you even begin to discuss being a teenager in the 80's without mention of John Hughes? While I think Sixteen Candles was his best and Breakfast Club was relevant as well, here is why I liked Pretty in Pink so much. First of all, I think that the soundtrack may be, in my opinion, the best I've ever purchased (and this from the queen of compilations and soundtracks.) The downside of course is that I bought it as a cassette tape and have never actually bought the cd. The songs are not available on iTunes so I may have to do something about this.

Second, I loved Molly Ringwald's (Andie's) wardrobe. And I'm not actually sure that I loved the clothes themselves, but I loved the fact that she had the balls to have her own sense of style and not be a clone of what everyone else was doing. (Case in point the black Chinese canvas Mary Jane flats, Zena jeans, and Forenza v-neck sweaters...one color for every day of the week. Need I say more?) I just wanted to get through high school without any major embarassments, so I didn't make any bold fashion moves.

Recently, Bill Cunningham from The New York Times was in Paris for fashion week and he made observations about what he saw on the streets there. It reminded me of the fashion in Pretty in Pink and how it's in fashion to uncover some of the things you've stored away and make them new again.

Nowadays I think I am still part the high school girl who wanted to fit in, and part Andie who would take some risks. My daughter is all Andie and I hope that she stays that way. I admire that about her.