Vintage Band T-Shirts on TV + Nicole Kidman’s 'Babygirl' Wardrobe
Hey WNVM-ers,
We hope you had a restful and happy holidays, as the start of 2025 has been challenging already. We are devastated for our Los Angeles friends. We are thinking about you and please stay safe.
Cheryl’s on a family vacation with hopefully no “Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament…” hijinks. So, to kick off the new year, Fawnia’s back on her two favorite beats: comfort watching and vintage concert t-shirts. She talked to the costume designers from this season’s must-watch TV (and one thrilling blockbuster) about the meaning behind tees from the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Mötley Crüe. Plus, the seasoned pros, including “Friends” vet Debra McGuire, give shopping tips — and Michelle R. Cole shares her fond memories of Tupac.
Plus, all the Babygirl news You Oughta Know, from Nicole Kidman power-playing in plush coats and slinky blouses to Pedro Pascal going viral for stealing Harris Dickinson’s moves.
You’re a Real Tough Cookie With a Long History
Why characters on ‘High Potential,’ ‘Poppa’s House,’ ‘Twisters’ and more wear ‘80s and ‘90s concert t-shirts, and how the pros shop them.
By Fawnia
For a last minute New Year’s Eve dinner just a few blocks away, I decided to wear my vintage Bon Jovi “Slippery When Wet” t-shirt. It reflected my relaxed mindset and need for comfort, helped manifest for Whatever Nevermind in 2025, and, honestly, “Livin’ on a Prayer” is a pretty appropriate theme song for the foreseeable future. What I’m trying to say is, sure, throwback band tees are nostalgic fun. But they can also express a personality, mood, intention, and socio-political messages — also as seen on-screen, as of late.
Ahead, the seasoned costume designers explain how the t-shirts tell a story, where to shop your own, and what their favorite ‘80s and ‘90s earworms are.
Tupac on ‘Poppa’s House’
The set-up: As the titular radio talk show host, Damon Wayans opens his new CBS sitcom outfitted in Poppa’s most comfortable aesthetic by costume designer Michelle R. Cole. (She earned four out of her nine Emmy nods for the ‘90s musical comedy sketch show “In Living Color,” also starring Wayans, and created by his brother Keenan.) Wearing his trusty circa-1995 “California Love” t-shirt with his New York Mets cap, Poppa’s just trying to enjoy his morning coffee, as his son Damon (Damon Wayons, Jr.) drops by for advice. Poppa will soon share hosting duties with Dr. Ivy Reed (Essence Atkins), a woman whose outspoken personality and progressive approach counters the old school radio legend.
The story behind the t-shirt from Cole: “He comes from that music. That's his swag, That's who he is. He's a strong man and he's on the stubborn side. He's stuck in his ways. He's divorced, and he loves his kids and grandkids, and he comes from the old school. So the t-shirt helped illustrate the difference when Dr. Ivy joins and he dresses in Tom Ford velvet pants. We found and bought a bunch of vintage t-shirts, and then we let Damon make the decision on which one he wanted. [Looks like Wayans chose this vintage-looking t-shirt from Madeworn.]
The best places Cole and her team find vintage t-shirts: “We go online, and to Melrose. There are so many pop-up stores now.”
Cole’s favorite Tupac moment: “Tupac did ‘In Living Color’ with us [1992’s season three, episode 27 and 1993’s season five, episode three]. I remember him just being as sweet as he could be. He was so young. Oh god, was he gorgeous too. Tupac was super, super nice, and really, really good looking.”
‘Poppa’s House’ airs at 8:30 pm ET/PST on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
Bruce Springsteen on ‘High Potential’
The set-up: Opening the seventh episode of the new ABC procedural, LAPD Homicide consultant Morgan (Kaitlin Olsen) strategizes with her also-genius 10-year old son Elliot (Matthew Lamb) during a high stakes family board game sesh. The cleaning lady-turned-professional crime-solver relaxes at home in a raglan concert shirt, as opposed to her usual, and very distinctive, work look: vibrant mini-skirt outfits and tall boots by costume designer Sandra Burns.
The story behind the t-shirt from Burns: “Morgan’s wardrobe is a reflection of who she is — bold, unapologetic, and never afraid to wear what she loves. Morgan’s t-shirt is relaxed and lived in, but still feels cool and edgy. I loved the actual graphic and Bruce Springsteen felt like the perfect fit for Morgan. His songs are classic rock anthems about the working class, the experiences of ordinary people, and the preset of our hopes and dreams. I think that speaks to Morgan on multiple levels too. She has the grit and passion that so much of his music represents. It’s nostalgic, a little rebellious, and timeless.
