Beetlejuice at 30: The Long Afterlife of Tim Burton’s Classic as One of the Great Fashion Movies

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. Three decades later—this Friday, March 30, marks the 30th anniversary of its premiere—Beetlejuice is still a favorite nostalgia totem (naturally, it’s referenced in Steven Spielberg‘s 80’s trivia blockbuster Ready Player One) and still a favorite Halloween costume (of Gen Xers trick or treating with their kids mostly, but still). (It’s even coming to Broadway soon.) Maybe most trenchantly, the Tim Burton movie has acquired a reputation as a fashion classic, and for good reason. Think of all the indelible, wild style moments in this burlesque of a film that have influenced everything that came after: The romantic cobweb knits worn by Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz was basically the origin story of Rodarte; Catherine O’Hara’s iconic sartorial daffiness as Delia Deetz (remember, she actually wore her husband’s sweater as pants) was like a screen version, in the best way, of the late Isabella Blow; and of course Michael Keaton’s boldly-striped and dandyishly-cut suits as Betelgeuse begat waves of male street style sprezz, for better or worse. All that, and we haven’t even mentioned Ryder’s pre-Britney schoolgirl look. Here, let’s celebrate the movie that made goth glamorous.