The Dairi Burger

50 responses so far ↓

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  Lucy Honeychurch // September 13, 2007 at 6:25 am

  I can say I never emulated a look in a SVH book — and I grew up in the mid-80s. At some point they mention culottes and I had to ask my mother what they were. I think good old Francine was a little behind in her fashion assessments.

  That said, I did covet the white dress one of the twins wore to the Snow Ball.

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  MaggieCat // September 13, 2007 at 8:00 am

  I actually remember calling bullshit on this one when I read it as a kid: the part where the modeling agent refuses to believe that Jessica is related to Liz. Because changing your hair colour is such a huuuuuge difference that someone specifically skilled at evaluating things like bone structure and facial characteristics wouldn’t notice that they were so freaking IDENTICAL. Other than that brain frying moment, not such a bad book comparatively speaking.

  I always took Lisette’s to be the SVH equivalent of a local store called Rave. Aimed at teenagers trying to look adult but who just ended up looking trashy, and $67 for a single outfit would have been about right there, going by the late 80s/early 90s prices I remember. In reality it was cheaply made rip-offs of designer clothing, although it tried to pretend it was high-end by shrouding the store with that aura of disdain and unhelpfulness that comes from snotty sales people and techno music. My mother wouldn’t let me shop at Rave. Wise woman. (Even if I was bratty about it back then.)

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  Laura // September 13, 2007 at 8:17 am

  My wardrobe copy was from the Babysitter’s Club too. I got black overalls like Claudia used to wear and I used to want to paint my clothes like she did lol.

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  kiwimusume // September 13, 2007 at 8:47 am

  OH my GOD!!!! Maybe it’s the scan, but cover!Jessica looks like a man in drag!!!!

  I never really tried to copy anyone’s outfit that I remember. I never really cared about clothes. I tried buying more hip stuff and wearing makeup once during university, but went back to my regular routine after a month or so because I couldn’t be fucked with it all.

  Oh, and Lucy I knew what culottes were because they were a (thankfully optional) part of my middle school uniform. HAWT.

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  kiwimusume // September 13, 2007 at 9:00 am

  @MaggieCat - in Sweet Valley people don’t have different faces, only hair colour. Remember Margo?

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  MaggieCat // September 13, 2007 at 10:19 am

  Heh. Well I’d stopped reading these by the time that Margo showed up, so that wouldn’t have occurred to me at the the time. Good point. Though I could buy random people having trouble and thinking someone looks very different with a completely new hair colour (I’m a curly/redhead and during the period when I went straight/dark brown acquaintances did a lot of double takes); I think it was the added insult of a modeling agent not being able to tell and in fact telling Jessica that it just wasn’t possible. (Even explaining why it couldn’t be, if I recall correctly.)

  Um, I think the fact that I remember this is proof I’ve taken it far more seriously than any sane person ever should. Never mind.

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  Jessa Fields // September 13, 2007 at 1:12 pm

  Yay! My favorite book. Great review!

  As for the poll, I can’t remember a specific outfit, but I know I was quite intrigued by the Claudia Kishi Collection….Also, wasn’t there an SVH where Olivia dumps the “Indian-print skirts” for something more, ahem, sophisticated? I remember loving the outfits and jewelry in that book but I can’t remember what any of them look like now. That’s probably a good thing…

  Also, I have to say–no mention of Ingenue magazine? Didn’t it play a role here? I remember actually looking for that at B. Dalton like a moron. And wasn’t there some pretentious magazine that Jessa Fields reads ostentatiously?

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  Jessa Fields // September 13, 2007 at 1:16 pm

  BTW, you forgot to mention how I said “actually” all the time because it made me sound so sophisticated!

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  Merrie // September 13, 2007 at 1:57 pm

  Awesome! As I said in an earlier post (sometimes I do work while I’m in my office), this is one of my favorite SVH books. It’s not one I still own. I only have seven floating around my house (although I’m buying all the BSC books for my daughter when she gets older). I’m hitting a huge used book fair this weekend. Maybe luck will be on my side!

  I’m also surprised Lila let Jessica borrow all of her clothes, but we forget that Lila has so much of everything that even she can afford to be generous at times. Plus she shoplifts, remember? I guess I’m really wondering how Jessica could afford all the clothes she buys. She doesn’t work or baby-sit 24/7 like our beloved Claudia Kishi. What’s the deal? I think I spent that much TOTAL on my daughter’s back-to-school clothes. But she’s 6. If it doesn’t have anything to do with HSM, she doesn’t care.