I can totally picture Morgan stumbling upon this shirt in a thrift store back in the late ‘80s/early '90s, maybe even in the kind of place where you have to dig a little to find a gem. I imagine that she has been wearing it since then, so now it's perfectly worn-in and soft. I also love the idea that her daughter Ava [Amira J.] borrows and wears this shirt too.”
The best places Burns and her team find vintage t-shirts: “The shirt is not actually vintage. I purchased it from a company I love called Madeworn. They sell great band shirts that feel vintage. A few of my favorite places to shop for real vintage band shirts are Etsy, WyCo Vintage and eBay. Locally in LA, I love going to the Rose Bowl Flea Market, the PCC Flea Market, and the vintage stores on Melrose. They are great if you like digging a little to find something special.”
Burns’ favorite Springsteen song/s: “That’s a hard one! There are so many good ones. Maybe ‘Dancing in The Dark’ or ‘Born to Run.’ They are perfect songs for a spontaneous dance break or a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway — without LA traffic.”
‘High Potential’ airs on Tuesdays at 9pm ET and streams on Hulu.
4 Non Blondes on ‘Laid’
The set-up: In the Stephanie Hsu-starring raunchy comedy, her character Ruby discovers that everyone she’s ever had sex with has been dying in sometimes very gnarly ways. While tracking down her exes to warn them, and embark on her own lol-filled self-discovery journey, Ruby reconnects with “Sum 41/Green Day t-shirt guy” (she can’t remember which), a.k.a. Richie (Michael Angarano). “It was actually 4 Non Blondes and you borrowed that t-shirt and never gave it back,” he tells Ruby, clearing up that mystery. When she needs to crash at Richie’s, Ruby wears the tee — emblazoned with the group’s 1993 hit “What’s Up” — as pajamas. Gen X fun fact: Costume designer Leesa Evans also did American Pie.
The story behind the t-shirt from Evans: “It is indicative of a particular style at a particular time, and a pivotal piece of the relationship between Richie and Ruby. Like, is there something deeper between them? There's such good comedy, but there's so much heartfelt nature to Ruby’s personality. She is a girl who loves love, like a full rom com, but the twisted part is how dark it is. There's a moment where she's stopping herself from speeding forward by having some reflection, which the t-shirt expresses really well. She's remembering when she had something that she considered insignificant, but, in fact, was quite significant. The t-shirt really points to that in the relationship with Richie. [Wearing a boyfriend’s t-shirt] is what girlfriends do. That classic rom com trope.”
Where Evans and her team find the best vintage t-shirts: “You can always find amazing vintage t-shirts, but when you're looking for a specific [and scripted] one… Everyone got so excited when I found the [4 Non Blondes] one on a secondhand site. The whole department's cheering! I [shop] everywhere, from eBay to Etsy to Poshmark. Vancouver, where we filmed, has a ton of amazing vintage and resale stores. I did 90% of my shopping for [‘Laid’] at the resale stores in Vancouver. Their resale stores are fantastic — super high-end to pieces that you missed in Zara from four seasons ago.”
Evans’ favorite ‘90s bands: “I definitely am a person who loved Pearl Jam. Just that whole time period. Remember the movie Singles? It's that moment of time when all those bands were coming out and that movie, there's just something about it that just feels so good. There's just a tiny thread of that vibe in ‘Laid.’”
All episodes of ‘Laid’ are streaming on Peacock.
Mötley Crüe on ‘Hysteria!’
The set-up: In creator Matthew Scott Kane’s ‘80s-set high school horror-comedy, outcast and marketing savant Dylan (Emjay Anthony) leverages the Satanic Panic to increase the clout of his heavy metal band — and his own popularity. Murder and mayhem are also afoot in his small Michigan town, but Dylan’s too distracted by his budding romance with mini-Morgan Fairchild döppelgänger Judith (Jessica Treska). He’s also swapped out his regular dude plaids for a Mötley Crüe “Girls Girls Girls” raglan shirt that I want costume designer Debra McGuire, who also did “Friends” and “Freaks and Geeks,” to give me.
The story behind the t-shirt from Kane and McGuire: “Mötley Crüe was one of the more mainstream acts that adopted Satanic imagery, and did so very clearly just to sell records. So, any opportunity to have them represented in the show felt like a no-brainer to me, as they were doing the same gimmick that [the show’s] kids were doing, just on a much larger stage. In terms of that exact shirt — that was just too great of a find by assistant costume designer Erika Arnold to turn down. It was an incredible vintage shirt, and it fit Dylan's girl-crazy arc in the episode like a glove.” — Kane
“This is symbolic of Dylan’s ‘coming out’ so to speak… not just to impress Judith. He is not a communicator, so this is his means of self-expression. He wants to be cool. He wants to be noticed. Erika was inspired to find the perfect t-shirt, which she did. She gets all the credit for this!” — McGuire
Where McGuire and her team find the best vintage t-shirts: “We searched the internet and all the Atlanta and Athens, Georgia thrift stores. Atlanta and Athens have numerous amazing vintage stores. We scoured them all! Also, deep dive into the internet, as well as seek out collectors, like Wyco vintage.
