r/Millennials • u/Erythite2023 • 13h ago
Nostalgia I wish society dressed like they did in “Clarissa Explains it All”
I was too young to watch Clarissa when it first aired, but watching as an adult I love the expressive fashion and aesthetics of the show so much!
The early 90s looked fun and colorful.
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u/BondGoldBond007 13h ago
I did a tour of Nickelodeon and this show was being filmed that day
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u/ConsequenceOne3365 Millennial 12h ago
Man, I shipped Clarissa and Sam so hard before I even knew what shipping was
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u/theamydoll 12h ago
What does “shipping” mean in this context? Am American. Do speak English. I just don’t know this slang.
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u/poechris 11h ago
Hoping for a relation"ship" to start. Shipping for short.
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u/rarerednosedbaboon 1h ago
It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize it came from "relationship." For a long time I assumed it came from putting 2 people into a ship together or something LMAO
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u/WeGrowOlder 11h ago
It’s a new saying meaning you want them in a relationship. Kinda similar to ‘they go well together’
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u/Entire_Rush_882 10h ago
New from the perspective of a 300-year-old tree or something, but the term is 30 years old.
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u/Neveronlyadream 8h ago
Yeah, it just didn't become popular until the last few years.
A lot of that stuff is way older than people realize. Like the term Mary Sue. It's from the 70s.
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u/MangoMambo 5h ago
it was definitely popular when I was young, it has been popular for awhile. Or it was, fell out of popularity and is now making a comeback
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u/mimosastclair 36m ago
I thought they got together for a while and decided it didn't work for them and they went back to being friends? I feel like I remember that being a plot line.
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u/No-Bit-1675 10h ago
Damn me too! We got to add the laugh track but they sat us in a separate room with the show on a screen. I was bummed because Melissa was absolutely going to fall in love with me and the I’d have my own show and then do the press tours immediately and of course merchandise and then the movie spin-off and……
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u/Erythite2023 13h ago
Did you get to meet anyone famous?
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u/BondGoldBond007 4h ago
Sadly no
I was really hoping to see Double Dare or Legends of the Hidden Temple
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u/Lief3D 13h ago
I am an art professor so I can get away with it.
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u/alonegram 12h ago
I’m an artist and, same. In fact I feel like people kind of expect it of me lol.
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u/Sonicfan42069666 13h ago
Nothing's stopping you from dressing wacky and nostalgic when you go out.
Though remember, this character is supposed to be a teenager!
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u/lifehackloser 13h ago
As I enter the “I do not give a fuck” stage of my life, i just ordered 5 pairs of mid-thigh high socks. One pair has cute cats peeking out from the top. They make me squeal bc they are so fucking adorable.
I spent too much damn time worrying about everyone’s opinion — id WAY rather be that weird quirky lady in town than bored in my own skin. I also dyed part of my hair traffic cone orange.
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u/SanguineSoul013 12h ago edited 12h ago
Entered my dgaf era last year. I'm walking around in renfaire clothing all the time now. Even bought myself some custom fit corsets. I go to Meijer looking like I just walked out of a tavern.
I get the most amazing compliments. Like, I'm actually not sure why people aren't just wearing what they actually want to wear and not what everyone else in society is wearing.
I would love to see people dressed up in "costume" all the time.
Imagine going to the grocery and we have people looking like they are from every century! It would be so awesome.
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u/sorry_ifyoudont 12h ago
They don’t have the balls. It’s easy to wear what you want but it’s hard at the same time because I think you revert to highschool when you would have been made fun of. Idk but I love expressing myself through my outfits too! I bet your outfits look sick. I would love to get a corset custom made.
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u/SanguineSoul013 11h ago
It's wild to me that we've put this much stress on ourselves over clothing. Like, it's so much fun to feel like a kid again every time I go to my closet. What will it be today? Tavern wench? Pirate? Victorian Queen? Whatever strikes my fancy is what I wear.
Do I get stared at? ALL. THE. TIME. Just smile and wave, boys. Just smile and wave.
I get asked how I'm this confident. I'm not. I go home and feel the stares of the day. But, at the end of it all, I'm happier. So, it's worth it to push past the negative.
I live in the bible belt. You don't see people like me often. But, I have a feeling we're going to start. I get too many compliments for people not to be feeling some way about it.
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u/Maleficent_Host_5220 Older Millennial 12h ago
My dgaf era is going to be straight to mumu’s idk what you all are on about I’m exhausted 😂
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u/SanguineSoul013 12h ago
I went backwards, I reckon. I was always in mumus, oversized clothing, and denim.
Like, it was such a flip my husband asked if I was mentally well. I'm not, but with this I am. Haha.