  I can’t remember copying a character’s fashion choices although I lived for the description of clothes (did anyone else immediately think of Monical Lewinsky with the beret mention?) — especially those of the BSC. However, I do remember buying a lot of red, black and white clothing in middle school, which was something I got from the Sleepover Friends series. One of the girls, Stephanie, only wore those colors. But she was from the city (I’m assuming NY, but I don’t think the book ever gave us an ID) and that’s what city folks do apparently. But with my coloring, the black and white only made me look like a walking corpse.

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  Merrie // September 13, 2007 at 1:57 pm

  Me again.

  Is it just me, or does Liz’s hair look WHITE on the cover?

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  nichole // September 13, 2007 at 2:26 pm

  I’m with you - I was al over Mary Anne’s dance outfit and convinced my mother to buy me a similar one. I always envisioned Lisette’s as a version of the “Deb” stores (I don’t know if its a national chain or not). It was a little more high end than Rave. They carried formal dresses and sweater dresses and way overpriced plastic jewelry.

  I loved this one too - this is one of the best covers ever.

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  Winnie Egbert // September 13, 2007 at 2:28 pm

  I definitely copied straight from the Claudia Kishi and Jessa Fields playbooks. In the fifth grade I always wore leggings with big oversized tops (belted loosely below the waist), ankle boots and a beret. I went nuts over lots of bright colours and in Jr High I started matching earrings to all of my outfits b’c they wouldn’t allow us to wear hats anymore. In high school I trawled the Salvation Army for old-lady polyester pantsuits and I would cut them up and re-sew them as funky disco clothes.
  *sigh* I don’t look like crap anymore, but I have a lot less fun getting dressed in the morning.

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  Mia // September 13, 2007 at 2:57 pm

  Francine, you are CLUELESS. Do you know what would actually happen if the popular girl at school showed up all goth-ed out? People wouldn’t be crowding around her, touching her hair, etc. Everyone would look at her all crazy-eyed and talk mad shit behind her back, then ostracize her for at least another semester.

  Nichole: Totally remember Deb. I think my hometown mall still has one. My friends and I called it “The Whore Store” and went there only to buy trashy clubbin’ clothes.

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  Merrie // September 13, 2007 at 3:45 pm

  Hey Winnie, I think the Olson twins are copting your look!

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  Nikki // September 13, 2007 at 4:07 pm

  I looked at that cover and my first thought was ‘What is Liz doing hanging out with Meatloaf?!” Hee!

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  car. // September 13, 2007 at 4:36 pm

  Oh yeah I was all about imitating. The one that really stands out is Clueless, the movie. Bought a plaid skirt and rocked it with heeled patent leather penny loafers. So hideous.
  This website is great! Keep ‘em coming.

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  ihatewheat // September 13, 2007 at 4:41 pm

  I thought Lisette’s was supposed to be “upscale” and carry all the latest fashions from Europe…but in a MALL? Does anyone remember V.I.M.? Or Joyce Leslie? My junior high wardrobes were from them exclusively.

  I also wanted to admit that junior year I had an homage to Kurt Cobain outfit…ripped jeans, a flannel shirt over a thrift store striped shirt and Jack Purcell sneakers. I also tried to copy Angela Chase quite often. Oh, the shame.

  Speaking of Sleepover Friends, stay tuned for another bonus feature….

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  Heidi // September 13, 2007 at 8:53 pm

  I think in middle school I did the leggings under skirts thing. I seriously coveted Mary Ann’s dance outfit, too. My one other nod to up-to-the-moment trend was black tights under razored/holey jeans. I grew up looking for Ingenue magazine too and being totally disappointed I couldn’t find it. And I still have a weird thing for the black/white/red combo also. Damn books! Skewed my vision for life!!

  I’m a little embarassed that I just admitted all that.

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  ihatewheat // September 13, 2007 at 9:57 pm

  Ummmmm….right now I am wearing leggings with a skirt.

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  Heidi // September 14, 2007 at 1:08 am

  You probably look good though. I did not. I think back to what I used to wear and I cringe.

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  Jen // September 14, 2007 at 2:43 am

  I was totally into the “skirt made out of sweatshirt material” from the BSC books and I wore those huge shirts with leggings all the time. Of course there were the huge earings usually in the same horrible pastel color.

