How to dress like a final girl.
Styling for slasher summer.
“Final Girl” is a term originally coined in 1992 by Carol J. Clover in her book, Men, Women, And Chain Saws: Gender In The Modern Horror Film, in which she discussed tropes within slasher films and their association to gender identity. Clover describes the final girl as the character who “spends the whole film noticing things, noticing the threats that are around” or “the character that continues to survive.” It is essentially just the last person alive, usually in a slasher film. Although it is generally a woman, hence the name, but has come to reference anyone left alive (Final Girl, TV Tropes).
It’s come to be associated with a set of characteristics, usually a level of common sense that is frustratingly lacking in almost every other character in the film. They’re resourceful, intelligent, and adaptive—also, they’re cool.
I love fashion but I hate getting sweaty, so dressing for summer is always a fun challenge. This is also around the time when I start to miss autumn and I get really excited for Halloween. A style I like to reference as “slasher summer” combines a functionality to it that keeps you cool in hot weather and casual enough to have fun in, while also adding bit of depth to a simple outfit.
I’ll be going over some of the outfit staples I’ve noticed, as well as providing some of my film inspiration, mostly pulling from the 80’s through the early 2000’s, as well as some more contemporary films.
Tank Tops and Tube Tops.
It may sound really dumb and obvious, but HEAR ME OUT. I swear I have put a lot of thought into this, I promise.
This staple is by far the most simple and easy to find, you can go into any thrift store and buy one, but the styling has more to do with color and shape rather than the piece itself. In either stripes or bold colors, the tank top—or tube top—is the most comfortable summer item while also being easy to style in interesting ways.
This is an example of one of my favorite monster/slasher films, Jeepers Creepers.
It’s so simple, but I love the shape of the top and the bright red color. I think looking put together is more about how things fit you, rather than what they look like. If you ever feel like your outfit feels off, like it doesn’t seem to look like your Pinterest inspiration photo, but you can’t tell what’s wrong, it can more often than not be attributed to small details like the fit of the clothes.
This look was just a tank top and some boot cut jeans, but the low waist of the jeans and the slight crop of the shirt that reaches just where the jeans begin, the fit and flare of the pants (can’t be seen in the picture, but trust me), small things you can change in how you style that dramatically improve how the outfit looks. Especially when it’s summer time and you’re trying to fight against sweating your brains out.
This is another example, and also a really fun movie. The bold color, the well fitted top—color alone can be a great way to elevate an outfit. A lot of people tend to avoid bright colors but they’re a lot of fun and make you look like you’re good at styling things. I also love the glasses in this picture, the bright red and the heart shape are just really fun. Proof that adding a fun accessory can make the outfit.
This is another outfit example from the same film. And I know neither of these girls are the actual “final girl” in the film, but they were definitely a strong inspiration for my own summer wardrobe, just because I like the look of the outfits. The stripes, the colors, they just feel like summer. This especially reminds me of Mia Goth’s character in the X trilogy. And Mia Goth IS the final girl in her films.
The outfit itself is really simple, colorful stripes, jean shorts, and blue eyeshadow, but it was a film that completely captivated audiences. It also goes along with what I said earlier about small details making the look unique. In this case, rather than a pair of heart shaped sunglasses, it’s her blue eyeshadow. You can get away with simple outfits with simple yet bold accessory or makeup choices. The most important part is that they are simple enough to be achievable, yet interesting enough to look cool without overheating.
If a tank top is too boring and you don’t want to experiment with makeup or accessories, layering can be a good option, if you can keep the layers thin.
Button Up Shirts.
I really like these looks from Bones and All, I absolutely love the costuming of this film so there’s a lot of examples from this, but the short sleeve, or rolled up sleeves on buttons ups are a great option for layering in the summer. They are often thin and airy, allowing for a breeze.
If you’re feeling brave, I also really love how unique their hair is. The baby bangs are amazing and the fading red dyed hair are great points of characterization for each of them. It’s an extra step that really paints them as outsiders, which is kind of what the whole film is about. I’m not that brave, so I usually leave my hair alone, but doing something fun with your hair helps you stand out even without a complicated outfit.
This is another example of the button up, while also adding in the bandana. Any amount of layering elevates an outfit, but the addition of that fun pop of color in her hair makes it that much more memorable.
THIN Jackets.
If you’re REALLY brave, you can also try a thin jacket. Here’s another Bones and All example:
And although I think wearing a jacket outside in the summer sounds horrific, I also do still get cold easily so I usually like to bring one in case I’m going somewhere and I think the AC might be super intense.
A jean jacket is a good option, it’s still relatively light but still is a good piece of layering that maintains this sort of blue monochrome look Sidney has in this photo.
Shawls.
On the opposite extreme, if you think even bringing a jacket with you in the summer sounds evil, there’s other options for layers. This is from The Lost Boys, which is one of my favorite movies ever, but also does fun styling stuff.
I think a shawl is also a really under utilized styling choice, it’s basically like a wide scarf that’s made from a really thin material, like silk.
