Rookie

Because You Can

Glittery elevator boots looked great on the Runaways, but wear them in your day-to-day and you risk looking like you got lost on your way to the KISS convention. The Chloe boots worn here by Lulu give you those extra six inches of height you’ve been craving, or you can try Jeffrey Campbell’s version for like a tenth of the price.

Corkscrew curls are the unofficial hair of glam rock. If you’re not lucky enough to have natural curls, then a set of hot rollers is your new best friend. The curls will start out nice and springy like Chloe’s, and then devolve into loose waves over the course of a night (or two). You can also spray your curls with a cheap aerosol hairspray and then brush through them to get that poufy, frizzy Sonia Rykiel texture. (Make sure you use cheap hairspray for this! The expensive kind is made to brush out cleanly and you won’t get the same volume. I use Aqua Net because my mom told me that in the ’60s it was the bad girls’ hairspray of choice.) As for Patti Smith’s hairdo, all she needed for that was a pair of cheap kitchen scissors and a photo of Keith Richards.

Fur—vintage or fake—can be the ultimate in glamour, but go too gigantic or too brightly colored and suddenly you’re coming over all Muppet. Stick to black or white for subtlety’s sake, and if a whole coat is a bit much, then look for a simple fur stole at antique stores and church sales—that’s where I found the Mongolian lamb scarf I’m wearing above. It’s the warmest, softest thing I’ve ever owned and it makes me feel like Penny Lane.

Stars. Stars are good. Buy star barrettes and wear them in your hair, buy gold star stickers and stick them on your face, look for stars on sweaters and skirts, or take a tip from Frida and use liquid eyeliner to draw tiny little stars just under your eyes, with little to no other makeup. Perfect.

I love the idea of dressing down those hottest of all pants—that’s right, I’m talking about HOT PANTS. Girls in New York wear theirs year round with tights, tucked-in T-shirts, and lace-up boots. Etsy has tons of sellers who specialize in deadstock ’70s clothes, so try searching there first—deals do come up if you’re patient. I found the star jorts I’m wearing above for 10 bucks, completely unworn, and I can’t go anywhere without people offering to buy them right off my butt.

Glam makeup was dramatic and darkly colorful: brick-colored lips, olive eye shadows, huge fake lashes, a striking sweep of fuchsia over the cheekbones. It’s a great look, but it might be a bit much for math class, you know? Luckily you can still get elements of the look in a subtle way: a dramatic dark lip (try Scarlet Empress by NARS or Penelope’s Red by L’Oreal), two layers of a good, deep inky black mascara (Phenomen’Eyes by Givenchy is amazing!), and a tiny little smattering of glitter on your cheeks in lieu of blush and you’re done. ♦