PatternVault

With news of a Buffy revival in the works, this costumes post is devoted to the iconic Buffy Summers.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) was so influential that it’s easy to forget that it started as a mid-season replacement, with its first season conceived to stand alone. Season 1 costume designer Susanna Puisto was an ex-model and fashion insider who combined new and established designer labels with custom and vintage looks, especially vintage leather. When the show was renewed for a second season, the network brought in Cynthia Bergstrom (Scream), who worked with Sarah Michelle Gellar to develop Buffy’s maturing style.

In the first season, Puisto dressed Buffy in piece after piece of what would become the character’s signature: leather and animal prints. A few late-’90s Vogue Elements designs for synthetic leather seem to reference Buffy Summers. Buffy-esque styles in this pattern line include a mini skirt with side slit, red tapered pants, and oxblood leather coat. Plus, appropriately for the Slayer, these patterns are also sized for petites.

Without being a direct copy, this white formal dress from Begotten by Dilek Atasu — also sized for petites — evokes Buffy’s Spring Fling dress in the season 1 finale (seen under a pleather jacket at the top of this post). Buffy’s prom dress was custom-made for the production: as Puisto recalls, “It was a four-way stretch silk from ISW [LA’s International Silks and Woolens]” with a silk satin bodice and silk chiffon overlay. (Source: Re-Vamped with Juliet Landau)

Sew your own Slayer coat

For Buffy’s heroic look in the first part of the season 2 finale, “Becoming,” Bergstrom paired lilac, stretch trousers from LA’s Mark Wong Nark with a turquoise blue, knee-length jacket by Cynthia Rowley — known to fans as her “slow-mo” coat from the opening credits. The jacket in this early Cynthia Rowley pattern is quite close to Buffy’s “slow-mo” coat, isn’t it? Also sized for petites.

Happy Halloween!