Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Romantic comedies are usually not my cup of tea. I roll my eyes at the improbable plots and how easily characters fall in love in these stories. Such rom-com tropes live on in Netflix’s To All The Boys trilogy: the protagonist Lara Jean Covey ends up dating the school’s hottest guy Peter Kavinsky, just because he accidentally received her love letter. Of course, there are complications, like Peter’s current girlfriend Gen Mitchell. This situation isn’t something I can relate to, but the movies’ aesthetics intrigued me and made me fall in love with the series.
Born to an American dad and a Korean mom, Lara Jean has an eye for cute fashion with occasional K-pop flair. Read on to see her style evolution throughout the series!
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
1. Mushini – Short-Sleeve Rainbow Striped T-Shirt | 2. Green Isle – Heart Locket Necklace | 3. Dute – Plaid Shirt | 4. Shitamori – Heart Print Bomber Jacket | 5. chuu – -5kg Rose Edition Skinny Jeans vol.6 | 6. Velocia – Mini Faux Leather Backpack | 7. Freesia – Lace-Up Platform Short Boots | 8. Foxlyre – Floral Print Scrunchie
Lara Jean dresses like an average 16-year-old, wearing trendy high-school-appropriate items such as a floral-embroidered bomber jacket, a fabric choker, a mini backpack, combat boots, two-tone platform oxfords and skinny jeans (with back pockets!). She also has the insight to wear the now-trending rainbow-striped top. Her scrunchie – and maybe her tie-waist flannel shirts – takes reference from the 1989 film Heathers. Some of her pieces, like tie-front blouses and contrast-collar dresses, are potentially inspired by K-fashion.
To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)
1. Angel Bridal – Tie-Shoulder Lace Panel Evening Gown | 2. Noverkski – Alloy Bow Earrings | 3. Leoom – Short-Sleeve Dotted Mini A-Line Dress | 4. DIYI – Plain V-Neck Cable-Knit Vest | 5. Miss Floral – Printed Fabric Headband | 6. Chelstin – High-Waist Tweed Shorts | 7. Nisen – Owl Aromatherapy Locket Necklace | 8. OrangeBear – Dotted Print Tie-Waist Shirtdress
Lara Jean’s furniture has an obvious wedding-worthy Tiffany blue and Barbie pink color scheme, and these colors become dominant in her attire in the second movie. There’s a Tiffany blue tiered evening gown, a Tiffany blue short-sleeve tie-front chiffon blouse, a turquoise top, a shoulder-barring turquoise dress, a pink blouse and a frilly baby pink sweatshirt that she wears with a light blue apron. Even her hanbok is in turquoise. I love turquoise! What also delights me is the addition of plenty of yellow in her looks, including a yellow knit vest, a yellow hair band/tie, a vertical-stripe short-sleeve shirt and, of course, her “cheerleader” outfit for Peter. It’s as if she knew that yellow would become Pantone’s Color of the Year 2021!
Our protagonist wears more dresses, polka dots and tweed pieces than before, which makes her look more mature. I disapprove of the red shift dress for her first date – the bows on the shoulders amplify her apple-shaped figure. However, I adore the heart-print shirtdress she wears on Valentine’s Day. On a side note, the locket given by Peter is too big for my liking, though I understand that Valentine’s gifts are usually a little extra.
To All The Boys: Always and Forever (2021)
1. Sayaka – Cartoon Print Dotted Socks | 2. Angel Bridal – V-Neck Lace-Panel Evening Gown | 3. Vixated – Plain Bow Scrunchie | 4. Heynew – Short-Sleeve Floral Print Midi Shirtdress | 5. Butterfae – Cold-Shoulder Midi Prom Dress | 6. Sisyphi – Pink Denim Mini Skirt | 7. MARTUCCI – Wedge-Heel Platform Sandals | 8. Satomi – Plain Lace Up Sneakers
Lara Jean still wears a lot of her favorite colors (hot pink, turquoise and yellow), which suits her trip to Korea as the colors give off hanbok vibes when combined. As a sign of adulthood, she wears more muted versions of these colors and mostly in monochrome.
Another obvious change is Lara Jean’s willingness to show off her curves. Both her heavily embroidered dusty pink prom dress and Prussian blue bridesmaid dress show off cleavage. She also wears more bodycon pieces and outfits with a sweetheart neckline. Nonetheless, a cute side of her remains as seen in her matching bowling shirt and shoes with Peter, the cartoon socks she buys for Peter, and her Gen-approved jelly sandals.
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