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  Winnie Egbert // September 14, 2007 at 10:59 am

  I don’t know what it’s like in the States just now but the London fashions of the moment are 80s-on-crack and Pregnancy Chic - lots of flowy tops in bright patterns the likes of which are usually not seen outside of Florida retirement communities, lots of big cheap plastic jewelery, lots of leggings and punk hairstyles. I despair of shopping at the moment and eagerly await a return to waistlines and a limit of no more than four colours in an outfit. My retinas hurt.

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  katee // September 14, 2007 at 8:09 pm

  This was the first SVH book I read! I borrowed it from a friend and had to sneak it into my house because my mom did not approve.

  I wasn’t too interested in the clothes, but man I wanted to wear a side ponytail so bad. Good thing I never tried it–I already had a bad perm. A side ponytail would have been icing on the cake!

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  Eli // September 16, 2007 at 1:34 am

  For reals Jessica looks like a tranny in that cover shot. Jessa Fields even sounds like a tranny stage name.

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  Jane // September 16, 2007 at 7:20 pm

  I had a pair of jersey knit suspender pants that stopped right below my knees and came up to a few inches above my waist. The susupenders were hot pint and attached to the pants with buttons (thank goodness or I would have worn them with everything). A white 3/4 sleeve boatneck shirt with little neon polka dots was worn under the suspender. Hair in a side ponytail, white faux la gear high top sneakers… ladies and gentleman, me in 5th grade.

  Much like the Kurt Cobian look, I had a Michael Stipe outfit in high school. Green chuck taylors, black jeans, green star R.E.M. T-shirt. Very “What’s the frequency, kenneth” video era. Don’t tell my friends!

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  Dwanollah // September 19, 2007 at 5:15 pm

  ACTUALLY (<– doesn’t that sound soooo British?!), $67 was a lot of money for one outfit back in the early-to-mid ’80s! I certainly (<– “certainly” is another word that sounds soooo British! I should use it more often, omigawd!) couldn’t afford upscale stuff like that, but, then again, I didn’t have a lawyer father and an interior decorator mother to supplement my wardrobe funds.

  Did I ever try to copy book fashions? Oh no. Hell no. I surely didn’t have an actual list in my journal of various outfits that SVH characters had worn. I surely didn’t try to pull together things from my trashbags-of-second-hand-crap wardrobe that might look stylishly Wakefieldian. I never kept that one unflattering tube of L’oreal lipstick I ganked from my Gramma because it “carried a faint, perfumey smell” and NEVER wore said lipstick with my own “powder blue sundress” just like Jessica in Heartbreaker. I never tried to find hose/tights to match my own straight, olive skirt, because THAT would be the upper echelons of glamour. I never longed desperately for a pink angora sweater to wear with matching pink pumps and designer jeans. I never, ever, ever owned any of the following (usually purchased at the local Swap Meet or J.C. Penney’s) in an attempt to look more Wakefieldy:

  -a blue “silk” (er, rayon) scarf
  -gold fillagre butterfly earrings
  -a pink polo shirt
  -a blue oxford shirt
  -a blue “silk” (totally rayon) dress
  -a white silk blouse and navy silk trousers a la Daniella Frommage (my only Nordie’s purchase — via gift certificate — before my 30s!)
  -wheat-colored trousers
  -a “New Wave” skirt
  -my mom’s tailored brown suit
  -a tuxedo shirt with a bow-tie (even more rayon)
  -a bathing suit I pilfered from my mom’s drawer because, while not “wet look,” it WAS sort of “bronze”
  -turquoise eyeliner

  *Important note: I did NOT wear jumpsuits.

  Re: Lisette’s: back then, malls were somewhat less, er, corporate than now, so in the early 80s, it’s conceivable that there would be a stylish, independent boutique like that in the mall.

  And quadruple-ditto what everyone else has said about Jessica showing up all Euro-Jess’d at school and everyone gushing and raving about it. No WAY would that happen, even if she was one of the most popularest girls at SVH. Most people would’ve laughed her all the way back to the drugstore where she got her oh-so-natural and flattering wash-in black hair dye. (I’m picturing something like Britney Spears’s ratty dyed weaves.)

