she was JUST SEVENTEEN

Fashion Gets Real~ January 1989

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Ad Space in '88

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Where's the party?

Cozy pastels for winter

All I keep thinking here is how much those boots would fetch on eBay.

Stoned (wash) Love.

Morning Glories~ November 1988

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"The room was suddenly rich and the great bay-window was

Spawning snow and pink roses against it"

"The sunlight on the garden

Hardens and grows cold"

"We cannot cage the minute

Within its nets of gold"

"On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms of one's hand~

There is more than glass between the snow and the huge roses"

So noir, so good...NIGHT MOVES

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"The girl with a gilt complex...in flash fashions, metallica make-up. Dazzling."

"The shining...silver adds polish to black, metals mix it up with bright. Radiant."

"Metal attraction...burnt bronze, solid gold. Priceless."

It's Gotta Be the Shoes

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I'd travel back in time to have a pair of those fuschia Benetton booties.

And while I am in 1990, I'll snag some of these Chuckas too. By Sporto.

Killer colorful kicks from Reebok

Barely 5'2" With Eyes of Blue...

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"Big time styles for a small screen gem...Kellie Martin of TV's

'Life Goes On'"

I adored Kellie Martin. So cute and I always identified with someone who was twee like me.

Everything's Groovy

2009-09-10T19:38:00.001-04:00

"Olivia D'abo, The Wonder Years' flower child, gets radically chic in some of the season's coolest looks, like Twiggy-inspired make-up, B-52's 'do's, and sock-it-to-me threads. The message: Fashion and beauty have gone totally mod."

"Make the scene in an ultramod mini and a hoop belt: graphics geared up to go-go"

"Stretching it to the limit with a swinging trapeze dress, cut in cool velvet and dripping with diamonds...it's like, far-out".

This brilliant editorial was such an inspiration to me that it totally kick-started my obsession with 60's swinging mod fashion and pop culture (I always coveted this style a lot more than that of Olivia's "Wonder Years" hippie alter-ego). I even ran out and bought a white turtleneck to compliment the little black miniskirt already hanging in my closet and practically lived in my zip-ankle black suede Chinese Laundry booties. Still, my attempts at applying false eyelashes were still a decade into the future.

Pony Tales

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"Urbane cowgirls take cover with downtown shapes in wild West graphics"

"Pinto prints in brown and cream, black and white"

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough~ 1990

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Michael Jackson & LA Gear: Making beautiful sneakers together.

Cover Story~ September 1990

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CAMERON DIAZ

"When we last left model Cameron Diaz, she was striking a pose on our July cover~all decked out in stars and stripes (highly patriotic). Since then, the response has been terrific. 'My mom's friends even asked me to autograph the picture,' said Cameron. 'It was sooo embarrassing!' Our editors loved this California girl's all-Amerian looks so much, they decided to put her on the cover again~ and in the fashion feature, 'Twin Peak Chic'. How did Cameron like venturing out into the wilderness to shoot the story? 'I loved it. The only tough part was getting up at 5:00 A.M. Luckily, I'm a morning person'."

Random Acts of Fashion~ September '88

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The Designer Image

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Malavé Lower East and Betsey Johnson

Michael Seroy and Finis

Benetton and Esprit

Commercial Messages~ September 1988

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"Jockmocs" is either the best or worst name ever for a pair of cutie booties. From Candie's.

The Jordache look.

Maybelline (or maybe she's born with it?)

Au Coton (I totally had that outfit on the far left, no lie!)

Polaroid proves that pink & grey= best 80's color-combo ever invented

American Eagle tartan rain boots and tennis shoes...need.want.please. OKTHXBAI.

The Great Cover-Ups

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"Weather or not, here they come!"

"Coats of many shapes and colors"

Cover Story- September 1988

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JENNIFER BARRAGAN

HOME- Jennifer lives in Miami, Florida.

AGE- 16

HER START- "A friend of my mom's is a makeup artist. He took me to an agency in Miami and I signed up. My dad wanted me to start when I was twelve, but I decided to wait until the ripe old age of thirteen!"

FREE TIME- "I'm not really into sports, but I do love to go running and work out with weights".

THE FUTURE- "I've been thinking about acting. And I love music but unfortunately, I can't sing".

STYLE- "When I'm not working, I wear jeans and cowboy boots. But when I go out at night, I love to dress really differently than everyone else. For my prom, I wore a black top with an acid-green skirt. You can bet I was the only one there dressed like that!"

