the spellbinding style of 'practical magic'
7 niche brands + keywords to source your dream 90s witch wardrobe.
Guys, it’s October! The best month of the year. I was strolling past the bakeries and shops on Piedmont Avenue today admiring the Halloween-themed window displays. I made a note to self to buy a warty orange pumpkin when they come in at Monterey Market.
I have a confession: I never watched Practical Magic, the cult-favorite 90s witch movie, until last year.
How is that possible, you ask? I don’t know, but growing up in an immigrant household in the 90s/00s often meant that your media diet was shaped by whatever DVDs your parents borrowed from Blockbuster and deemed PG enough for you to watch along. This had its perks (i.e. I was watching Wong Kar Wai movies in third grade).
But it also results in these random pop culture/media blanks that you get to fill in as an adult. Last fall, my little sister texted me saying she watched an old witch movie with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in it, and that I should really watch it. She knows my taste better than anyone, so I watched it the very next day and fell in love.
The story is about the bond between two witch sisters: Sally, a cautious earthy brunette (played by Bullock) who wants a quiet life running an herb shop in their hometown, and Gillian, a free-spirited boho redhead (Kidman, obvi) who lives a nomadic life on the road. When Gillian’s vampire-coded boyfriend becomes increasingly abusive, she calls Sally for help, forcing the sisters to reunite and confront the Owens family curse.
It’s a heartfelt movie about the resilience of the coven, literal and figurative. We’ll get to see the Owens sisters again in Practical Magic 2 (scheduled to come out next September), and I can’t wait!!
Practical Magic is an enduring classic fall movie because it has that grainy, quaint feel that you just want to crawl right into.
The immersive fictional world starts with the charming Owens house. As Alanna Bennett wrote for Buzzfeed:
Production designer Robin Standefer went above and beyond in creating Practical Magic’s visual language. The house is absolutely the most famous aspect of the film’s look: It stands big, white, and Victorian on a cliffside, high above the ocean and surrounded by greenery.1
Although the setting to meant to invoke a vague New England town feel, the actual house and set location was on Whidbey Island in Washington State. That’s right, Practical Magic is technically a Pacific Northwest movie.
The fashion is equally charming. The Owens sisters’ wardrobes showcase the creme de la creme of simple, everyday 90s styles.
Light blue Levi’s, crochet tank tops, floral print skirts, cardigans, flirty lace slips—basic pieces that pre-date the modern monikers like “cottagecore” and “whimsigoth.” Even when they were wearing designer pieces, it was always dressed down with free flowing hair, a loose cable knit cardigan, and puttering about with a copper kettle in hand.
The best way to live the Owens sister lifestyle is probably to open an herbal apothecary in Sonoma or whatever. But realistically, most of us are trying to get our 90s witch fix by enjoying a seasonal latte in a vintage silk slip and some boots.
Here are the 7 major fashion moments in Practical Magic. I’ve identified the brand/designer of the item *whenever possible*, and included links to similar secondhand styles so you have ideas for what to search on your own!
1). Floral Print Slip Dress
Sally’s rose print black lace trim slip dress is from Collette Dinnigan, an Australian designer. The designs are quintessentially 90s, similar to Betsey Johnson and Anna Sui.
Not a dress, but this Collette Dinnigan floral embroidery skirt should go to someone who has mastered the art of styling sheer pieces. A perfect whimsigoth piece, in my opinion!
If you’re stuck on the dark rose print, I love the V shapes in this 90s silk beaded red floral slip dress. I kind of want to buy this but it might be too small…
I stumbled on this crinkly-glossy texture floral dress and think it’s so romantic, like if a dress could blush this is what it would look like.
Another rose print silk slip from Betsey Johnson.
2). Printed Maxi Skirts
What makes these skirts distinctly 90s is the straight (not too flared) maxi cut and a soft cotton-y look, like they’ve been worn and washed a lot. The Owens sisters wear them with simple tank tops and v-neck tees.
Here’s a beige one that looks like Gillian’s.
Another pretty cotton brownish-orange skirt with a sweet bell hem.
A gorgeous cotton-silk blend skirt from Ungaro with decorative seams down the front.
This is like a black version of Sally’s floral skirt.
I love the diamond patchwork!
3) Herb Lady Printed Set
This is my FAVORITE Sally outfit—the green!!! It’s a cardigan and dress set from