Last weekend I saw Bad Teacher and outside of the fact that it was a randomly funny movie (Justin Timberlake has a scene with Cameron Diaz that’s just ALL kinds of wrong, lol), I couldn’t take my eyes off Cameron. Not because she’s, you know, hot (I mean duh!), but because she sports a kickass wardrobe in this movie!

After a little research, I was able to find out that the costume designer was Debra McGuire –she was also the costume designer for Friends- and get the deets on Cameron’s wardrobe.

As Elizabeth Hesley, Cameron plays a potty-mouthed, ruthless woman who should be anywhere BUT a classroom. She leaves her job at JAMS so that she can finish planning her wedding, but subsequently is dumped by her fiancé and has to return to school to teach.

Considering she was never meant to teach that long, her wardrobe is not that of your stereotypical* Middle School Teacher (think sweater vests, khakis, and gasp! mom jeans). Debra outfitted her in Calvin Klein, DVF, Michael Kors and she rocks a killer shoe game (Louboutins, anyone?).

With the exception of one day where she’s slummin’ it at home, her style is flawless throughout the film. Here are a few style tips I picked up from the movie and ways that you can recreate her look.

Fit is EVERYTHING
Cameron has a much-coveted body, and in Bad Teacher, she really shows it off. Short, body-conscious dresses, skinny jeans, fitted cardigans, and blazers: nothing was boxy and she never looked sloppy. Take away tip? Regardless of your body type, make sure your clothing fits properly. If foundation garments are needed to smooth out any lumps or bumps, invest in them. You can wear the same 8 pieces over and over, however, if they fit well, no one will be the wiser.

Invest in Quality Pieces in Classic Colors
Cameron never wore anything outrageous in the movie. Her wardrobe included designer staples in a selective palette: outside of the yellow DVF dress she sports in the beginning of the movie, she wears black, gray, red, cream, and denim throughout. No wild prints; they stuck with solid colors that looked great against her skin and that could be easily accessorized.

Shoe Game Proper
It was AAALL about Louboutins:  tall, platform, caged, and spiked.  She could be wearing a demure black capped sleeved dress in a scene but her shoes always had MAJOR attitude. While a 6 inch platform heel isn’t practical for everyone, a great pair of heels is essential. Make sure they’re comfortable enough to walk in (inserts are your friend!) and are of quality. Your key pieces should always be built to last.

Recreating the Wardrobe
Much of “Elizabeth’s” wardrobe was funded by her ex fiancé (the catalyst of their breakup was her spending $16,000 in one month), so she wasn’t shopping on a real teacher’s salary. Even if you’re on a budget, you can still build a collection of fully functional pieces that will work through many seasons.

These are the looks I loved:

LOOK 1

LOOK 2

LOOK 3

LOOK 4

SHOP

 

When it comes to buying key pieces (your daily staples), calculate your CPW (cost per wear). If a pair of trousers cost $120, but you plan to wear them at least 26 times (twice a month), your CPW is only a little over $4 for the year. If you don’t have the income budgeted to make that large of a purchase at once, that’s understandable, but remember this: You come out better when you do because the quality of the $120 pair of trousers means that you’ll be able to wear them 26 times (as opposed to a $30 pair that you have to replace every 2-3 months), so you may want to save up and plan before you o shopping for these.  $120 may be steep at full price however, if you know how to shop sale, there are still plenty of brands you can frequent (Banana Republic, Anthropology, Ann Taylor, DKNY), to get your staples at a fraction of the cost. For your trendier items, go to fast fashion stores like Forever 21, H&M, and Zara.

Have you seen Bad Teacher? Did you like the wardrobe? Share your thoughts!

 *Not all teachers dress this way, however this was the look worn by some of her co-workers in the movie.

bad teacher cameron diz Fashion