Last year we did our best to extract fashion inspiration from 3 of our favorite Christmas films: Home Alone, The Holiday, and The Santa Clause.

It was such a fun exercise in revisiting movies we watch every year with a more discerning eye — honing in on the details of not only the best fashion those movies have to offer, but also unpacking why so much of it works and then translating it to specific products you could buy to replicate each look.

Today, Christmas Eve of all days, we’re revisiting what may be the best fashion Christmas movie ever made, which incidentally may be (in our opinion) the best New York Christmas movie, to boot.

Miracle on 34th Street (1994) revisits the oft-remade classic tale of Kris Kringle: a mysterious and jolly gentleman who finds himself becoming the star Santa Claus of a Macy’s-adjacent department store one Christmas season. He’s hired by the jaded Dorey Walker, who acts as head of programs for the store. Dorey’s past relationship has left her hyper-guarded and clinging to logic and truth, which precludes her from being able to embrace any concept of the very mythical figure she’s hired.

Her daughter, Susan, shares her mother’s cynical nature and is a doubter from the moment she meets Mr. Kringle. Bryan Bedford — an attorney, Dorey’s boyfriend, great cook, and overall good guy — is determined to chip away at the Walker’s walls, constantly pursuing Dorey while also encouraging Susan to give Santa chance. After a pull of Kringle’s beard and a handful of magical moments, Susan becomes convinced of his identity as the one true Santa Claus. Ultimately, she asks Santa for three insanely out-of-pocket things (we’ll get to those in a bit)…

From there, things get weird as a money hungry discount store exec and a booze-hound Santa team up to bring down our protagonists. After the villains incite a violent moment and prey on Kringle’s just nature, his sanity is called into question. What follows is a courtroom Christmas drama for the ages as Bedford — whose marriage proposal had just been rejected by Dorey — defends the veracity of Kringle’s identity as Santa Claus.

Spoiler alert (it’s been 30 years, get it together): With the eyes of New York City watching, Kringle is eventually recognized to be the one true Santa Claus by the presiding judge. What’s more? Santa grants Susan her wild wishes and melts Dorey’s heart of stone. In the end, we find the Walkers in a new home (curtesy of the big man himself) with Bryan, who is now Susan’s father and Dorey’s husband.

The film closes with the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Bedford being made aware that their next gift won’t be coming on Christmas, but rather 9 months from now, because our little wildcard, Susan, asked for a dad, a baby, and a house for Christmas — and we can only assume she got all three. (WHAT?)

Still, rather than dwell on rather the ending to this movie is too absurd or not, we’d rather talk about the big coats and peak lapels that make this movie excellent in so many ways.

This year, we’re going to run through each character’s best looks, each dripping with layered-up, woolen draped inspiration for the cold months ahead.

Dorey Walker

Ah, Dorey, our monochromatic momma. There’s not a single moment in this movie where she isn’t 100% dressed to the nines and dripping with the swagger and melancholy of your childhood best friends older sister who just picked up smoking.

She oscillates effortlessly between moments of great compassion and downright obstinance that quietly reveal her inner struggle. It makes sense in some ways that we’d find her often dripped out most often in outfits full of just one color.

Early in the movie, we generally see Ms. Walker donning the darkest shade of blue you’ve ever seen in your life. So dark I’m not even sure we can call it navy. I’m sure Saint Laurent, or Armani, or Dior, or whatever brand she’s wearing calls it “Midnight“.

There’s something sort of cynical and rigid about always dressing in one color, which is perfect for this character. It conveys a sense of order, organization and distaste for giving too much thought to the frivolous aspects of life. It’s also quintessentially 90s NYC.

Here (above and below) she’s swathed in layers of deep, dark green, with some variations of shades that work perfectly together. This is how you layer monochrome looks: textures, slight variations of colors and fabrics, and details like a (generally superfluous) scarf to make things feel intentional — you’re not wearing all of one color because it’s easy, you’re doing something on purpose.

This is a better look at the same outfit: a double-breasted coat over a light scarf with her signature business attire underneath. It’s fitting — whether intentional or not, I don’t know — that her apartment is all the same greyish-green hue throughout. It’s also gorgeous and extremely classy, as you’d expect.

Here we see Dorey in one of the tastiest brown colors you’ve ever seen. Every brand tries their hand at creating this shade of chocolatey, caramel goodness, with few being able to nail it.

The way she once again layers one color with just the faintest accent of white to make it not feel overdone is a masterclass in subtly and intention.

As Dorey’s heart softens towards both her do-it-all attorney situationship and Santa Claus, she throws her best ‘fit of the movie. She appears to be donning a beige pants suit (the color is excellent even if the suit is not as relevant) and white blouse, but the real star of the show is the massive, glorious, street-sweeping tobacco tan coat draped all over her. Unable to depart too far from her monochromatic disposition, she’s appropriately clutching her cognac gloves and has a matching crossbody bag to bring everything together.

No wonder Bryan was babysitting her kid and doing pro bono work while also working 60-80 hours a week.

Did we mention she knows how to lounge, too? Elegant.

