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Exclusive: How The Breakfast Club Almost Sported a Very Different Look

It's been a good week for the best high school movie of all time. First, it was announced that a newly restored version ofThe Breakfast Club will be premiering at SXSW, followed by a super-limited theatrical run later in March (click here for specs). And, those who prefer to belt "Don't You Forget About Me" in the privacy of their own homes will be happy to hear that the John Hughes classic arrives on Blu-ray today, with more extras than you can shake your detention slip at.  For us, the most exciting extra is Sincerely Yours: A 12-Part Documentary, a deep dive into the film's fashion, featuring interviews with costume designer Marilyn Vance. As befits a movie dedicated to deconstructing high school stereotypes, clothes are a big part of the story here. Think of Andrew's cheery blue hoodie and Nike tank top that instantly brand him as "the jock," or the eyelash-grazing bangs and baggy black layers that signify Allison's weird-girl status long before she makes it rain dandruff. Below, we offer you two exclusive clips. In the first, Vance discusses Claire's iconic, Ralph Lauren-esque outfit, which made Molly Ringwald a style icon and has now sold three generations of girls on the merits of slouchy boots and pairing brown with pink. The designer also shares her take on how the character almost ended up with a very different look:
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And below, Vance discusses the costume for Judd Nelson's John Bender. He was not the first wounded pretty boy from an unstable home who may or may not be a sociopath, and is definitely a dreamboat — and he certainly won't be the last. But, in his beat-up motorcycle boots, flannels, and secondhand tweed coat, he arguably defined the bad-boy archetype for his decade:
Seeing the attention to costume here makes it all the more meaningful that, at the end of the movie, Claire gifts Bender with the ultimate symbol of her love: a single one of her diamond earrings. Surely there's no more perfectly '80s way to say "I care." The Breakfast Club: 30th Anniversary Edition is available now on Blu-Ray.

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