If You’ve Mildly Wanted To Dress Like Annie In Father Of The Bride, Here Are The Exact Pieces To Achieve That Goal
“Velcome to the nineties, Mr. Bonks!”
Image: Father of the Bride | Touchstone Pictures
by The Candidly Team
Ok, usually, fashion-wise, when Diane Keaton is on the screen, we’re looking at Diane Keaton.
But there is one movie with one character who stood beside Diane and low-key had all the clothes we wanted
And she was, of course, Mrs. Annie Banks-Mackenzie from Father of the Bride.
No seriously.
Watch the movie (probably for the 57th time), and you’ll notice that Annie had the best of classic, sophisticated 90s style … with a touch of prep and a dash of sporty-chic. She mixed elegance with cuteness (the ideal duo if you ask us). Her closet was kind of like the iconic FOTB house (or any kitchen in a Nancy Meyers movie) in that her clothes were enviable and timeless, pretty and polished. In fact, they’re still how we want to dress right now.
And so we shall.
Here are the 16 pieces that will give you your own Annie Banks wardrobe, along with the reasons why all of it works.
Images: Father of the Bride | Touchstone Pictures
THE CLASSIC LITTLE BLACK DRESS LOOK
The Shift Dress
Quince Italian Wool Sleeveless Dress
The first time we see Annie descend the staircase, she’s in her all-grown-up, Audrey Hepburn LBD and black heels. Shift dresses like this are so clever when they’re on the shorter side, because it means they don’t have to be too fitted to not look bland or frumpy. This one is stretchy and perfectly cut and shows enough leg to make it chic, chic, chic.
Price: $100
The Beautiful and Comfy Black Heels
We assume when you’re the daughter of a sneaker manufacturer, you don’t put anything on your feet that isn’t sublimely comfortable. And that includes your most gorgeous black heels. This shoe is bliss with its buttery leather, not-too-high block heel, and shape that makes all your clothes look 3X more expensive. Of course, they come from Margaux, the mecca for beautiful, artisanal shoes that are crafted in Spain, feel like clouds, and never, ever go out of style.
Price: $325
Though, at some point in the evening, they may get swapped out for these:
Image: Father of the Bride | Touchstone Pictures
The Sporty Sneaks
Then, again, there’s no substitute for the most comfortable (but still attractive) sneaks themselves. We feel like New Balance is the real-life version of the shoe brand Mr. Banks would have owned. And they’re so heavenly, we struggle not to reach for them every single day - whether or not a game of one-on-one is in the cards.
Price: $80
Images: Father of the Bride | Touchstone Pictures
2. The SEA OF stRIPES AND FLANNELS
The Chic Pinstripe Blazer
Madewell Relaxed Blazer in Pinstripe Linen Blend
A stripe makes everything more elevated. More classic. More luxe-looking. Madewell has done very, very well with the fit of this linen version. Note the button placement. This one is a win for your wardrobe.
Price: $238
The Perfect Oversized Button-Down
Gap Organic Cotton Oxford Big Shirt
We feel like Annie would have owned a lot of Gap in the 90s heyday of “The Gap.” But did you know Gap has entered into an all-new Golden age of late with designer Zac Posen at the helm and piece after piece of perfect, classic styles coming out. Take this spacious button-down with the cuff of our dreams, for example. It comes in multiple colors of stripe, though we are very much on board with Annie’s choice of red. We leave a few buttons unbuttoned at the top and tuck it into the jeans you’ll shortly see below. So easy. Yet, so “styled.”
Price: $55
The Soft Flannel You Keep Forever
Every classic capsule wardrobe needs at least one - just one - really great flannel. And a really great flannel should be soft and sort of luxe-looking on its own, but also layer over whispery tees and turtlenecks, so we can make our laid back, weekend looks just a little more refined. Faherty has mastered the flannel. Pick your fave plaid and you’re set for life.
Price: $149
Images: Father of the Bride | Touchstone Pictures
3. The MATCHING SUIT
The Pink Skirt Suit
J.Crew Tweed Lady Jacket and Skort
We realize a pink skirt suit is not for everyone, but for those of you (us!) who died for the one Annie wore to her first meeting with Franck the wedding planner, here is the modern equivalent. Naturally, it’s from J.Crew. And naturally, you can just get the jacket and wear it with long pants or jeans and still look just as smart and feminine.
