Carbon Costume

When it came to rambunctious 80’s icons there were few that could compete with Punky Brewster. Armed with her dog, a motley crew of friends, and a mismatched wardrobe, Punky won over the heart of Henry and the American public alike. All you need for the same look are a few layered shirts, ripped up jeans, and mismatched shoes.

In Ghost World, Enid Coleslaw (Thora Birch) is a cynical teenager with a creative side that shows in her attire. Pairing clashing patterns and vintage eyeglasses, Enid’s style requires you to have an “I don’t care” attitude because you’re probably going to raise some eyebrows. In fact, you may want to work on your witty comebacks.

Tina Belcher (voiced by Dan Mintz), the eldest daughter on Bob’s Burgers, takes teenage angst to a new level. Her functional retro style takes her from mornings pining over Jimmy Jr. to evenings flipping burgers. With the time left over, she can practice Capoeira… or at least make sure her siblings stay out of trouble.

In Ghost World, Rebecca Doppelmeyer (Scarlett Johansson) may feel like an outsider but she looks like the average teenage girl. Dressed in long sleeve T-shirts and solid color skirts, her wardrobe is straight out of a Gap catalog which makes it easy to recreate. The eccentric best friend is optional.

Chris Crocker made his mark on YouTube when he pleaded the internet to “leave Britney alone!” shortly after her VMA Gimme More performance in 2007. In the infamous clip, he weeps and rubs his heavily made up eyes as he defends the popstar, all while hiding under a bedsheet.

In The Fox, the Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis seeks to answer the age old question, “What Does the Fox Say?” Everyone already knows that “Dog goes woof, cat goes meow. Bird goes tweet, and mouse goes squeek.” But did you know that the fox goes “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!” and sometimes even “Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!” or “Joff-tchoff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!” Obviously.

Tom Selleck played the role of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I. He made life in Hawaii look hard as a private eye by driving around in a Ferrari, donning short shorts and smoking the occasional stogie.

Leather and the color pink, those are the two things that sum up the look of Claire Standish. The popular girl wore plenty of both and while her outfit may have been expensive, these days you can score some similar items for relatively cheap. You don’t even need to wear real diamonds. However, you may be asked to perform the lipstick trick in which case we suggest a high quality brand. It makes it a little classier.

Miami Vice is a 1980’s TV show that starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two vice detectives working undercover in Miami. Their look was characterized by pastel or brightly colored T-shirts under suit jackets. Don’t forget to show a few chest hairs to complete the look.

In the The Hangover 2, Ed Helms’ character, Dr. Stu Price, gets a face tattoo a la Mike Tyson. The use of this face tattoo in the film actually launched a real life lawsuit between the tattoo artist and Warner Bros. Get your Stu costume together with a pair of wire frame eyeglasses, a business casual plaid short sleeve shirt, and khakis then stick a tribal temporary tattoo on the side of your face. For extra laughs, black out one of your front teeth to mimic Helms’ self-mutilation in the original The Hangover.