Beverly Hills, What a Thrill! Troop Beverly Hills Is 30 and We're Still Obsessed With Its Outrageous & Fierce Fashion

By Johnni Macke Mar 24, 2019 3:00 PMTags
FEB. 18, 2024
Troop Beverly Hills, Summer Camp MoviesGale Adler/Fries/Avanti/Weintraub/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Beverly Hills, what a thrill!

We all have those movies that hold a special place in our hearts and despite growing up we still love them, root for the heroines, and look back at them for style inspiration. That is what Troop Beverly Hills is to many of us, and that's why we can't believe that this iconic film is 30 years old.

Phyllis Nefler (Shelley Long) first graced the big screen as everyone's favorite out-of-touch Wilderness Girls troop leader on March 24, 1989 and boy has time flown by since then. Luckily for fans of the film, the storyline and the fashion in particular has stood the test of time and we are so grateful that it has.

Troop Beverly Hills tells the story of Phyllis, a soon-to-be divorced mom and socialite who lives the good life in Beverly Hills, California.

As her life is falling apart—her husband Freddy (Craig T. Nelson) is seeing a younger woman—she realizes that she needs to do something to keep herself busy, but what she does isn't exactly in her wheelhouse.

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Phyllis isn't the most street savvy woman, but to prove her self-worth she takes on the challenge of becoming the troop leader to her daughter Hannah's (Jenny Lewis) Wilderness Girls troop...Troop Beverly Hills.

Despite her husband's objections, due to the fact that she's not very outdoorsy, Phyllis rises to the challenge, bonds with her daughter and her equally sheltered and spoiled Beverly Hills troop mates and discovers a few things about herself along the way.

They make up their own patches—like the jewelry appraisal patch and the gardening with glamour patch—stay at The Beverly Hills Hotel after a bad camping debacle, and dance on Rodeo Drive to sell cookies. All of this makes them a laughing stock to the other troops, but as fans it just made us want to be a part of their squad that much more.

Throughout it all Phyllis leads by example with her positive attitude and can-do spirit, which is totally refreshing. Oh, and she slays the style game all movie long too.

Moviestore/Shutterstock

In fact, 30 years later one of the most memorable things about this film, besides the "It's Cookie Time" song they sing and the ultimate face-off against the Red Feathers troop, is the fashion.

Whether its tweaking her troop leader khaki uniform to resemble a sailor's uniform while having an epic patches ceremony on a yacht, or donning a fashionable cape over her khaki wardrobe to raise money for her girls, Phyllis is a fashion-forward woman that we can't help but love.

She's basically the Carrie Bradshaw of the '80s, because while she is never afraid to take a fashion risk, some of her looks go a little too far.

Remember her pastel pink and purple dress she wore when she accidentally fell in the pool? There were white gloves to go with it!

Plus, there was the time she rocked a green, velvet frock and pillbox hat to her divorce court hearing, which was totally out of place for the event, but so fashionable and fierce.

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Phyllis was ahead of her time with some of her ensemble choices while others were so '80s it hurt.

In honor of Troop Beverly Hills turning 30 today, we took a trip down fashion memory lane and picked our favorite looks from the film for you to reminisce about below.

Some are totally outrageous, but there are also dresses that we would steal in a heartbeat. They were the girls from Beverly Hills and shopping was their greatest skill, so ya, the fashion was on point!

Check out all of the memorable looks below and then vote for the one you still love after all these years. 

All that's left to do now is to grab your girls, sing "Kumbaya My Lord" together and get ready for cookie time, cookie time!

Wilderness Woman

Yaaas, we love this Phyllis Nefler (Shelley Long) look. She manages to rock a Wilderness Girl troop leader outfit but makes it fashion. The pant shape, booties, hat and fitted blazer are so chic it hurts.

Zebra Print Perfection

Most people rock cheetah or leopard print, but not Phyllis. She is all about the zebra and we salute her.

Athleisure All Stars

Vintage sweatshirts are in, so yes, we would wear these Wilderness Girls oversize sweatshirts in a heartbeat.

Red, White & Black

This is one of Phyllis' more tame ensembles and what we love about it most is how pretty the dress print is and how the big belt and hair bow tie it all together.

Pink Lady

What, you don't have a silk nightie and matching fur-adorned robe that you wear around the house? Well, we feel sorry for you because this number is fierce.

Polka Dot Pretty

This look is so chic and we can barely handle it. Mixing polka dots and adding in a pop of red is both modern and timeless.

'80s Art Print

Going bold with funky prints is always a fun idea, so why not rock a shirt with bowling pins on it?

Sailor Chic

Leave it to Phyllis to take a heinous Wilderness Girl uniform and make it nautical. The best part about this specific khaki outfit is the high-waisted pant with green buttons.

Green Goddess

The hat is a little much, but we love a good emerald frock for a winter wedding and we will be channeling this Troop Beverly Hills look when winter hits.

Red Hot

Peplum dresses are back and we'd be lying if we said we wouldn't wear a polka dot version like this.

Not-So-Mellow Yellow

While this is definitely one of Phyllis' most outrageous numbers it screams spring with the color palette and we love it. It's the perfect inspiration for an afternoon tea or over-the-top birthday bash.

Cape Queen

All we can say is cape, cape, cape! Come on, this cape is gorgeous and we want it ASAP.

Pastels, Please

This movie was made in the '80s, so pastels were a must...even if the dress itself was way too puffy. 

Turquoise Time

Even though we can't get past the Village People vibes we're getting with this headdress, we have been coveting the turquoise necklace since 1989.

Birds of a Feather

Take off the avant garde bird on the shoulder of this blazer-style top and we'd wear this to a business meeting anytime. 

Color Pop

We know these outfits look more like '80s prom costumes, but we just love all of the colors. Next Halloween we will be looking to the Beverly Hills Wilderness Girls for costume ideas, that's for sure.

Poll

Troop Beverly Hills Style Poll

Which memorable Troop Beverly Hills outfit is your favorite?
Wilderness Woman khaki uniform
11.6%
Zebra print skirt and gloves
5%
Vintage sweatshirts
2.1%
Black printed dress with red accessories
2.6%
Pink nightie and matching robe
9.5%
Mix and match polka dots
3.7%
Bowling button-down shirt
1.1%
Sailor-inspired khaki troop leader outfit
7.1%
Green velvet frock and hat
6.3%
White and red polka dot peplum dress
8.7%
Yellow party dress
6.9%
Khaki and gold cape
17.9%
Pastel puffy dress
9.2%
Turquoise jewelry
2.6%
Bird-adorned shirt with pencil skirt
1.1%
Colorful collection of party dresses
4.5%