Can't Buy Me Love

But maybe we can put together these outfits?

Feb 13, 2025

Ronald: I’m going to a party. John Richmond’s, with Cindy Mancini.
Chuckie: Cindy Mancini? Senior, captain of the cheerleaders? Most beautiful girl in the history of this county?
Ronald: That’s her. Well, I’m late, gotta bolt.
Chuckie: Bolt? Something stinks in suburbia.

- Can’t Buy Me Love, 1987

I’ve actually been meaning to put together this post since the penguin shirt incident. So I thought it’d be fun to revisit one of my favorite romantic comedies, Can’t Buy Me Love for Valentine’s Day. I’ve studied/dissected it more times in my youth than any other film, for style inspiration and outfit planning1 .

My fashion icon was “Cindy Mancini,” who was played by actress Amanda Peterson2.

For those of you unfamiliar with this classic (they remade it in 2003 as Love Don’t Cost a Thing) the logline is:

“An outcast secretly pays the most popular girl in school one thousand dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month.”

Now I’m not here to discuss the morality or ethics of this film, and whether they would fly today (like most 80’s movies, they don’t). But I am here to argue that the fashion very much holds up.

Here are some looks that I wanted to re-create back in high school, and would definitely still wear today.

Oversized shirt over a bikini: Many fans would argue that the most iconic look from the film is the fringe suede outfit that Cindy borrows from her mother’s closet — the catalyst for the entire plot, if you will. But I was much more into this twist-tie bandeau bikini (and mis-matched bottom — how fun is pink and orange?!?) modestly covered up by an oversized men’s shirt. Now that I’m thinking of it, whose shirt was that? Her college boyfriend Bobby’s? I’m guessing it was her dad’s — who maybe her mom was divorced from? I don’t remember them ever saying…
Cable knit turtleneck sweater, long button down skirt, statement necklace and sweater-matching booties: I have been eyeing this exact sweater style for the last two weeks, and will probably wait until an end-of-season sale to purchase. Can we just applaud how brave it was for a high school senior to wear a skirt of that color — one of my favorite fashion Substacks
I Want to be Her!
just posted a similar one recently — and a necklace of that heft on a date, even if the date wasn’t a real one?!?
Pink shirt, pink mini, pink belt, pink lace tights: This might be favorite outfit. Like, who even needs a purse when you have a soft serve cone (I wish it was strawberry or cherry). Knowing everything I know about acting in movies now, I’m shocked there wasn’t a costume person running around to steam those front wrinkles out between takes.
A bold-printed knit set (skirt and sweater top), blazer, leather gloves: This outfit reminds me a lot of the random drawings on sweaters I would see in the Harajuku area of Japan when we visited back in 2023. Also, how bad ass is Cindy for wearing gloves (maybe her driving gloves?) that she takes off before she SLAPS Ronald during their big “breakup?!”
White satin-y suit (matching jacket not pictured), black tank, silver accessories: I wore a version of Cindy’s New Year’s outfit for every big event I had in high school. I wish I still had some of those tanks, actually (I owned them in multiple colors, purchased whenever my mom dragged me to the outlet malls). BTW this monologue features some incredible acting by Amanda Peterson — she plays “drunk,” “angry,” "heartbroken” and “regretful” all in the same breath — without ever going over the top.
Black sweater vest, white t-shirt, black slightly-ballooned pants, leather belt and boots: I just ordered a vest in this style and hope it arrives in time for this webinar filmmaking panel I’m on tomorrow so I can rock this look — come join us if you’re interested in directing a rom com yourself!