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harveyguilleniconodelamoda · 13 days

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Costume Spotlight: Andy Leonard from Cursed Friends

I am so excited about this one! I've been researching it since I started this blog, thinking it would be a relatively fun-and-easy post to make. Hoo boy, was that incorrect! Though the outfit looks deceptively simple, and the process of researching was certainly fun, it has some specific details that it took me forever to confirm from the few photos and production stills I had access to.

That being said, I did find the final piece just yesterday! I was so over the moon, I may have spiked my phone like a football in my excitement. So strap in as I break down and over-analyze ever piece of this outfit from a Comedy Central made-for-TV horror movie (and if you haven't seen it, warning: there will be some mild spoilers for Andy's arc).

The Outfit

The outfit Andy wears for the majority of the film is a oversized, millennial pink sweatshirt with a ribbed collar and sleeve cuffs over a pair of fitted black bike shorts. It's simple and comfy--which makes sense, because he first wears it while at his job as a personal trainer to one of his influencer clients. It's similar in style to this sweatshirt from Gymshark, but it's also the kind of thing you could find almost anywhere activewear is sold (style-wise; the color is not so easy to find, which is wild for reasons I'll get into in a moment). Key notable features are the thickness of that ribbed crewneck collar and sleeve cuffs, and the slight blouson shape of the sleeves themselves, a bit puffier than your average sweatshirt.

But it's the color that I find most interesting. Millennial pink--which is any of several shades of warm-to-neutral pale pink that were ubiquitous in fashion and design trends throughout the 2010s--is a color rife with sociopolitical implications. Which sounds like an insane thing to say, but hear me out.

When everyone in my generation was trying our hardest to navigate capitalism in our own ironic, detached, thoughtful ways (for the purpose of changing the system from the inside, of course!), millennial pink became the color emblematic of that mindset. It was softer, less threatening than the more saturated hot pink that ruled throughout the early 2000s. It was also, at least initially, a symbol of my generation's attempts to push back against the harsh expectations of society and "the real world."

See, for our entire childhood and adolescence, millennials heard our elders smugly declare that we'd see how right they were about everything once we encountered the real world. And then we did...and said "yeah, no, this sucks, I don't accept this!" And boy, they hated that. But I digress.

The color is also sometimes called tumblr pink, and what was tumblr in the mid-2010s if not a digitally-created "softer world" where "everything is gay and nothing hurts"...a world where aesthetics, earnestness, and attempts at social consciousness were married in a way that wasn't seen anywhere else within the social media landscape? Tumblr was where you came to be among like-minded people who may not agree with you on exactly how the world needed to be different and better, but at least agreed that it absolutely did need to be different and better. And the soft warmth of millennial pink was like carrying a bit of that into the real world, at least until corporations grabbed hold of it.

For your enjoyment: some of the most millennial selfies I've ever seen (affectionate, relatable) from Harvey's Instagram.

Millennial pink and its sisters--rose gold, rose quartz, dusty rose, and the like--formed the color pallet of my 20s. They were in everything, from home design to album art to magazines to technology. Girlbosses became the mainstream portrait of popular feminism, with millennial pink as their shade. Sparkling rosé became the official drink of the girlbosses and wine moms alike. It was in everything from fashion to makeup to hair to phones--the rose gold iPhone and hair trends come to mind--and could not be escaped. I did in fact dye my hair Millennial pink at one point (or try to--it came out more of an electric peach, unfortunately).

A moment of silence for my roots. Also sorry rose gold iPhone, you will never be the raspberry pink Motorola Razr.

These soft pinks were linked to coolness, chicness, realness, and even wellness--specifically the wellness rebranding of diet culture in the mid-2010s. "Clean girl" cosmetics companies like Glossier adopted the color as part of their branding. Pantone named it one of the colors of the year, and their VP explicitly linked it to "the rosy glow that comes along with good health." (Source)

It has also been described as a warmer, more "gender-neutral" shade that spoke to the more fluid and egalitarian approach Millennials have to gender roles and relationships (at least when compared to our parents and grandparents). Famous and famously desirable (at least at the time) men--such as Harry Styles and Drake--adopted it for their album covers. It was also ubiquitous in men's spring and summer fashions, with pink button-ups and shorts being all the rage. Given the warmth of the shade, it was almost like a greatly-desaturated Nantucket red, which fit it neatly into the overall preppy fashion repertoire. (Source)

The Guardian described this color as representing "a kind of ironic prettiness, or post-prettiness. It’s a way to be pretty while retaining your intellectual detachment. It’s a wish that prettiness could [be] de-problematised." (Source)

All of this to say, millennial pink is inextricable from the fashion of the 2010s, the ramped-up consumerism permeating society and culture at the time, and from Millennials' early 20s and the progression from optimism to exploitation to burnout and cynicism we all experienced to some degree. For Andy, who embodies the anxieties that created for our generation, it's both perfect and ironic that he's covered in this shade, given how hard he's trying to pretend he's not a Millennial for the majority of the film.

