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How to steal the style of Betty and Veronica

How to steal the style of Betty and Veronica
Carly Jacobs

Confession time. I’m a big, huge, MASSIVE B&V fan. When I was young, I was this chubby little girl with braces and a lisp and I would skip into second hand comic book stores with a pocket full of coins and spend all the money I had in the world on those glorious fashion chronicles. I really only read them for the fashion. It’s all you have when you’re eight years old and too innocent for the likes of Dolly and Girlfriend. I never bought them brand new because it would have cost me a full months pocket money so I was confined to buying the pre-loved yellowing copies which suited me fine as I have always loved second hand books more than new ones anyway. I admit that I occasionally buy a brand new Betty and Veronica Double Digest now that I’m a grown up. I figure that I’m earning money, paying bills and doing all kinds of adult things and if I want to spend $10 on a comic book then I will. I’ve recently been reading some of my old comics as well (not all of them because I lent almost my whole collection to this bitch in year 9 who then got my best friend kicked out of school and never returned my comics – I hope she has really ugly children now) and they are seriously awesome. Although I have to say that reading the comics in retrospect, having had a few relationships and flings, the weird threesome thing between Betty and Veronica and the way they share Archie is really strange. The fact that Betty and Veronica are best friends is even stranger. When I was in high school it was considered bad form to date a guy that your bestie even had a crush on, let alone dated. Two girls dating the same guy at the same time and WILLINGLY is just bizarre.

The point though my dears is that Betty and Veronica were in fact my very first fashion idols. I now recognise that their head to toe colour syncronisation was more an asthetic comic book feature than a conscious styling choice but it’s the monochrome with a complimentary colour combination that has moulded the foundation of my style. Here are a few Polvore pages of B&V inspired fashion…

 Betty is trying to drum up votes for Archie for school president while looking fabulous in a red swing skirt with shiny black accessories.

 

 

Veronica decides that although she doesn’t need them, glasses look fantastic on her so she buys lots of frames with no glass. Then the dorky Milton comes along and sprays her in the eye with glasses cleaner. She effortlessly pairs her round frames with a yellow scarf and funky red dress.

 

Betty, wearing a casual trench coat with a pencil skirt and sneakers proves how easy it is to manipulate Archie by telling him what she know he wants to hear.

 

 
 

I just wish I could achieve that level of flawless hair and skirt volume on a daily basis…

I’m trying….

Here, here and here…

I need more petticoats and hairspray.

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

21 Comments

  1. Lady Smaggle 16 years ago

    Na – You should totally wear your fake glasses. I give you permission to.

    Nadist – Ha ha so true!

    Hayley – Me too. I was totally addicted. Thanks!

    Ivy – Oh I’ve always been a fashion girl. I loved punky Brewster when I was 5!!!

    J – Me too!!! I totally started a diary because of Betty!

  2. Andrea Mitchell 16 years ago

    I loved Betty and Veronica when I was growing up! Still do, really. Yay, so nice to see a post devoted to these oft-neglected fashion icons 😉

  3. princessnaea 16 years ago

    holy sheet, yes. This is awesome. I love Veronica’s fake glasses and fringe!! I’m going to wear my fake glasses now and bugger the naysayers!

  4. Nadist 16 years ago

    I always liked Veronica’s blue/black hair. And the miraculous way both of them found tops to fit them so impressively in the bust . . . 🙂

  5. Hayley 16 years ago

    I loved Betty and Veronica too as a child, and as a teenager. I had some edition that had old 50’s and 60’s and 70’s comics re-printed in it and the clothes were amazing, I used to try and copy them as a teenage. As a child I had all the 80’s ones and the fashion in that would inspire me to make crazy cool clothes for my barbie dolls. I even dyed my hair blue black as a teenager to be like Veronica. Great post :>

  6. Ivy 16 years ago

    omg, i would never have thought B&V were style icons, but they totally are!! man, i cant believe you were into fashion at 8yo, i didnt get into it until i was like 14!

    i especially love the poodle skirt set (i’m actually making a skirt like that at the moment).
    i think you need some tuelle for your skirt oomph! although those skirts you linked to do have a good amount of oomph in them. 😛

  7. J 16 years ago

    OH MY GOOOODDDD!!!!
    I honestly thought i was the only person that not only loved betty and veronica comics but payed extra detail to what they wore… all those bobby socks, matching suits, scarfs, heels, and what about bettys bedroom??
    haha she was my inspiration to start a diary

  8. Marianne 16 years ago

    I hadn’t heard of B&V before, but they are awesome! Now I want some 2nd comics too. Great post 🙂

  9. Matt & Ged 16 years ago

    hmmmm… didn’t I Lend you some of the digests ??

    ged x

  10. Sal 16 years ago

    I never got into Betty and Veronica, but I can see now that I, too, emulate their style. Nipped-in waistlines, scarves, and fun skirts. Love it all.

  11. Lady Smaggle 16 years ago

    Marianne – You should totally get into them! They are great!

    Matt & Ged – Really? Well then I have a whole bunch of comic books to give you…

    Andrea Mitchell – I agree. Eveyone is all about Kate Moss but it’s totally B&V

    Sal – I love how cartoony their style is.

    Annie – Nah I was always a Betty girl…

    Hailey – Whee! Thanks angel!

  12. Annie Spandex 16 years ago

    Veronica for the win!

  13. Hailey 16 years ago

    I made you my post of the day, I hope you don’t mind. It’s here: http://stylesymmetry.com/?p=406

  14. Roxanne 16 years ago

    I remember when I was about 9 or so I bought a huge box of 60’s/70’s era Archie (and B&V) comic books at swap-meet for $50 (that was my life savings at the time)…

    After all these years I still find myself lusting after some of their outfits!

  15. cordelia 16 years ago

    i still buy em once in awhile but they aren’t $10, are they? Brand new ones usually cost about £2.90 ($6) here in the UK.

  16. vancouverista 16 years ago

    Oh my god! What a great post. I did the exact same thing when I was little-buy loads of used comics especially the betty and veronica ones! Do you remember how occasionally they would have a page just devoted to ‘fashions’ that readers had sent in ideas for? I love that! You’ve made me realize that Betty and Veronica were totally my first style icons!

  17. Matt & Ged 16 years ago

    good!! 😉

  18. MizzJ 16 years ago

    Awesome post! I used to love B&V when I was younger. Wasn’t Jughead just such a hunk in disguise too? Forget ol’ redhead, he was the hottie! B&V were great examples of two really different styles: Betty the classic girl-next-door, and Veronica the foxy rich girl. The glasses outfit is so chic!

  19. Monique 14 years ago

    Great post! I thought I was the only one who looked to Archie Comics for fashion tips! I thought you might be interested in an article I wrote that, upon reading your article, almost acts as a bookend. Mine’s about Jughead though (my favorite character). Hope you like it:
    http://moniqueblog.net/?p=4867

  20. Silksaturn9 12 years ago

    I have just realised this myself lately, how influenced i was by these girls!! My seven year old boy now reads the comics, hopefully he wont pick up jug heads skivvy wearing style and crown!! I love to wear my the bettie page inspired fringe that veronica wears so elegantly, such a good look, and i love it, and bettys tom boy edge, so glad i found your blog!! more please more.. betty and veronica rock!!

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