I could dress in head-to-toe black, mope about my parents’ house and complain about everything, but none of that would stop me from secretly idolizing Molly Ringwald. She was, without a doubt in my teenage eyes, the best.
Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and of course The Breakfast Club were three of the most significant movies of my youth and Miss Molly was at the centre of all of them. I watched those films on repeat, renting them over-and-over on VHS from the local video store. I knew the scripts by heart but never tired of them. And I definitely never tired of Molly.
Her character, Andie, in Pretty in Pink, was how I imagined the real life Molly to be — decked out in vintage clothes she altered herself and endlessly chic.
While I have no idea if this was Molly’s style at all, I liked to think so, and often imagined her wardrobe — quirky and eclectic, and super-stylish — and coveted it from afar.
It was always exciting to come across a fashion spread featuring Molly. It was like a win for the team — she was one of us — and I would silently cheer her on.
It’s great even now to encounter those photographs of her that I remember so well — and it still feels like a win.
Images:
1. Molly Ringwald, photographed by Sheila Metzner for Vogue, September 1987. Clothing by John Galliano.
2. Molly Ringwald photographed by Oliviero Toscani for Mademoiselle, March 1985. Clothing by Calvin Klein.