Our big takeaways from our time observing the newly married Mrs. Bedford are:

1. Monochromatic looks can be extremely cool, if you use variations of textures and shades within them while occasionally using a small pop of white to help guide the waves of color towards shore.
   
2. If you’re going for subtle and strong looks like hers, your accessories should either fall in line with the monochrome or steal the show on their own. They’re meant to add to the drama, whether by solidifying the “oh you’re going for it” of it all, or by downright obfuscating the monochrome altogether.

Susan Walker

We won’t spend a ton of time on Dorey’s daughter here, even if she is a scene stealer throughout the film. Much of her looks are the platonic ideal of how a little girl could dress — especially in Manhattan at Christmastime.

Her whole look feels grown up, yet youthful, which once again fits her persona. She clearly idolizes her mom and wants to share in her monochromatic view of the world, but she can’t help but wonder if there’s some magic to be found.

This black watch plaid number may be our favorite look of the movie for her, with the headband and details on the dress bringing it all home.

I don’t know that there’s a lot to learn from Susan in this movie apart from maybe getting bangs if you’re going on a similar coming-of-age-at-Christmas-time journey.

Bryan Bedford

He cooks, he babysits, he practices law, he defends the innocent, and he believes in Santa? What can’t this man do? (Other than pick up on Dorey’s very clear signals that she doesn’t want to marry him.)

THIS is a knit, and Bedford wears it with ease. The problem here is that not many brands make sweaters that fit like this anymore — at least not for an affordable price point. And even if they did, I’m not sure most men can pull it off. A vibe, it certainly is, though.

The three button suit, the broad-shouldered polo coat… this is as 90s as it gets.

This is where the details shine in Bryan’s style. The striped shirt and striped tie that matches his suspenders (!) and brown leather watch strap for what looks to be sort some of tank. The tie clip is functional yet downright classy and matches the details on his other accessories. Mixing metals and/or leathers is totally acceptable, but him choosing to make everything here match just works really well and adds an extra attention to detail to what would otherwise serve as a simple look.

Bedford brings things home and ties the knot in his own monochromatic look, with yet another long coat that hits at just the right point — ideally, at or below the knees.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what we can learn from Bryan Bedford’s style in this film. Should we dress this way if we’re not an attorney in 1994? Is it possible to look this good in a double breasted suit if you’re not Dylan McDermott?

The main two pieces of inspiration we picked up on were simple, yet powerful:

1. The details matter. Give a bit of thought to the shades of colors you’re wearing, the make up of the material, the accessories you’re wearing, and especially how they’re cut to fit. Each of these details are the things that make the difference between what you see here and throwing on a less thoughtful facsimile of the same look. Wear your clothes with intention, and you’ll see the big picture come together much like Bedford’s ‘fits do.
   
2. Not to reiterate something we just touched on, but the fit and cut of Bryan’s clothes are really dialed into how they should fit his specific frame. This is extremely important, because most clothes aren’t really cut to fit most guys these days.
   
   It’s not about slim or baggy — these are trends that come and go and come back again. It’s about wearing clothes that fit your body.
   
   We’re not talking about flattering vs unflattering (because sometimes, that doesn’t matter). We’re talking about a fit that sets apart an excellent getup from one that falls flat.
   
   His dress shirts aren’t slim, but they aren’t billowy, his sweater isn’t baggy, but it isn’t a muscle top either. No, we’re aren’t all built like him, but anyone can look good in clothes that fit them right.
   
   The easiest solution we can think of is to find a tailor who can help you dial in your favorite clothes and make them fit right. Hem, taper, and let out stuff until it fits you right. The extra $10-$20 is absolutely worth it if you end up loving a piece and wearing it a long time.

Kris Kringle

There’s not a lot to be said about Mr. Claus himself, as he pretty much rocks some variation this outfit the entire movie. Our takeaway? Finding a uniform and sticking to it can be an excellent formula for getting dressed every day. We like to experiment with different looks far too much to be able to happily commit to this life, but there’s undoubtedly a ton of value in finding what works for you and rolling with it for the long haul.

New York City

Every time I watch this movie, I’m struck by how much of a love letter to Manhattan at Christmastime. There’s no monologues about how beautiful the city is, no loud over-romanticization, but the way the city is shot says it all. It’s beautiful, and dreamy, and it drips with all the best things about our favorite city when it’s at its best. It truly is it’s own character.

The House

Finally, we have the house. As things go, once you become a family, it’s natural to settle down outside the city and escape the hustle and bustle — at least when you’re off the clock. Santa’s third and final gift to the Walkers and Bedfords is a dream home in the countryside (the exact location of which we’re not told). Once again, the home serves as its own character, replacing monochrome greyish green walls with deep reds and maximalist/traditional interiors. It’s a homey, cozy little dream.

Miracle on 34th Street (94) is very much a movie of it’s time. The styles feel quintessentially 90s in so many ways that feel nostalgic and likewise somewhat outdated. Still, if you look closely and dig a little deeper, you can find details and ideas that spur very relevant inspiration today and for the future!