Price: $268 for the jacket, $160 for the skort
The Finest Matching Pant Set
And for those who love the concept but can’t quite do matching pink, this is is the perfect set we know in our hearts Annie would have owned. You won’t believe how good it looks on curves by the way.
Price: $348
Images: Father of the Bride | Touchstone Pictures
4. THE CASJ WEAR THAT STILL SOMEHOW LOOKs COMPLETELY “PUT TOGETHER”
The Spacious Red Sweatshirt
Annie’s entire wardrobe is an example of how to use red correctly, starting with this perfect, oversized, 90s-fit sweatshirt. By the way, if you want to know why some sweatshirts are flattering and others aren’t, it’s that some use less puffy but equally soft material that doesn’t widen you, and they have a drop shoulder. This one has both. We recommend the red over a white turtleneck but any color you choose is bound to be your new favorite sweatshirt.
Price: $78
The Soft, Layerable Turtle
Quince Organic Cotton Micro-Rib Turtleneck
So airy and soft. Comes in an incredible size range and color selection and is almost always wildly on sale. Needless to say, it sells out a lot. So pounce!
Price: $25
The Flattering Relaxed Fit Jeans
Quince Bella Stretch Relaxed Straight Jeans
Classic to the bone. These are the best-feeling, most flattering, straight-leg jeans we have found in a long time (ever?!). And incidentally, they’re $50.
Price: $50
5. ThE SMART DRESSES AND SKIRt SETS
The Gingham Set For Springtime
Gap Linen-Blend Shell Tank Top and Mini Skort
Once again, when you go shorter in length, you youthify a sophisticated and not too tight skirt or dress. This set is all grown up with its black and white gingham. And it’s actually a skort, which sounds lame but you can’t tell and you never have to worry about bending over and showing your butt. Which is the primary reason we don’t do a short skirt, no? There is also a long skirt version we might like even better.
Price: $39.50 for the top, $60 for the skort, $70 for the maxi skirt
The New England Dress That’s Heaven Over Bellies
Tuckernuck Callahan Shirt Dress
Tuckernuck is another brand we think Annie would have been shopping. Everything is classic and sort of New England but with a unique twist that makes it special. Take this button-down turned, summery shift dress. It covers everything while having enough shape and leg showing to make you look longer and leaner. And it’s so chic with sandals or white sneaks.
Price: $148
The Plaid Skirt
The Lynk Plaid A-line Midi Skirt
We won’t go as school uniform as Annie’s with this skirt but we found one with just as much settle-by-the fireplace coze and the prettiest plaid print that matches 1000 tops in our closet. Plus, the price makes our head spin.
Price: $40
The Cashmere Turtleneck
Quince Lightweight Mongolian Cashmere Sweater
You would not be Annie Banks or any incredibly chic closet owner without a cashmere turtleneck. And Quince makes one in every color you could want at a price that wouldn’t make George Banks lose his s—-t in a grocery store.
Price: $60
The Ankle Socks That Make An Outfit
Bombas Women’s Lightweight Bow Quarter Socks
Before we say anything about the bow, which do we even need to say anything? Bombas makes the best, best, best socks. We didn’t know the comfort of our socks could make this much of a difference in our lives, but since we now know we’re not going back.
Price: $18
The Little White Sneaks You Wear With Skirts And Dresses
What better shoe to have those socks peak out from than these graceful white sneakers you can wear instead of ballet flats with all your daytime skirts and dresses?
And you can use the code THECANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: $139
Images from Netflix
6. THE SUPERBLY TAILORED WORK FIT
The Dream Work Pant
This character would have known where to buy the most skimming, leg-lengthening work pants. And we’ll tell you right now, it’s this pair from Aritzia.
Price: $148
The Best Blazer
Aritzia Babaton Standout Blazer
Ditto the perfect work blazer. That snatch at the waist. There’s nothing out there like it.
Price: $248
7. THE TIMELESS ACCESSORIES
The Pearl Strand: You can get the real thing HERE of course, but this faux one from J.Crew is just as lovely-looking for a great price.
The Gold Hoops: This Mejuri pair is perfection, again without a crazy price tag.
The Nice Headband: You have to see this one up close. It’s the only black headband you’ll ever need. And it will resolve 5,000 bad hair days in your lifetime.
BONUS: The WORKOUT ONESIE
The Best Version Of Maaaaybe The Most Remembered Look In FOTB History
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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