The Accessories

Andy's two accessories were the real reason this post took so long. They're so distinctive, which made settling for close enough impossible for my weird little brain. And yet by their very nature as accessories, they're small on the screen and hard to get great images of! But at last I managed it, and can confirm that Andy's bag is the Chanel 20A “Rainbow” Reissue wallet on chain in metallic goatskin.

The bag has a really interesting history as a variation on the Chanel 2.55, which was first released in 1955 and popularized the shoulder strap bag for women. It was considered revolutionary in part because it allowed women to keep their hands free while carrying it. The design was re-released in 2005 as the Chanel 2.55 Reissue, and has remained a popular Chanel mainstay since. (Source)

Bragmybag describes this style as an "addiction" and touts its popularity among the fashionistas of Instagram.

This particular color is from the Chanel Pre-Fall Metiers d’Art 2020 collection, and is considered a highly sought-after collector's item among Chanel enthusiasts. It originally retailed for $2,900, but is now priced at over $4,000 pre-owned on sites such as ThredUp, eBay, or Depop. It's a classic bag style in a quirky and gorgeous limited edition color. It reminds me of the foil wrappers on chocolate eggs at Easter, or the opal hair trend of 2017-2018. A bag like this definitely plays into the girlboss/influencer vibe. To the fad-beholden type of person Andy is trying to appeal to, it would project an air of effortless coolness and means, someone who is both up on the latest trends and able to drop several thousand dollars on a wallet.

After the Chanel bag, the platform sneakers were even harder to find. Their shape is so distinctive, but every search for "platform sneakers" came up short the first few times. Then I tried an image search on a zoomed-in, blurry version of the photo above, and that led me to Buffalo. Buffalo's platform boots and sneakers definitely approached the vibe of Andy's shoes, but weren't quite there.

Then, in the similar image search under a picture of the Buffalo Aspha NC Mid platform sneaker, I saw a photo that looked remarkably similar to the shoe Andy is wearing, including the plastic snap buckles...and I clicked...

And there they were:

The Demonia Slacker-50 platform sneakers in white holographic patent and baby pink multi glitter.

These shoes...listen. I love fashion, but I'm not a big shoe person. I live most of my life going back and forth between the same two pairs of Tevas. That being said, there is not a single era of my life so far in which I wouldn't have been dying to wear these.

The combination of the millennial shade of pink but with the early 2000s "new millennium" iridescence and multi-colored glitter, the totally 90s lace-up hi-top closure and side snap buckles, the platforms? It's like every era of my childhood, teen years, and young adulthood were somehow distilled into a single shoe design. Xenon Girl of the 21st Century would wear these shoes. Lizzie McGuire would get into some hilarious mishap trying to walk in them. Pepper Ann would have a whole storyline about coveting these shoes and trying to make enough money to buy them. I'm eyeing my bank account as we speak and trying to convince myself I don't need these shoes just to cosplay Andy (but also I do need these shoes, like, spiritually).

Demonia, is an alternative fashion and footwear brand based in Southern California and founded in 1999. Their footwear is sold at Dolls Kill and other popular alternative fashion retailers, but they also sell direct from their own website, DemoniaCult.com. They're not quite a nostalgia brand, but they're definitely nostalgic and a brand your average small-town, fashion-minded emo/goth kid in the early 2000s would have lusted after fruitlessly when it came time for back-to-school shoe shopping (not that I speak from experience or anything).

The Makeup

Though obviously actors are always wearing makeup on screen, it's often meant to be understated enough on men to pass as "no makeup they're just that pretty." But this is a role where we're really meant to notice the makeup.

The heavily filled in brows, the black eyeliner tight-lined all the way around the eye, matte foundation, black mascara on the top and bottom lashes...the wash of brown shadow above the crease, heavy-handed bronze contour, and pink lip. It all calls back to makeup trends that would have been popular at earlier points in Andy's life--the brows, matte base, and contour in particular screamed 2016 to me--the kind of thing you might keep wearing even though it's no longer on trend because it feels good and you think it makes your features pop (and to be fair, they do pop!). Ironically, this choice of makeup also makes Andy, who is chronically attempting to fit in with and pass as Gen Z, look his age more than Harvey ever does.