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  Cat // October 4, 2007 at 12:46 am

  This was my favorite SVH! I’m sorry to admit that I thought Jessica’s European outfits were just to die for. I was in 5th or 6th grade when I read this and to me those outfits were the height of sophistication. I even tried to imitate them in some short skirts that my mother wouldn’t let me out of the house in. (I think they were hand-me-downs from some older cousins.) Of course my imitations were nothing as fabulous as Jessica’s originals…but when you’re in 5th grade in a little middle-of-nowhere town you do what you can…

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  tweety // October 8, 2007 at 1:36 am

  Jessica totally looks like a drag queen.
  I did not like that cover very much.

  Its so funny how as a kid i would walk through the snow and rain just to buy one of these ridiculous books

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  kiwichick // October 9, 2007 at 11:34 pm

  Yep, this was my fav SVH as well, I used to read the outfit descriptions over and over again and picture myself in “an olive gree leather skirt with a slit up the back…Matching hose with a lacy pattern and three-inch heels…a silky, oversized blouse and green leather belts worn on her hips…a chunky necklace and big gold earrings.” I really thought that was the height of fashion (hangs head in shame). And if I was Lila, i’d be damned if I’d let anyone borrow my fab new Parisian clothes!

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  Lily // October 11, 2007 at 6:28 am

  “speaking in a “slightly” British accent (wtf?)”

  LOL
  So Madonna ripped off of Jessa Fields!

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  Lily // October 11, 2007 at 7:29 am

  “Jess uses shampoo-in black dye that supposedly washes out after 2 washings. Uh, wouldn’t that rub off everywhere? And does that mean she didn’t wash her hair throughout the whole book?”

  Erm, I did this the summer between 8th and 9th grade. It wasn’t SVH inspired, though.

  The temporary dye doesn’t rub off, but look out if it rains or you sweat! I wore it to tennis camp once. Big mistake. Black/brown sweat rolling down my temples LOL

  Jessa probably washed her hair then reapplied?

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  Amy Slutton // November 12, 2007 at 4:08 pm

  “I hate how it makes the wave over the forehead. It’s almost a little Donald Trump-esque.”

  LMAO, so true! I’d never thought about it like that before XD

  Tweety I was about to say exactly that, I always thought Jessica looked like a bad drag queen on the cover of this :S

  Also is it just me, or does anyone else think the “new Jessica’s” outfits would have looked completely ridiculous as things to wear to high school of all places?

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  Amy Slutton // November 12, 2007 at 4:40 pm

  Oh, and getting back to the poll… I used to try to emulate Jessica’s outfits ALL THE TIME. There, I admitted it I was always fascinated by 80’s fashion! And I would get so frustrated that I would have to interpret Jessica’s outfits from mental images when they were just described in the book and not shown on the cover. Needless to say I interpreted many of them quite badly. I never had a feel for the authentic 80’s look cos I was only a kid back then. But I had the pink angora sweater, I had the leather pants, the skimpy string bikinis, the black sandal heels, the pink/sky blue/neon green tank tops, a pink button down shirt just like the one on the cover of Special Christmas… I tried to emulate the tuxedo outfit from Double Love… OMG and I did the blue minidress with the blue tights like in Playing with Fire… argh! I’ll stopn ow, this is embarassing. I never got around to trying out the Jessa Fields outfits though, they sounded way outlandish. I have to admit though there are some things I still covet (so shoot me) like the silver ski suit described in Winter Carnival and that sweater and jacket she’s wearing on the cover, lol… and that sweater she has on the cover of Slam Book Fever… I am sure there are many more…

  (btw on Saturday me and my boyf watched Mannequin — omg, 80’s overkill! We were dying!! The clothes!! The music! Illustra!! Argh!!)

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  ihatewheat // November 12, 2007 at 5:03 pm

  you had a skimpy string bikini? at age 11? I’m scared.

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  unicorn princess // November 13, 2007 at 10:30 pm

  Oh my god- I totally had the gitano skirt too! effing loved that thing in 3rd grade.

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  Amy Slutton // November 13, 2007 at 11:28 pm

  Oh no, believe me, I was still trying to emulate Jessica when I was in my late teens. At 11 I didn’t even have an allowance lol

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  Linda // November 19, 2007 at 5:45 am

  I don’t think I imitated SVH, but I painted my room based on the plotline of SVT where the twins get their own rooms, and pick the color. And another time, I painted my fingernails purple, with a pink streak in the middle, just like in SVT where Jessica does that to her nails. It looked awful, even then.