I know it’s hard to see, the stills aren’t great quality from this film, but she has another shawl that goes with her really flow-y, colorful skirt. She’s meant to be characterized as this free spirited, exciting girl, that the main character can’t help but be drawn to. This isn’t a slasher film exactly, but again, the outfits are great inspiration and look genuinely comfortable to wear in the summer.
Long Skirts.
This leads me to the next staple item I really like in the summer:
In this, she has this long, denim skirt. Although I’m personally more drawn to the thin, flow-y skirts, the denim looks really good here, especially paired with the boots.
Also, notice how these often utilize the three color rule. It’s a way to add a level of complexity to a look with minimal effort. Create a color palette of three colors to build an outfit, then make sure all of your accessories fit into one of those three colors. It creates a cohesiveness to the outfit while (easily) adding dimension.
Here’s another example from a classic summer slasher, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Again, a bit hard to see, but she’s wearing a long denim skirt with a white tank top.
Florals (With Boots).
Another staple that I wasn’t exactly expecting was the use of florals. I like this example here because of it’s combination of the delicate, airy dress, with the stiff and functional combat boots.
A criticism of the final girl is that they often embody more stereotypical or traditional conservative values of what is expected of women: “she'll also almost certainly be a virgin, remain fully clothed, avoid sex (because Sex Signals Death), and probably won't drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or take drugs, either… The Final Girl is usually but not always brunette, often in contrast to a promiscuous blonde who traditionally gets killed off” (Final Girl, TV Tropes).
In the example of Tourist Trap, a film I mentioned earlier, the final girl is Molly, the modest, prudish looking girl with pigtail braids, a long white dress and a straw hat. In Scream, it’s Sidney, a brunette virgin who tries to avoid sex despite her boyfriend pushing for it. Seeing florals, especially long floral dresses in these kinds of films, reminds me a bit of these values that final girls are criticized for.
On the other hand, it is argued that the final girl is more feminist because it it creates a space in which “the males in the audience are forced to identify with a woman in the climax of the movie” (Final Girl, TV Tropes). The final girl places a woman in the most capable and intelligent role. Morgan Podraza, a popular culture scholar asked to speak on a panel titled Halloween, Then and Now, claimed that “a lot of people see empowerment in the Final Girl, that she survives against all odds, she’s perceptive, intelligent and clever” (Kadar).
I think it can be a way of embracing femininity without condemning it to a simple stereotype. Anyways, I had to sneak in a bit of film theory, but let’s continue.
Stripes.
I think this is a staple of any horror film that takes place in the 80’s, so it’s really easily recognizable as the look we’re going for.
Slumber Party Massacre is another classic slasher flick. The polo shirt is a really great example of a slasher summer outfit, but the stripes are what I really love.
The red and white stripes are great, although I would probably avoid the longer sleeves in the summer. I’d go for something more like this:
To be honest, I really don’t like this movie. I think it frames being trans as something unnatural and forced, as well as perpetuating the stereotype of trans women being predatory or dangerous to cis women (which is horrible and wrong!).
This photo kind of perfectly illustrates the look I’m trying to describe, though.
Overalls.
X is one of those films that quickly became a horror fan favorite. The costuming of this trilogy was incredibly purposeful, with the intention of truly capturing a specific style for each time period of the films. West claims that he took inspiration from many classic slasher films of the 70’s, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre (O’Fault).
That’s one of the reasons X looks so iconic. Audiences became obsessed with Mia Goth’s blue eyeshadow, her striped tube top and her overalls.
In general, overalls are great way to layer!! Layering always makes an outfit seem more intentional, but the functionality of the overalls, especially the overall shorts, gives a very specific summer look and feel.
Another classic summer horror film, although isn’t a slasher, we see Beverly Marsh in It wearing her overalls and a lacy red top.
Long Socks.
This sounds like a really small and insignificant detail, but these specific kinds of socks are a really identifiable staple, especially with those stripes around the top.
I love these two outfits especially. The colors of the socks, the denim shorts, and that cropped look I talked about earlier that ends just where the pants begin. This is another really easy accessory to add that creates the perfect slasher summer look.
Here’s another example. They’re more sporty outfits, so you know you’ll be comfortable in the heat.
Red Shorts!!
This is the final staple I wanted to mention. One of the most recognizable slasher summer looks are the summer camp uniforms. The most iconic summer uniforms involve two things, the striped socks I mentioned just before this, and a pair of red gym shorts.
These are more illusive, and took me a lot longer to thrift than all the other stuff, but it’s one of the most important staples. These are undeniably a necessity to complete the slasher summer look.
That’s all I have here, but thanks so much for reading. I hope I inspired you to dress like a final girl.
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Sources:
Kadar, Kira. “The Final Girl: More than a Trope.” English.osu.edu, 10 Feb. 2023, english.osu.edu/news/final-girl-more-trope.
O’Falt, Chris. ““MaXXXine”: Ti West’s “X” Trilogy Movie References and Looks Explained.” IndieWire, 6 July 2024, www.indiewire.com/features/craft/maxxxine-ti-west-x-trilogy-movie-references-looks-explained-1235023289/.
TV Tropes. “Final Girl - TV Tropes.” TV Tropes, 2013, tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FinalGirl.
This was made for me
taking notes ✍🏻✍🏻