I showed up to brunch last month with my friend David wearing a mustard yellow beret, a belted camel coat with oversized tortoiseshell buttons, and loafers with intentionally mismatched socks. He looked me up and down and deadpanned, “Which Wes Anderson character are you today? Margot Tenenbaum’s less troubled sister?” I began to argue, surely I didn’t just look like I belonged in an indie film about quirky children losing family members; I just liked the outfit…;until I caught sight of myself in the window of the restaurant we were headed to.
Oh. Oh dear God. He was right.
All I lacked was dolly tracking shots and deadpan delivery. I had unintentionally Wes Andersoned myself.
Fortunately, I’m not alone in my newfound wardrobe inspiration.
Scroll through your Instagram explore page long enough or walk around Williamsburg, Greenpoint, or any number of gentrified neighbourhoods in major cities across the country and you’ll see them: Kids in berets and barrettes, adults in knee socks and loafers, teens and twenty-somethings rocking tweed blazers with elbow patches and round wire- rimmed glasses.
The colour schemes are always within the same family of mustard yellows, dusty oranges, sage greens, and burgundy wine. Everything is always just slightly too short or just slightly too long.
Nothing is ever just cut regular. The Wes Anderson Aesthetic has spilled out of the characters’ closets onscreen and into ours, and tbh, I’m here for it. But why?
More specifically: Why do I and so many others feel suddenly inspired to dress like our lives are indie films directed by Wes Anderson? And why now, when he’s been making quirky films about quirky children and their quirky parents for twenty-five years? “Fashion looks to visual culture for inspiration all the time, but Anderson’s look is so specific you could point to someone on the street and be like ‘Oh, that’s Wes Anderson- core,’” says Dr. Melissa Torres, assistant professor of cultural studies at NYU and creator of the school’s popular Fashion in Film course. “It’s its own thing now.
You know how some people identify their style as punk or prep? You can now say someone dresses like ‘Wes Anderson-core.’” Many of the trademarks of an Anderson outfit are pulled from prep school uniforms, faded chalk paint colour palettes, European tourism, and old-timey sportswear. It’s nostalgic but never feels outdated, exacting but not serious.
There’s a lot of personality in the style choices of Anderson’s characters, and those choices have always existed, cinephiles just didn’t collectively wear them as a look until recently. Which makes sense when you think about what Anderson’s aesthetic represents beyond the clothes. In a world that feels increasingly messy and unpredictable, a Wes Anderson film provides the complete opposite.
Every piece of sets, props, costume, and lighting is controlled by one very specific person trying their hardest to tell you a story. There’s intentionality to the chaos. Every moment looks like it was directed by someone who cares what every little thing looks like. “It gives you the sense that someone is in control,” says Maya Lin, costume designer for several independent films. “Someone is orchestrating this situation and caring about what these people wear.” In times like these; an over-a-decade long pandemic, a tumultuous presidency, widespread collective anxiety about the future of the planet;, thats kind of comforting.
Then there’s TikTok. Sure, anyone who frequents pop culture message boards or listens to podcast about film can get into filmsaving name-drops and call-out quizzes, but TikTok allows for enthusiasts to create and share content that directly relate to the medium they love. The #WesAndersonAesthetic tag has over 518 billion views (as of July 11th, 2023).
Users share everything from outfit inspiration to dorm room decor to “If my life was a Wes Anderson film…” deep dives into their lives. And if you scroll through the comments, you’ll find TikTok serving those videos to people who’ve shown interest in Old Navy’s Betsey Johnson collab, DIY woodworking, or simply wearing headbands. The algorithm has created a feedback loop of would-be indie kids who may have never seen Rushmore but love the idea of Freak Festival.
Don’t forget that viral TikTok trend this past summer of people filming everyday spots; their local laundromats, the public library, the corner bodega; but editing them for symmetry and colour as if they were shooting a scene for The Grand Budapest Hotel. Suddenly everybody was looking at the world through Anderson-tinted lenses trying to find the would-be Wes Anderson scene in their life. Of course fashion followed.
Characters in Wes Anderson films also tend to feel immensely impactful, like you could walk up to them on the street and know exactly who they are based on how they dress. Margot and Wilson’s entire storyline is told through Margot’s blonde bob and ROTC-inspired polo shirts. Feminine pink and googly eyes announce Suzy’s quirks before she’s even opened her mouth to speak in Moonrise Kingdom.
Even the hotel workers of The Grand Budapest Hotel wear uniform outfits that tell you everything you need to know about their job. Adopting pieces of the Wes Anderson style allows you to feel like you have your life together in a world where we’re all feeling a little lost. I wear a lot of oversized jumpers and jackets.
They’re comfy, but sometimes I worry they make me look unkempt. When I wear a tweed blazer or structured silk shirt, I feel like I have my life together even when I’m wearing those same sweats and leggings as everyone else. I’m the protagonist of my day, even if it’s just coffee with my boyfriend or a solo stroll through the park.
I decided to lean into my new obsession one weekend. I wore a pleated tennis skirt with knee socks and penny loafers, a tucked-in button- down with a Peter Pan collar, and a cardigan tied around my waist. I found a thin velvet headband and my most serious pair of glasses.
