Fashion Influences in Do Revenge
Netflix’s original movie “Do Revenge” has become a fan favorite not only for the plot and cast member performances, but also for its overarching fashion statements. The movie draws inspo from fashion pieces seen throughout classic teen movies and memorable 90s supermodel looks. Watching on-screen fashion recreations has made many viewers become nostalgic for these fashion eras.
In the dark teen comedy, actress Camilla Mendes plays the role of Drea, a popular student attending a Miami private high school. In the film, Drea falls from her social reign after her boyfriend anonymously leaks an intimate video of her. She then joins forces with a new student, Eleanor (played by Maya Hawke), a social outcast, to exact revenge on their tormentors.
Many teen cult classic references can be spotted throughout the film. This includes the paint scene in “10 Things I Hate About You,” to smaller nods such as Drea holding the iconic fluffy pink pen from the film “Clueless.” These references were not accidental.
In an interview with “Do Revenge” Director Jennifer Robinson, she explains that her inspiration was largely drawn from high school movies that she grew up loving. Some movies Robinson references are “Jawbreaker” and “Heathers.”
The costume designer for "Do Revenge" was also inspired by these iconic films. They collaborated with Robinson's ideas, which are developed around the styles of these classic teen cult films.
In an interview with Fashionista, costume designer Alana Morsehead describes how movies like “Romy and Michele” and “Jawbreaker” were present in her mind as she constructed looks for the “Do Revenge” characters. She also drew inspiration from 90s supermodel looks that fit well with the film’s genre. A fashion look bearing an expression of these varying influences is the Rosehill student uniform.
The Rosehill school uniform was added to emphasize the elite mean girl trope that was intended to be portrayed in the film. The uniform consists of plaid skirts, knit cardigans and ties. Characters were accessorized with berets, headbands, hair clips and more to help assert their personalities through these subtle touches.
This uniform style is similar to the iconic outfits from the “Clueless” scene where Cher and Dionne sport complementary plaid skirts and blazers. It also references the movie “Heathers,” where all three Heathers wear the same style of skirt and blazer. Unlike “Clueless” and
“Heathers,” the use of a pastel color palette was used in “Do Revenge” to emulate the Miami setting.
To play on the elite social status of Drea and her friend group, the characters wore different colored metallic jackets to highlight the exclusivity of their inner circle. The use of metallic jackets alludes to the film "Grease," with its pink ladies all dressed in pink metallic jackets. In “Do Revenge,” Drea stops wearing her jacket when she loses her high social status.
Outside of school, Drea’s costume design was heavily influenced by 90s runway looks from supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Iman Abdulmajid.
In the movie when Drea gives Eleanor a makeover, she wears a stunning pink houndstooth outfit that Morsehead told Fashionista was directly inspired by a 1992 photoshoot of Abdulmajid. The supermodel wore a black-and-white houndstooth patterned pants paired with a black-and-white checkered jacket in these photos.
Later in the movie, Drea wore a beautiful blue colored dress. Similarly, Drea’s blue-colored dress was a look inspired by supermodel Carla Bruni, as she wore an ice-blue Versace dress in 1995 at a designer’s afterparty. However, Morshead took on her own spin on Bruni’s outfit. She attempted to modernize it by adding chunky gold chain straps to the dress.
The “Do Revenge” costumes have created a stunning modern take on these high school cult classics that make the movie all more enjoyable to watch.
Destiny Esparza — November 12th, 2022
