5 Fashion Lessons I Learned From *Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead*

Guys, I have some bad, albeit random news.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is not available to stream on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Netflix, or even janky movie streaming sites that I’ve come across (I’ve been down quite the rabbit hole searching for this thing). The best I could find is a DVD that could come next-day, but I don’t have a DVD player, so that pretty much sucks.

Now why would I be searching desperately for a 25-year-old movie? I’ve been known to go on a wild goose chase for, say, the perfect pair of jeans, but a movie? Not so much. But this movie is part of why I wanted to work in fashion—or more particularly, for a minute, become a school uniform designer. (What can I say? I got sidetracked.) The thing is, I thought my obsession with this 1991 masterpiece, starring Christina Applegate, was just one of the quirky things that made me, me. Turns out, there’s a lot of quirkiness out there.

My love for this film and its style moments has spurred many a DTMTBD conversation, quote (recently, a co-worker and I randomly said “I’m right on top of that, Rose” in unison), and even an Instagram post on my part. Guess what. I’m not alone. Nineties children across the fashion industry are obsessed with this movie—and who can blame them? Sue Ellen Crandell (a.k.a. Suell) taught us some major fashion lessons that we still employ today. Read ’em and see… but whatever you do, do not forget about the QED report. Just watch the movie and you’ll know what that means, OK?

Lesson #1: You can be stylish and work-appropriate at the same time.

Dress codes can be tough, especially when you first start out in your career (Suell was but a teen, but that’s another story), but it’s vital that you still feel like yourself. When you feel confident in your outfit, it shows and when it doesn’t, well, see above.

Lesson #2: Mixing black and white is the easiest way to look put together and modern

Just look at Suell here; she’s strong, and still edgy, in her white-tipped black blazer and graphic turtleneck. And damn, she knew how to rock a statement earring.

Lesson #3: There are good ruffles and there are bad ruffles.

Didn’t everyone look up to Rose? Smart, savvy, open to new ideas. She had a wardrobe to match—plus the confidence to drop that douche-y boyfriend Gus (ick). When Rose walks into the big fashion show wearing this saffron silk shantung top with crazy ruffles at the shoulders and pedal pushers, I thought, Man, I want to be her someday. And when Carolyn (her pronunciation of “personnel” will haunt our dreams forever) walks in wearing this bad prom dress-ish ruffled monstrosity…well, let’s just say that Rose taught us to make trends work for us—not the other way around. Let’s have one more look at those nifty pedal pushers before we move on to number four, shall we?

Lesson #4: If you want to look cool, wear a print.

Remember when Suell’s best girlfriends come over to save the day and model for the fashion show (#pettycashproblems)? The reason they looked so cool? Prints! Check them out: Each is wearing young, fun print, making every solid-color piece of clothing in your closet look so boring.

Lesson #5: When in doubt, reach for the unexpected accessory.

Things are about to go all wrong for Suell midway through the fashion show. These bellhop outfits are kind of OK, but the stacks of hatboxes are the accessorizing equivalent of a Hail Mary.

Lesson #6: When you have a hot date, always bare your shoulders

Suell proves that clavicle is hotter than cleavage on a date with Bryan to watch the grunion run. Good thing there are so many off-the-shoulder tops and dresses you can score for hitting the beach this summer.

That’s it from Suell—got to head out and buy some cucumbers now. As she learns in the movie, every girl over 25 should have a cucumber in the house. And these days, apparently, a DVD player.

Have your bought your summer swimsuit yet? Model Ashley Graham just made the process a whole lot more fun.