Fairuza Balk in 'The Craft'

1996’s The Craft, starring Fairuza Balk, takes the 90’s goth/grunge style to a high point. This film deals with the rise and fall of power and what can happen when you get too much, too fast. This is reflected in the clothing and color palettes. As Nancy, Balk’s character, descends into madness the blacks and deep blues, greens, reds, and purples in her clothing, nail polish, and makeup intensify and incorporate additional black.

Nancy’s look in the film revolves around school girl chic. A look defined by rolled up black pleated skirts and a halfway open, white button-down. These alterations on the drone uniform is all about individuality and standing out. Nancy adds a bit of sacrilege with the black Rosary around her neck and cross earrings; kind of a fuck you to the Catholic church.

Nancy’s gang of outcasts rules through fear and have deemed themselves more unique and powerful than their peers. “Don’t mess with the Bitches of Eastwick”, Sarah is warned. Sarah is a ‘good’ witch, a natural in comparison to Nancy’s darkness. As the plot thickens, so does the art direction and clothing. The final confrontation with Nancy, shows her at her darkest. Black lipstick and nails and a dog collar choker. She looks crazy and her dark look only adds to that.

Call the corners and summon Manon while we recreate this iconic 90’s look:

The five key pieces to this look are:

White Button Down. A classic closet staple. You can get one literally anywhere. Make sure the color is a bright white for added contrast. Also, you don’t want it to look dirty. School girls must make sure their uniforms are cleaned and pressed each morning. This is something you will have to iron and steam with each wear, unless you find some kind of miracle fabric. 

Black Pleated Skirt. This skirt was originally from American Apparel. Look for one short or easy to roll up without creating a large mass under your top. The shirt should be tucked in. Deep pleats create the most swing. 

Black Vinyl Raincoat. Online thrifted @ eBay. An alternative to a vinyl jacket is a black leather. The shine creates a glossy finish. The black sharply contrasts with the white of the shirt creating a slimming look. 

Combat Boots. Doc Martins. The biggest staple in the 90’s goth/grunge scene. Especially mixing combat boots with mini dresses and skirts. You could add fishnet tights to the look.

Rosary. Or cross necklace/other accessory. Adding the Catholic emblem but in black against a look that says the opposite of good egg. Another choice could be crystal necklaces. 

My Recreation: 

photo cred: Jesse Jan Driessen

The Breakdown:

Shirt: Goodwill-23rd St, NYC

Raincoat: Ebay

Skirt: Goodwill-23rd St. originally American Apparel

Rosary: Amazon

Boots: Doc Martin

Power, Beauty, and thy will be done.