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This year’s Forces of Fashion, taking place on October 16, is dedicated to the art, drama, and influence of the runway throughout history. In honor of that, Vogue editors are sharing their favorite fictional fashion shows that have appeared in movies and television shows throughout the years.
One of the many benefits to growing up with a cool older sister was the early exposure to seminal rom-coms, dark comedies, and coming-of-age movies. (Perhaps some of this exposure was too early, but I digress.) In the ’90s, my sister Shyra and I were regulars at Blockbuster, and the mark of a truly thrilling Friday night was leaving the store with a VHS copy of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. The movie features several of my favorite things to see onscreen: comedy, drama, romance, and above all—a fashion show.
For those who have never seen this cinematic masterpiece, the plot is wildly outrageous and delightfully entertaining: Single mother of five Ms. Crandall (Concetta Tomei) decides to jet off to Australia for the summer with her boyfriend, leaving the kids at home in LA. This is great news to the oldest child, Sue Ellen “Swell” Crandall (Christina Applegate), who is 17 and looking forward to a summer of shopping, boys, and beach hangs—sans her mom cramping her style. But this is a movie, so of course that’s not how the summer turns out.
Instead, Mrs. Crandall leaves her brood under the care of a mean, elderly babysitter named Mrs. Sturak (Eda Reiss Merin). After Mrs. Sturak dies and the kids drop her body off at a cemetery—not knowing that she had on her person the cash their mother left for the summer—Sue Ellen forges a résumé, landing a job as an executive assistant at uniform manufacturer General Apparel West (GAW). Does Sue Ellen more or less crush the job in the eyes of her boss, Rose Lindsey (Joanna Cassidy)? Yes. Does she steal company petty cash to buy groceries because a bogus line item on her pay stub labeled “taxes” reduced her check? Also yes.
When GAW is at risk of going bankrupt, Sue Ellen takes it upon herself to design a whole new line of cool, modern uniforms. To boot, she offers to host an industry fashion show at her house.
First to hit the shiny black runway is Sue Ellen’s take on bellhop fashion: striped blazers in teal, purple, and hot pink, festooned with gold tassels and accessorized with matching hats. Next up? A nurse’s uniform that’s both a ’90s teenage dream and an HR nightmare: a fuchsia spandex minidress paired with tangerine tights, high-top sneakers that lace up around the calves, and a stethoscope necklace. As a model emerges in a billowy purple blouse and oversized khaki shorts (a Boy Scout uniform, obviously), Sue Ellen spots a guest she wasn’t expecting: her mom, back home early from Australia.
Ms. Crandall is less than pleased with the parade of uniform-clad models in her backyard, but Sue Ellen manages to calm her down. And despite the fashion show ending in chaos, the buyers loved the collection; their forthcoming orders will save GAW from bankruptcy.
Even as a child, I knew that a standard business-professional wardrobe would never be my calling. While I now understand that no reputable company would allow their employees to wear Sue Ellen’s designs, I appreciated the depiction of cool, fun workwear with personality; it’s how I try to dress today.
One could argue that the eternal gift of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is the line, “I’m right on top of that, Rose!” which Sue Ellen responds with throughout the film every time her boss asks her to do something. But the dramatic fashion show is just as unforgettable.
