In honor of Tiffani Thiessen’s birthday, a look at the Kelly Kapowski outfits we all desperately wanted
Happy Birthday to Tiffani Thiessen! As Saved by the Bell’s lovable girl-next-door Kelly Kapowski, she instantly won Zack Morris’ heart . . . as well as the hearts of basically everyone else in America. The girls of Bayside High all had some pretty slammin’ style, but Kelly was a true fashion icon. She worked ‘90s trends like no other, including eye-blinding fluorescent, big hair, and feathered bangs.
If you do a quick Google search for “Kelly Kapowski,” you’ll see a ton of girls nowadays mimicking her outfits, and not just on Halloween. Kelly’s influence on our closets was not just some passing trend. Who knew floral denim could be such a mesmerizing look? To celebrate our girl Tiffani we just wanted to take a quick stroll through some outfit memories. Who knows, maybe you’ll get inspired and take your style in a whole new direction next month. Suspenders with crop tops? Yes please.
Suspenders are a tricky menswear accessory, but Kelly knew how to femme them up by wearing them over a frilly white bustier. And I’m sorry, but is that a fish-shaped doodle drawn on her thigh? Do you think she was daydreaming about goldfish crackers in class and accidentally sketched that li’l masterpiece? Only Kelly could get away with such a thing.
Is that what I think it is? A giant, oversized cardigan over a bra? This is EXACTLY what I want my new Netflix-watching outfit to be. Who else would have the finesse to pair something as sexy as a black bra with a huge grandpa cardigan? And there’s only one other person who can rock that gargantuan belt buckle, Selena Quintanilla.
There was one thing nobody could master quite like Miss Kapowski: INTENSE MATCHING. We all covet our twin sets these days, but Kelly had the best coordination going. Floral print shorts, a matching bustier, and the jaw-dropper: a white denim jacket with sleeves that match the print on the other pieces. H&M, please get on this, THANK YOU.
When the gang went to college, Kelly definitely did not lose any of her badassical fashion sense. You might even say she got better. IF THAT’S EVEN POSSIBLE. This denim shorts, fishnets, crop top, and choker combo? It’s just the right amount of bad-girl goth. It actually looks like something I wore the other day . . .
Look at this chambray goddess. Don’t tell me you don’t want that top to be part of your spring 2015 wardrobe?! I won’t pressure you into the Niagara Falls bangs, but I also won’t hate it if you go for it. In fact, I’d send you a gold trophy for going above and beyond in your Kelly Kapowski fashion fandom.
No silhouette will ever fail whilst draped on one Kelly Kapowski. Take a gander at this super cute, off-the-shoulder peach blouse. It’s cute and flirty, just like me. I’m going to have to add it to my shopping wish list.
Even when Kelly dresses like a leather-clad, motorcycle momma she pulls it off. What can’t she do!?
Something as simple as a cozy sweater instantly becomes a statement piece on The KaPOWski. These giant polkadots are killer.
The moral of this story is that Kelly took RISKS. She wore what she felt moved to wear and looked like a QUEEN doing it. Let Kelly’s classy confidence guide your outfit choices. She wore it all, you should too.
