autumnal vests
and some serious teen angst
Outfit of the Week | Halloweentown (1998, dir. by Duwayne Dunham)
alright, call me eager, but fall is officially upon us, and seeing as i missed out on spooky season last year (because this newsletter didn’t exist), i’m starting the Halloween movie discourse early!
there's few things i love more than the month of October and all the movies that come with it. the leaves are changin’. the knee-high boot x Pumpkin Spice Latte collabs are plentiful. soup belly is a frequent feeling whilst going to bed. multiple layers are celebrated when dressing oneself in the morning. it’s a glorious world to exist in…a soft place in between summer and winter when things are just downright cozy.
we’re beginning the fall movie extravaganza with a certified staple…a movie so baked into being a Millennial that without it, did a 90s childhood even occur?? this DCOM (don’t make me explain please) exists in another realm of nostalgic cinema, i freaking kid you not.
Halloweentown premiered on Disney Channel in 1998, being the 4th ever Disney Channel Original Movie (okay, there you go, DCOM for short), and starting a worldwide phenomenon that resulted in 3 more Halloweentown flicks:
Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (yes, Kal’s a hottie)
Halloweentown High (not good)
Return to Halloweentown (quite bad)
also, i have extra love for this movie because it was entirely shot in Oregon (my home state) and that’s cool.
anyways, the movie begins on Halloween night in the Cromwell home…Gwen is a strict mommy who doesn’t let her 3 kids go out trick-or-treating. Marnie, the oldest daughter, is the most effected by this rule. she can’t understand why her mom is so over-protective , never allowing for any fun to be had.
Sophie, the youngest, is upset, but less inclined to be a disrupter. then, there’s Dylan, the lone brother, who’d rather sit inside and read philosophy than partake in unhealthy, teeth-rotting traditions.
Grandma Aggie (played by a pretty damn perfect Debbie Reynolds) soon shows up unexpectedly to chat with Gwen about her granddaughter, Marnie, and her upcoming thirteenth birthday (the age that witch training should get started).
Gwen’s like “mother get outta here. i married a mortal man and now i live a mortal life and it’s all wonderfully boring” and granny is like “okay, but i need help in Halloweentown because shit’s hittin the fan and my power as one witch isn’t strong enough. i need my offspring up in here”.
anyway, the Cromwell kids run away to Halloweentown to help Aggie fight against the bad guy tryna take over the place - it’s a wild ride and thankfully only lasts about 80 minutes.
Luke, Halloweentown’s token angsty teenage boy, is the one with the outfit this week. you can find him sneering around the town square, hitting on Marnie, and sagging his pants quite low. he’s also a fan of doing the classic, wavy head motion that occurs when a man who takes himself too seriously gets insulted (see below).
i have to say, though, i dig his outfit. look at that quilted vest! where the hell did he get it?? who’s to say! it’s almost like he’s been forced to wear it because H-Town is autumnal year-round and that means an all-black ensemble simply wouldn’t be acceptable. what’s that pendant around his neck?? maybe a moody boy talisman??
love a baggy black jean paired with a black tee - monochrome is always a fun situation. now, we also have a chain going from belt loop to loop (and hear me out here)…when i was living in NYC (humble brag) it really did seem like all the hot people had these chains going on. you may think i am bluffing, but it’s for realz!!!
also, luke was kind of in a deal with the bad guy (helping him out in order to be hot), so when the villain was defeated, the spell wore off and luke returned to his normal appearance. good thing marnie likes prosthetics!
Honorable Mention of the Week | this is definitely the weirdest line of the movie, while simultaneously being the weirdest line delivery, as well - if you know, you know..
no little girl, your grammie’s making a potion to save the entire freaking town.