How fashion in ‘The Craft: Legacy’ compares to the original ’90s film

• “The Craft: Legacy,” a spin-off of the cult-classic movie from 1996, follows a group of four high school friends who are aspiring witches.
• Insider spoke with costume designer Avery Plewes about how she drew inspiration from ’90s styles like tie-dye, patent-leather jackets, and choker necklaces.
• Plewes also differentiated “The Craft: Legacy” from the original movie, giving each character their own color palette and mixing masculine and feminine silhouettes.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Fans of the 1996 movie “The Craft” can relive the cult-classic story and get in the Halloween spirit with “The Craft: Legacy,” a new spin-off that centers on some of the same themes, like sisterhood and a hint of witchery.

The reboot tells the story of Lily (Cailee Spaeny), a high schooler who moves to a new town and finds herself among a new group of friends who are united by their witch-like powers: Tabby (Lovie Simone), Frankie (Gideon Adlon), and Lourdes (Zoey Luna).

Together, the friends form “the coven,” navigating seemingly regular teenage lives by day, and spending their free time practicing magic from a special book of spells.

But the storyline isn’t the only aspect that pays homage to the original movie.

Avery Plewes, the costume designer for “The Craft: Legacy,” told Insider that she looked to ’90s fashion elements from “The Craft” as inspiration for the new characters.

At the same time, she wanted to make the new characters’ wardrobes feel fresh — not a complete dupe of the ’90s film.

“A lot of the elements from the original were sort of a blueprint with certain pieces,” Plewes said.

“I didn’t think there was a way that we could re-create the costumes from ‘The Craft,'” she continued. “I think the new film wouldn’t have had integrity if it just tried to mimic the wardrobes, but we agreed that there should be moments of paying respect and homage to the fashion from the original.”

For example, the new movie’s characters, Tabby and Lily, wear lots of tie-dye — a style that Plewes pointed to as a nod to the ’90s, but also one that’s “very trendy right now.”

One difference between the two storylines is that in the 1996 film, the four friends wear prep school uniforms that include dress shirts and plaid skirts.

In “The Craft: Legacy,” the coven members aren’t bound by traditional dress-code requirements, but Plewes intentionally sprinkled in some of the accessories from the original movie, which the ’90s characters used to dress up their uniforms.

For example, Plewes said she loved the style of Nancy (Fairuza Balk), whose signature look included tons of layered necklaces. 

“Lily wears chokers and lace-up boots like Nancy in the original,” Plewes said. “And Tabby wears a lot of jewelry and is sort of adorned in it the same way Nancy was.”

Plewes added that Nancy’s leather jacket from “The Craft” also inspired some of the outerwear used in the reboot.

“There are so many elements from her closet in the original that withstand the test of time,” Plewes said of Nancy’s wardrobe. “Her patent-leather jacket in the original is something that doesn’t go out of style, and in the new movie, Lourdes wears a lot of patent leather, which is kind of an homage to the original.”

In addition to incorporating hints of nostalgic prints, textures, and accessories, Plewes left her mark on “The Craft: Legacy” by giving the new characters’ wardrobes modern updates and punches of color.

For example, Plewes assigned each coven member their own color palette inspired by crystals and the natural elements of earth, air, fire, and water.

She also intentionally mixed masculine and feminine silhouettes to reflect — and celebrate — what she described as teens’ multifaceted personalities.

“We wanted a way to make each girl really distinct in their own style, but also mix feminine and masculine silhouettes for each, because young girls’ characters are multidimensional,” Plewes said. “Growing up, you often find yourself through your clothing, and in doing that, you explore different parts of yourself.”

For more style inspiration, fans can watch “The Craft: Legacy,” which is available on demand.