zombie Cheerleaders from hell: style guide
They’re baaaaack…and apparently, the dress code in Hell is killer.
Zombie Cheerleaders From Hell has clawed its way back from the grave, and this season we’re channeling all things Grease, Thriller, 80s horror, high-school heartthrobs, undead prom queens, big hair, bad decisions, and enough hairspray to constitute a fire hazard. So naturally, the question isn’t whether you should dress for the occasion. The question is: what kind of fabulous little freak are you going to be?
Before you panic-buy a full ensemble from a beloved 1983 music video, take it easy! Nobody needs to arrive looking like they got lost on the way home from Spirit Halloween. Think inspired, not costumed. (However, we’d admire your commitment to the bit, so go forth if you feel compelled). For the rest of you mortals… Think leather jackets! Taffeta! Letterman sweaters! Blood-red lips! Fishnets! Pearls! Acid wash! A deeply concerning amount of eyeliner! We’ve assembled five Pinterest boards to help you find your particular flavor of undead fabulousness. Pick a personality, raid your closet, summon something from the depths of your local vintage store, and prepare to look drop-dead fabulous and mildly possessed.
Spoiler alert: by act 3…you might be.
For the creatures of the night who heard “Zombie Cheerleaders From Hell” and stopped listening after FROM HELL. Tell Me More, Tell Me Gore is your invitation to crawl inside a gloriously trashy 1980s horror movie and dress accordingly. Think final girls after dark, vampire girlfriends, slasher-movie sirens, black lace, distressed denim, leather, ripped tights, blood red, oxblood, silver hardware, vintage horror tees, smoky eyes and lipstick dark enough to raise questions. Go subtle with a little black dress and a sinister red lip, or arrive looking like you escaped a prom-night massacre approximately seven minutes ago. The goal is macabre, not masquerade: fabulous party clothes with just enough horror to make the person sitting across from you wonder whether that blood is part of the outfit.
Beauty school dropout? Honey, she didn’t drop out. She dropped jaws and raised Hell. This is for our glamour ghouls, deadly dolls, powder-room poltergeists and anyone who firmly believes rigor mortis is no excuse for a bad blowout. Beauty School Drop Dead lives somewhere between Frenchy’s beauty-school fantasy, an 80s prom, a department-store cosmetics counter and the prettiest funeral you’ve ever attended. We’re talking bubblegum pink, satin, tulle, bows, pearls, rhinestones, sweetheart necklines, kitten heels, cocktail dresses, teased hair, blue eyeshadow, glossy lips and enough blush to bring someone back to life. This is the girliest, campiest, sweetest corner of our style guide, and we encourage you to make all that perfection just a little wrong. Smudge the lipstick. Tear the tights. Add a black choker. Tease the hair three inches higher than medically advisable. If you look like Prom Queen and Corpse of the Year simultaneously, congratulations: you nailed it.
No pulse. No curfew. Big problem. Rebel Without a Pulse is for the creatures who came to raise hell, and might break into synchronized choreography while doing it. Channel Thriller after dark: 80s music-video swagger, downtown punk, oversized leather, bold shoulders, distressed denim, graphic tees, chains, zippers, high-tops, combat boots and a flash of blood red. This is less sock hop, more something’s lurking in the dark outside the club. Play with exaggerated 80s proportions, statement jackets, slicked-back hair, metallic hardware and pieces made to MOVE. Keep the palette black, red, white, denim and silver, and don’t be afraid to get a little weird with it. If you look like you’re about to lead an undead dance break in the middle of the street, you understood the assignment.
Tell me about it, stud. And then maybe bite me on the neck..? You’re the Ghoul That I Want is where we turn the temperature up and make some exceptionally poor romantic decisions. Think Sandy’s final transformation in Grease if Danny had been a zombie and the carnival was actually the entrance to Hell. This board is all leather, body-con, corsets, sheer layers, fitted silhouettes, open shirts, red dresses, plunging necklines, leopard print, stilettos, smoky eyes, tousled hair and the sort of outfit that says “I know exactly what I’m doing” even when you absolutely do not. Masc, femme, somewhere deliciously in between… we don’t care. Show some skin. Wear the tight pants. Undo another button. This is date-night dressing for people whose love language is possession.
GIVE ME AN H! GIVE ME AN E! GIVE ME AN L-L—okay, you get the idea. School Spirit(s) is for the varsity vampires, preppy poltergeists, homecoming royalty and suspiciously well-dressed students who definitely know what happened behind the bleachers last Friday. This is high-school Americana gone to Hell. We’re talking letterman jackets, varsity sweaters, collegiate knits, fitted cardigans, pleated skirts, polos, blazers, loafers, saddle shoes, school stripes, crisp button-downs and all the polished, all-American sweetness of someone whose yearbook superlative was Most Likely to Become Possessed. Go classic with a letterman and trousers, sweet with a cardigan and mini, or turn the whole thing sinister with black, pink, dark lipstick, gothic jewelry or a corsage that looks like it may have died before you did. School spirit is mandatory. Dress code violations are encouraged.
There are no rules here, only strong suggestions and stronger shoulder pads. Consider this your permission slip to get a little weird. Dress up, show out, and bring your own flavor of fabulous to the halls of our very haunted high school.
Class is in session. The spirits are restless. And you look incredible.
See you in Hell, Diva.