Writer, producer, director, John Hughes died yesterday of an apparent heart attack. Some of you younger readers may not fully appreciate the influence that Hughes had throughout the 80s and 90s, but I hope you all have seen his classics like:  Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  Each one of these important films centered around a small group of kids who were somehow set apart from the rest of their peers, and often times the individuals were very different from one another – therefore sporting a wide variety of wardrobe choices.  The fashion of the 80s was already underway when Hughes got his start, but his iconic characters no doubt fueled the fire for teased bangs, oversized unstructured outerwear, and loud prints.

Pretty In Pink Style

At the time, John Hughes movies helped create and hone a sense of style that was permeating throughout a generation… and looking back now, his characters and their fashion typified an entire era.

The Breakfast Club

Whether you were a bully from the wrong side of the tracks, a goth-ish introvert, the BMOC school jock, prom queen, or a bonafide dweeb… John Hughes showed you what to wear and how to look.  These movies stand the test of time and the styles they represent will keep coming back around and around and around.  Mr. Hughes, we salute you.

Related Sidenote: Here is an awesome story about John Hughes’ time as a penpal to a young girl in the 80s. We’ll Know When We Get There – Sincerely, John Hughes