Cut it Out!

2009-08-02T14:45:00.016-04:00

"Great exposure. This season, that's what peek-a-boo chic is all about. Curving in at the waist, the latest body-conscious styles are cut out at the back, collar, or shoulders, seductively framing summer-smooth skin".

That is what Seventeen proclaimed back in 1991 but it might as well have been written yesterday since cut-out and bandage styles were featured prominently on the Fall '09 runways. Taking cues from the "body con" dresses that have been popular for a couple of seasons now amongst the fashion blogger vintage-junkie set, these pieces are not for girls who want to blend in with the woodwork (or those of us with more than a 2% body fat ratio, it seems). Designers like (clockwise from top left) Alexander Wang, Narciso Rodriguez, Preen, and Pucci all jumped aboard the Fly Girls Fashion Express with styles that look as though they should have been featured in this Seventeen piece.

Red, Hot, and Blue

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"Star-spangled prints add patriotic punch to everything from a cuddly dog to denim bloomers"

Lacy Days

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"Down by the sea, time stands still, worries wash away, and summer--like uncharted waters--is one big adventure. Make the most of it...plot your course without inhibition in the comfort of carefree clothes: the frill of white eyelet and soft blue denims. It's fresh, effortless.

Get swept away".

"The whisper of romance fills the air...those precious moments before afternoon slips into dusk...capture them with tough and tender denim and lace".

"If only summer would never end...long, hot days filled with laughter and dreams. It's all so sweet. Embrace the feeling in breezy, laid-back styles."

The Tribal Wave

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"Out of Africa: Intense Color and Prints for Summer"

"Pulsing Patterns, Sunbaked Shades, Piles of Beads...Way Cultured"

June 1991- Cover Story

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EMMA SNOWBALL

"Say 'Aloha' and 'G'Day' to our cover model Emma Snowball (Think we like her? It's her third cover for SEVENTEEN this year!). So why the foreign lingo for Emma? After high school graduation and before she starts modeling full-time in the fall, this eighteen year-old is taking a little trip. First stop for the California native: Hawaii. "That part's just for fun- I'm going with friends," she tells us. The vacation's a graduation gift from her parents and sort of a last bash with her buds. "Next I am going to Australia to see relatives," she explains. So what's glamour-girl Emma going to wear while she is away? "Jeans, T-shirts," she says, "you know, like the cool styles on SEVENTEEN'S cover." And then there's that hat... for Emma, it's hot-looking sun protection and a fashion statement all in one. Now that's what we call using your head."

We're Jammin'

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"Wild Jamaican-inspired clothes are one way to pack a tropical punch.

(the rasta is up to you, Mon.)"

Get the look from 28 Crash!

*In Living Color* Shorts- $42

Starlet Fever

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"Two small-town girls in search of fame, fortune, and a car phone.

Today, Tinseltown. Tomorrow, the world."

"Posing at the pool, showing off our best side

(not now, Warren. We're busy.)"

"Finally, the big break--cameos in Son of Swamp Thing. Hey, there are no small parts, only small people. Seriously."

Case Clothed

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No that's not the real Madonna, just a model vamping it up as Madge's "Breathless Mahoney" character from the feature film version of Dick Tracy. The release of this movie was a mega big deal at the time, spawning a ton of DT-branded merchandise (certainly Madonna and Warren Beatty's ensuing short-lived relationship had a bit to do with the hype).

Nevertheless, the film is top-notch and a really fun watch. The overall vision is a joyful mash-up of 30's gangster garb and pop-art comic book-style (watching it you almost expect "thought bubbles" to appear above the actors' heads). Add it to your Netflix queue. Biff bang pow!

June 1990-Cover Story

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BARBARA KOWALESKI

HOME
Saratoga Springs, New York

AGE
18

HER START
About three years ago my friend talked me into going with her on an interview at a local modeling agency. I didn't think anything would happen. Boy, was I wrong!"

FREE TIME
"I just started bowling. I'm not very good at it, but I can beat my boyfriend...which is nice".

HER STYLE
"My leather jacket is my 'best friend'. It's got lots of zippers and adds pizazz to everything. I live in it".

THE FUTURE
"I'm planning to move to New York to model. I love the city. It's so fun and fast-paced-- totally different from the farm country where I grew up."

Totally Cosmic

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