Andy's Characterization

Andy, like the other characters, really struggles with holding onto the past. For him specifically, however, there's a dimension of being terrified of aging out of his dreams and becoming irrelevant. He wants to be an influencer, he wants to be the person other people take their cues from, he wants to be seen and adored by millions...and that's a possibility he feels slipping away as he hears more and more from people like Candace Nicaragua about how his generation is no longer cool.

Every aspect of Andy's outfit seems meant to underscore the ways in which he lives in the past, whether it's the farther-off past of his childhood when he was still truly close with his besties, or the somewhat more recent past of his 20s, when he was part of the age group that sets trends and that consumerist culture seems to cater to.

In a way, he embodies the exact type of anxieties we're seeing every day from Millennials on Tiktok and other social media. We're not aging gracefully, y'all, at least not in an emotional sense! Where the intergenerational discourse between older generations and Millennials focused far more on our differences in approach to work and the economy, the discourse between Millennials and Gen Z seems fixated on who's cooler, who's more relevant, whose trends or music reign supreme. It seems entirely frivolous, but it hides a deep fear of being pushed aside and forgotten that has followed us since the 2008 housing crash made all our parents' "you can be anything" and "go to college and you'll have a good, comfortable life" talk into lies.

And while the movie definitely plays into that intergenerational conflict, it focuses more on the friends' inability to be honest with themselves and each other about the way they, their lives, and their friendships have evolved since they were kids. So it's great that Andy's big climactic character moment comes when he realizes that it's just silly for him to be seeking approval from these younger people who aren't actually any cooler than him, don't have anything more figured out, and most importantly, don't really know him. What use is coolness and youth when you pit it against friendship and authenticity?

When Andy embraces his age and boldly states that he will never apologize for his friends and that he likes what he likes regardless of how "cheugy" it is? I felt that, okay? Being unmoved by the negative opinions of others is a battle I've fought my entire life, and seeing Andy figure it out was cathartic, no matter how seemingly silly the context.

Affordable Options

You can get black bike shorts almost anywhere that sells activewear. These stretch cotton bike shorts from Jessica London are extremely comfy and come in sizes 12 to 38/40. They're originally $29.99, currently on sale for $17! REI also has a variety of similar styles in a wide range of prices and sizes, for both men and women.

The sweatshirt is a bit more challenging to find, but Jessica London has a few options, all under $55, in sizes up to 5X (women's US size 38/40):

Boxy Fleece Sweatshirt in Misty Rose

Hooded Sweatshirt Tunic in Dusty Pink

Sweatshirt Tunic with Shirttail Hem in Pretty Lilac - I have this one, and it's very comfy and looks much more screen accurate on my plus sized body than it does on the model in the product photos.

The closest to screen accurate I've found is actually from Amazon, though I'm trying to stay away from recommending Amazon products as much as possible on this blog. This option is only available up to size XXL, but it's made to be oversized and according to the listed measurements, an XL would fit me loosely (for reference, my bust measurement is 55 inches).

Uniqlo also has a pink crewneck sweatshirt that's a viable option, available up to size XXL.

The platform sneakers actually qualify for my "under $100" affordability threshold, retailing at $95.99 from Demonia. But if you want some slightly cheaper options with a similar vibe, here are a few I've found:

BCBGeneration Riso Platform Sneaker - $69.30 from Nordstrom (currently on sale)

Coconuts by Matisse Nelson Platform Sneaker - $85 from Nordstrom

Converse Women's Chuck Taylor All Star Hi Lift Platform Sneaker in pink - $74.99 from Famous Footwear

Guess Women's Miram Platform Lace-Up Court Sneaker in pink metallic - $41.40 from Macy's (currently on sale)

The bag is the hardest part to find an affordable dupe for. I've searched and searched, and there's just very little out there that feels close enough to screen accurate that's also under $100. Your best bet is to find a bag with a similar vibe and add a chain to it if you want to cosplay Andy. Some great options:

Quilted Clutch Handbag from BagsBySimplyShere on Etsy - $35

Rainbow Metallic Quilted Clutch-style Purse from WildwoodTreasureCo on Etsy - $40

For me, because I'm extra, I've actually decided to make my own from the ground up. If it goes well, I'll post some photos here!

#cursed friends #andy leonard #character costumes #chanel #demonia #demoniacult #millennial pink #fashion #plus size fashion #platform sneakers #harvey guillén

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