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  christine // November 22, 2007 at 1:20 am

  i was forever trying to dress like Molly Ringwald, when she was named the “teen Queen” of my generation- big longas sweaters with the button down shirt underneath, colored tights (which i still happen to love), ankle boots, wide brimmed hats…

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  Amber Tan // November 27, 2007 at 3:37 pm

  I could never have been a worthy imitator of SVH fashion — an outfit from Lisette’s wouldn’t have been very practical for mucking out stables or feeding the livestock.

  However, I did sport around in some hideous neon a la Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Wham. For a brief period of time, my favorite outfit consisted of acid-washed jeans with a button fly and an oversized T-shirt with neon-lettering (”Frankie says relax!”). I finished off this ensemble with a black Members Only jacket and white beret. And grey suede ankle boots. [shudder]

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  Winnie Egbert // November 27, 2007 at 4:16 pm

  OMG Amber Tan, your fave outfit is so back in fashion it’s scary!!!

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  BurtonFanatic // January 10, 2008 at 8:23 pm

  Compliments of: http://claudiasroom.blogspot.com/2006/11/its-nice-to-know-boys-arent-aliens.html

  MARY ANNE’S DANCE/PARTY OUTFIT! HE-EY! “…a full white skirt with the words Paris, Rome, and London, and sketchy pink and blue pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Tower Bridge, and other stuff scrawled all over it. She matched it up with a pink shirt and a baggy pink sweater…white slip-ons with pink and blue edging that matched the pink and blue in the skirt…” Oh, yeah. That’s hot!

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  janeprimrose // January 20, 2008 at 11:18 am

  Mr. Collins recognizes the peach dress that Jessica is wearing as the one that Liz wore a couple days ago. Why in the hell does he remember that? Dirty old man.
  Every night he goes home and updates his Elizabeth Diary - when he saw her today, what she wore, what she said, if she left behind something like a soda can she drank from or a tissue she blew her nose in that he could bring home and reverently place in the Shrine. Then he masturbates, cries a little and falls asleep repeating ‘Just wait till graduation, just wait till graduation.’

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  JP // February 23, 2008 at 10:28 pm

  I have a Gordon Gecko outfit - shiny suit and tie and red braces

  and I have occasionally worn beige combat trousers and a white linen shirt for the Luke Skywalker effect

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  The Wakefield twins are back… and thinner? | uw url website weblog forum // March 28, 2008 at 12:30 pm

  [...] Sweet Valley. I was glad to see they got around to reviewing several of my favorites, including #32, where Jessica dyes her hair black in an attempt to look less all-American, and #3, the one where [...]

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  Fashion Police // April 2, 2008 at 9:03 pm

  “Jessica thinks her new look makes her look “slightly Eastern”. Does she mean Eastern European? Middle Eastern? Wtf?”

  Clearly she means East Coast!

  I totally rocked the Blossom look in middle school. Dress with black tights, socks & boots topped with the flower hat. Zoiks!

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  ~H // April 11, 2008 at 1:38 pm

  At age 8, I shared with Jessica a deep and abiding love for both the color purple and unicorns. I figured that since she was a middle/high schooler, it really founded my liking as en vogue.
  I also based much of my ideas of high school life and prom off of their board game, where you had to get prom dates and dresses out of various people’s lockers.

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  eejm // April 13, 2008 at 3:05 pm

  Looking at Jessica on the cover, all I see is Anne Wilson from Heart, circa the “These Dreams” and “Alone” era. I think the copious blue eye shadow and black hair (sans the giant perm, unfortunately) does it for me.

  Olive green lacy tights…supposedly Lila’s dad brought these back from Paris, huh? As in, French brothel?

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  Toys For Big Boys // April 25, 2008 at 12:04 pm

  I took style tips from Clarissa Explains It All. Bike shorts under a black denim skirt with a fitted top. Why my mum let me leave the house looking like that I’ll never know.

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  Naomi // April 28, 2008 at 4:42 pm

  saddest outfit–bike pants over pink stockings worn to a disco (can’t remember what shirt I wore). Needless to say, the pink stocking didn’t last out the night due to the laughter they drew, and were thrown in the rubbish after I slunk into the bathroom to take them off. So, so sad.

  Also, parrot earings, inspired by the Claudia Kishi school of dressing.

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  RollingStone // May 15, 2008 at 4:50 pm

  IMHO, “Jessa” is the ugliest person I’ve ever seen on a Sweet Valley cover, and that’s saying A LOT.

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