McGuire’s favorite retro songs: “[‘80s hair metal] is not my genre though I appreciate all music and their historic significance. I was a hippie…’60s, ‘70s folk, rock, and classical.”
All episodes of ‘Hysteria’ are streaming on Peacock.
Pat Benatar in Twisters
The set-up: After an extreme setback during an unprecedented tornado season, meteorology expert and stormchaser Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), still reeling from a past trauma, finds solace at her mother Cathy’s (Maura Tierney) Oklahoma farm. There, she finds new inspiration and confidence to complete her dormant research that could help prevent future deaths and devastation. She also borrows Cathy’s old Pat Benatar 1980 ‘Crimes of Passion’ tour t-shirt, courtesy of costume designer Eunice Jera Lee, who also did the Gen Z comedy Bottoms.
The story behind the t-shirt from Lee: “When she eventually makes her way back to her mother's farm upon the destruction of the previous tornado, all of her belongings had been ripped away from her. Kate has to retreat back into a world that she has estranged herself from. Enter: Pat Benatar. In my mind, Kate wears an old band shirt that Cathy had purchased while attending one of her concerts. Pat's shirt represents liberation, female empowerment, and a way to visually portray both Kate and Cathy’s agency in the film. Pat is such a badass musician and her work has always resounded as a sort of feminist anthem. In Kate's low moment, I wanted the audience to see what stock she came from. It was my way of letting the audience know she was going to be all right.”
Where Lee and her team find the best vintage t-shirts: “The shirt was an Etsy haul. Another great spot is The Vintage Underground in Boston, The World of Vintage T-Shirts in LA, but you can get really lucky at a flea market or any thrift store.”
Lee’s favorite Pat Benatar song: ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot,’ of course! ‘Knock me down, it's all in vain// I get right back on my feet again…’ I don't think there's a line that describes most women I know or Kate Carter better than that.”
Twisters is streaming on Peacock, and available to rent on Prime and Apple TV+.
The above interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
We are two Gen X journalists who analyze all the '80s and '90s nostalgia in current pop culture, fashion, and beauty. Read more stories like this one here!
You Oughta Know
Pardon me, I just PASSED OUT watching Pedro Pascal do the Harris Dickinson Babygirl dance to “Father Figure.” As I portended a week earlier in our December holiday recommendation list, Harris grooving to the 1987 George Michael hit is “the new Saltburn’s ‘Murder on the Dancefloor,’” according to Casey Lewis’ After School. [Indiewire/Instagram]
Speaking of Babygirl, and please excuse the self-promo, I interviewed the movie’s costume designers Kurt and Bart about how Nicole Kidman’s neutral palette, plush cashmere coats, silky blouses, and that hot, hot Zuhair Murad sapphire gown telegraph power and control. Plus, the duo googled “interns on the subway” for Harris’ parka and Doc Martens. [Refinery29]
Actor Ron Livingston stops by Marc Maron’s podcast to shoot the shit about still wearing the nice suits Patricia Field let him take home after playing the infamous Jack Berger on “Sex and the City,” and comparing cringe-y publicity shoots to a “Tiger Beat photo.” (Deep cut!) He also has some Swingers and Office Space anecdotes. Maron’s very raw, honest, and heartfelt intro describing his emotionally-harrowing holidays grappling with his father’s worsening dementia, and just very Gen X-y (or “Boomer-Gen X cusp,” as he describes himself) life experiences may also resonate with some of you. It definitely did with me. [WTF With Marc Maron]
Vanity Fair considerately compiled its most anticipated movies of 2025, featuring some very X-er fare. WNVM icon Joan Chen, Bowen Yang, and Lily Gladstone star in a reimagining of 1993’s TheWedding Banquet and Oscar-winning leading man Ke Huy Quan has a Goonies reunion with Sean Astin in the action-rom-com, Love Hurts. And, Pedro steals hearts in the next Celine Song love triangle joint, Materialists, alongside Chris Evans and Don’s daughter, Dakota Johnson. [Vanity Fair]
Way to start 2025 with an amazing deep dive !! 😮🤩🙌👏👏👏
Oh wow, way to kick off with 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟reporting - this is an absolutely amazing feature, bravo 👏 👏 Fawnia on the brilliant 🕵️♀️ deep dive and interviews 😮 👏 and as ever to you BOTH for being the Gen X dynamic duo of the Stack!!! 🤩🤩 XO