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I felt powerful. Powerful enough to be walking down the street knowing fully well that I looked like a mix between “precocious teenager at an elite boarding school” and “weird little widow who knows what happened to her husband’s remains.” People reacted. My barista smiled and said “I love your whole vibe today” when I got coffee that afternoon.
A woman on the subway asked me where I bought that skirt. My editor looked at me when I walked into work and simply said, “Rushmore?” I nodded. We finished our morning meeting and went about our day.
But beyond other people’s reactions, I felt different walking around all day. I stood up straighter, I talked more clearly, and, yes, I actually did position myself in doorways to stare off into the middle distance like there was a Jenn Agoos score playing behind me. I almost wanted to break into song. “I think that’s part of what makes distinct aesthetics like Wes Anderson’s so powerful,” says Lin. “It doesn’t just tell you how to look, it tells you how to act.” Another fun!
And slightly creepy! side effect of dressing like you live in a whimsical indie kids film. That being said, you can’t exactly wear a fuck yeah shirt to the office. Or slip into full-on costume, really.
But many style enthusiasts I spoke with say they’ve incorporated elements of the Wes Anderson style into their wardrobes without dressing like they would attend Freak Festival (which, come on, we all want to). “Pair a statement blazer with straight-leg jeans and a plain tee, as opposed to matching the whole outfit head to toe,” recommends Parker Lee, a stylist who has worked with up-andcoming indie musicians who’ve adopted the style. “Think about how your favourite Anderson characters dress. They don’t all match, but they have intention.” Celebrities have embraced the style as well. Certain brands’ recent collections have been ripped straight from scenes in Anderson films.
You could easily dress yourself head to toe in every Miu Miu collection for the past five years and get away with it. Luxury brands like Gucci under Alessandro Michele leaned hard into the intentional eccentricity and visual story telling at the heart of Anderson’s work. Even more streamlined, modern brands like Row pay homage to Anderson’s meticulousness and intention if not the quirk.
The trend has also manifested itself interestingly in vintage and secondhand clothing spheres. Wes Anderson pulls a lot of visual inspiration from past decades; specifically the ’60s through the ’80s. Of course you’ll see plenty of literally vintage Anderson-inspired pieces at thrift stores. “My favourite DIY Anderson-inspired outfits are pieces I already own that are vintage,” says Lee. “A vintage Pendleton inspired-blazer I found at a thrift store in LA, my deadstock pair of saddle shoes from Etsy, French schoolgirl barrettes I bought online.” Vintage clothes also have a lived-in quality that helps you achieve that curated-but-not-neatly packaged vibe Wes Anderson characters always rock.
Shopping vintage and secondhand for your inner Wes also has the bonus of being kinder to your wallet and the environment. Think about it: If you’re going to dress like you’re the star of a Wes Anderson film, you’ll want to shop like you’re curating costumes for that film. You’re not buying brand new clothes from Forever 21, you’re looking for one-of-a-kind pieces with history.
The trend is also very democratic. There aren’t many fashion trends or high fashion aesthetics that are universal enough to look good on all body types, all genders, and all ages. Anderson’s films feature people of varying ages, genders, and bodies acting out stories that are mostly relatable regardless of who you are.
Plus, nearly every article of clothing that makes someone scream “WES ANDERSON” in your head; berets, glasses, Oxford shoes; are available to you at every price point. “It’s one of the few trends that isn’t overtly focused on conventional beauty or sex appeal,” Dr. Torres says. “It’s about curating a lived-in sort of personality, not flaunting your body.” Highly fashionable people tend to ignore us normal folks. Not so with Wes Anderson wannabes.
With that being said, it’s not hard to imagine people clapping back against the trend soon. Already some folks who love Anderson’s work are saying people who partially dress like their costs are diluting his aesthetic. Others have pointed out that while white girls and women can rock an oversized blazer and bright socks and look adorable, it often reads differently on older women or women of colour. “Curating a ‘quirky’ style is something that’s only granted to certain bodies,” Dr.
Torres says. “A young, thin white woman can wear an oversized blazer and smile knowingly at her audience and get away with it.
That same outfit on most other bodies looks ‘weird’ or ‘eccentric’ or too-old-for-the-office.” That’s not a problem with Anderson’s work specifically, but it is something to be aware of when taking fashion inspiration from anything.
I get it.
I do not want people throwing shade at my favourite filmmaker just because he inspired me to wear clothes. But I think wearing these clothes can actually be an act of rebellion in 2023. Want to stand out in a world run by algorithms and drones?
Dress like you were handpicked by Wes Anderson. Films like Anderson’s teach us that beauty matters, intentionality matters, and individuality matters. Wearing clothes that make you feel like you belong in an Anderson film is a rejection of numbness and sameness.
It’s an active choice to make your mundane life feel a little more magical. So yes I will keep accidentally dressing like I’m waiting for someone to follow me with a handheld camera shot. And if you ever catch me sitting symmetrically in the middle of a park bench scrolling TikTok wearing that stupid yellow beret I got from Antique Farms, please don’t be mad at me.
I’m living my best life. Listen to Bowie.