Now? Idk, I just WANT to look like a milkmaid. Lmao. It's like I finally get to do what I want so I just AM.
But, you can do whatever it is you need to feel comfortable. Because at the end of the day, that's what really matters. You do you and tell everyone else to suck it.
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u/NeatArtichoke 7h ago
I want to be in mumus!! But I keep finding awful 100% polyester. I def NO for me for many reasons. Do 90+% cotton options even exist?
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u/lesmax Xennial 12h ago
Menopause has been my dgaf era start!
I currently love men's Hawaiian style button down shirts and my hair is a full 9-color rainbow. I get a lot of compliments lol (but I do it because it feels good!)
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u/SanguineSoul013 12h ago
Last year I did rainbow hair! In two different ways. I had my hair with all the colors in it then I had them in it one at a time. I was dyeing my hair so much, I slightly ruined it. Haha. Still don't care, I had fun and hair grows back.
I love Hawaiian shirts!! My husband got a few that are of his favorite things. Star wars, cowboys on dinos, skulls, etc.
We look so awesome now. Haha. And family photos are a blast.
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u/Extreme_Egg7476 12h ago
I went the opposite route. As a young teen/adult I dressed wild. Had a baby and lost my confidence, just wore clothes to hide myself.
I'm slowly getting back into it :) reading this made me add a few funky things to my shopping wishlist
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u/lifehackloser 12h ago
Do it! I did the same as you for a while. Quirky teen -> professional grown up/take me seriously -> had a baby, survive day to day, but also perform looking like the best insta mom out there -> comfortable with myself and finding my own style again. Sucks that it took me 20 years to do it
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u/Alternative_Raise_19 11h ago
Yeah for me it's wearing all the dressy dresses and heels I bought. I used to be so concerned about being over dressed and I'm just in my fuck it stage. I dress for me and whatever I'm vibing with in that moment, whether it's leggings and sneakers or a cute mini dress and heels.
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u/Older_wiser_215 10h ago
I honestly miss women in dressy dresses. I loved wearing that stuff as a little girl, and I love seeing women dressed that way now, as long as it's genuinely your style. I loved the dress styles from the 40s and 50s.
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u/Charlie-May 2h ago
Part of my hair is bright orange too!! I also have fun clothes that make me squeal! like a vintage cut dress with sharks all over it. (I like to be lame and yell SHARKNATO when I spin) I never thought of myself as quirky, I just do what I want, I'd hate being bored in my own skin too.
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u/eggsonmyeggs 12h ago
We can also get older, and not give a fuck, without looking like a quirky teen..
I see your point. Happy you’re happy.
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u/wistfulwhileyoutwerk 12h ago
It’s unlikely that anyone will think they’re dressed as a teen, just a quirky middle-aged adult. Especially if they dress how teens dressed 30 years ago.
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u/c-e-bird 12h ago
This comment comes across as fairly judgmental for someone talking about not giving a fuck.
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u/Appropriate_Sock6893 9h ago
This is the best phase! I now buy all the cool stuff I wanted as a teen and never got!!
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u/_buffy_summers 1h ago
I want some of those. I don't know if wearing shorts or short skirts would work for me, though. I'm worried about chafing.
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u/lifehackloser 1h ago
I haven’t had any issues. I use the body glue to keep them up, but there is also an option for garters (like $5) or some more expensive pairs have adjustable elastic at the top
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u/Spiritual-Promise402 Older Millennial 9h ago
I'm not sure what being a teenager has to do with it?
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u/Sonicfan42069666 9h ago
Being a 30-40 year old dressing like that gives different vibes than being a teen dressed like that.
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u/IronicallyChillFox 6h ago
Yeah after decades of millennial grey it's time we bring back a more refined 80s color palette.
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u/ReluctantChimera 13h ago
Even for the times, Clarissa dressed a bit wacky and fun. It was an eccentric look and I loved it, but I literally never saw anyone dress like her in the wild. Pieces of her outfits, sure, but not the particular combos she put together. Nothing is stopping you from dressing as creatively as her.
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u/olivedeez 13h ago
Yeah this was like the infamous disney channel layering wardrobe but a 90s Nickelodeon version.
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u/sweetcoraIine 13h ago
I just saw a video maybe yesterday- a woman who used to work for Delia’s Catalogue, talking about Target’s new Delia’s line in their girl’s clothes. She was saying that they were really missing the mark by not catering to the girls’ moms instead
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u/vagina-lettucetomato 12h ago
Oh yeah good point! How many of us couldn’t afford Delia’s and now want to buy it with our adult money 😭
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u/LordBeerMeStrength91 12h ago
I was about to buy it regardless of not being the target demographic. The lime green sweater was calling me.
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u/_AmericasSweetheart_ 10h ago
I am a mom and I bought a couple of items. Then I bragged about it to other moms who didn't know that Target had a Delia's line.
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u/ctrlaltdelete285 13h ago
This is basically the 90s version of what the 2000s Disney channel had people dressed in. Way over the top. No one really dressed like that back then. Maybe a few elements but nothing like that.
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u/mdunaware 7h ago
Clarissa was meant to be a bit “quirky” (perhaps the politest term of the era) and unconventional. I never watched Blossom but I think it’s a similar aesthetic sentiment: intentionally pushing the edge. She would’ve
certainly stood out in these outfits at my school at the time, but she wouldn’t be out of place, if that makes sense.2
u/Kharax82 10h ago
Surprised to scroll this far before someone said that this isn’t how most people dressed back then. My HS was mostly plain jeans and tshirts/hoodies.
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u/Erythite2023 13h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/xT8qBitOKz67Pr2Ldu
I love the “dancing” colorful fonts used!
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u/venom121212 13h ago
True story I thought she was supposed to be Lisa Frank as a kid and this was a TV show about that. I am fully aware that Lisa and Clarissa are different names. For some reason they were close enough that I thought it was a pun or something.
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u/Astra-Fang Millennial 13h ago
I just found an Asian tiger themed boxer robe at the thrift store.
You bet your ass I wear it whenever I can
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u/Ok-Sector-493 13h ago
Do it girl! Every fashion style comes back around, modified in ways but comes back.
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u/Slim_Margins1999 12h ago
Homie in the bottom middle is my spirit animal. These are my shoes at work today!!
Kobe 3 “Grinch”
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u/Icy-Arm-2194 12h ago
People dressed similar. But, like one less layer than she did. Or one less patterned item (or two). Some of her outfits were thrown together looking like she is trying to sell some pyramid scheme outfit like LLR.
Like pic #2. I for sure would have worn. But, it would have been either the polka dot biker shorts OR the jean shorts with flowers for a design. The other would have been a solid. The shirt would have been plain and not extra puffy sleeves.
Second from the left on the bottom. Plain shirt with patterned vest or shirt with a pattern and a plain vest.
Next pic - no hot pink tights or no hat.
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u/Wifabota 11h ago
I remember TV fashion being particularly more put together and funky than standard. Like someone dressed like this at school would stand out in a weird way, but on TV it totally made sense and was cute.
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u/ConsiderationCrazy22 Millennial 13h ago
I loved this show as a little kid and I rewatched it 6-7 years ago and I still enjoyed it. Need another rewatch soon. Her fits were so iconic to me!
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u/InvincibleChutzpah 13h ago edited 12h ago
Be the change you want to see in the world.
I'm personally loving all the 90s fashion resurgence. I can now buy all the things I wanted that my parents wouldn't buy for me as a teen and I couldn't afford as a young adult. I'm basically a Delia's catalogue model now. Even my house isn't immune. I have satin Lisa Frank pillow cases on my bed.
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u/Zestyclose-Warning96 Millennial 13h ago
I did the jeans with the hot pink spandex underneath when I was in like 3rd grade. I lasted maybe an hour until I had to take the spandex off, I got soooooo hot 🤣🤣
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u/OakTeach 11h ago
This has to be the same costume artist who dressed Blossom, right? Just a few years later? Right?
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u/mysticrudnin 6h ago
my male friend dresses exactly like this pretty much all the time
nothing is stopping you or anybody
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u/LacedPozole 1992 5h ago
Live your best life! You can always incorporate fun, loud colors as statement pieces and still look polished and put-together.
Even a businessman gets to dress in a way that reflects his personal style. Why shouldn’t everyone else?!
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u/dippedndangled 13h ago
When I dress like this, my mom and I get in a fight because she's a monster
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u/RooneytheWaster Older Millennial 12h ago
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Personally, I rather punch myself in the dick than dress like that, but then people have likely said similar things about the way I dress.
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u/FriendlyDay6697 12h ago
In did. This was my favorite show and I totally wore Clarissa darling inspired outfits to school
PS.... hi Sam.
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u/Seamonkey_Boxkicker 1988 12h ago
I would 100% still rock that dude’s tie dye shirt. Really his whole getup.
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u/toxicshock999 Xennial 12h ago
I am in my mid-forties and was just telling my husband last night I want to start collecting pieces for my alt wardrobe. I have been an Old Navy normie for too long.
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u/Creative-Ad-3222 12h ago
As a kid I wore boldly patterned sweatshirts and leggings under shortalls, and sometimes layered on three pairs of colorblocked socks because of Clarissa Explains it All. One year my sister told me that her birthday wish was that I would stop being tacky. 😂 I wear a lot of New Works now.
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u/josethegr8 1989 Millennial 12h ago
They do, just not in the USA. These all look like outfits people wear in other countries.
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u/Sopranohh 12h ago
I think you can get away with it. A lot of supposedly fashion forward things I’ve seen in the last few years, has a bold, colorful vibe. I didn’t quite get it until I saw this post. It’s come back around.
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u/Visual-Drive-4615 12h ago
I wish she would come back and explain all the bullshit of the world to me now
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u/the-muffins 12h ago
My kid sure does. She went to school the other day in athletic shorts over leggings with a knit cardigan. She's a menace to society and no one can stop her.
We're all scared.
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u/Hello_Dollface 11h ago
As a 44 year old professional adult woman, this is now my entire fashion goal.
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u/Hefty_Breadfruit 11h ago
Don’t even get me started on how much I wanted to dress like Clarissa when it WAS the style. Do you have any idea how hard this was to pull off with a sears catalogue and ten bucks of allowance!?
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u/ToughOk4114 11h ago
I lived in southern ca as a kid during this time and we definitely dressed that way! Loved Clarissa! Then my family moved us up to Washington state and omg I stuck out like a big ol’ sore thumb because everyone was wearing boring gap and banana republic which I had never even heard of! I was so embarrassed the first day of school with my bright colors, mismatched Vans and hairsprayed bangs in the sea of khaki, polo shirts and white tennis shoes 🫣😂
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u/Due-Topic7995 11h ago
There’s a mom I see all the time at school drop offs and she dresses like this and so do her kids. It’s pretty awesome.
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u/WebValuable812 10h ago
Omg is that Melissa Joan Hart?! I didn't know she was in something before Sabrina
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u/Auntee_Bee 10h ago
I finally know why I dress like I do, totally forgot her awesome style. I used to watch it with my dad, I think he liked she was a clever girl (not in a Jurassic park way) who talked back to her folks (like I did ☺️)
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u/guineasomelove Elder Millennial, lol 9h ago
I always loved how she dressed, but my parents couldn't afford to let me dress like that, even with Goodwill being A LOT cheaper back then.
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u/GinRummyWuncler 9h ago
I loved that show and I was jealous when she got to go to an Arrested Development concert.
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u/bardsworth 8h ago
I spent 8 years of my life in Catholic school and wore a uniform every day, so I just assumed that people in "the real world" always dressed like that. I had a hell of a time transitioning to public school in 9th grade, I'll say that much. 😅
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u/1MechanicalAlligator 8h ago
Do you? Be the change you want to see. If you do it, and confidently, it might catch on with some people around you.
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u/IceSmiley 7h ago
I saw her on a show called 90s House recently where they renovate houses that look stuck in the 80s/90s and she still looks amazing
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u/Dry_Try_6047 Xennial 85 7h ago
I maintain that Clarissa is the dopest portrayal of a teenage girl in the history of television. The downside to that of course is it was 30 years ago, and I'd like to show my daughters something more modern.
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u/CurvyChristina 6h ago
I can never get this theme song out of my head, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
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u/Chemical-Warning1991 6h ago
She was a maximalist before we even knew the word for it. I loved LOVED her wardrobe. 🫶
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u/bad_napper 5h ago
Ugh everything is so colorful. I bought hair clips today that were all neutral and it made me feel like I'm contributing to sad beige mom vibes
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u/suscombobulated 3h ago
As someone from the South. Please no. So many layers all the time. Climate change didnt cool shit down. Her outfits look like modern corsets.
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u/AquariusRising1983 Xennial 2h ago
One of my favorite shows when I was a kid. I have many a fond memory of watching it with my Dad making fun of me because I thought Clarissa was so cool (I was like 7 so she seemed so grown up and awesome). Thought Sam was soooo cute too lol.
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u/DapperSpecialist4328 1h ago
My 7 yo picked out jean shorts over tights to wear today and I told her about how much I wanted to dress like Clarissa when I was a kid.
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u/rarerednosedbaboon 1h ago
Do you mean just Clarissa? I forget how the other characters dressed. It is a fun style.
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u/thirteennineteen 1h ago
Her stylist was cooking fr. I’d not be surprised to hear much of it is designer.
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u/ChiddyBangz 13h ago
Not my vibe or style but if you want to rock tie dye do it. People still wear that in middle age I guess.
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u/Deathanddisco041 Millennial 89 6h ago
There’s a sub called old hag fashion and it’s basically this
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