A Moment, Please, For Angela Bassett’s Style In This ’90s Rom-Com

It’s been 25 years since Stella Payne went to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to get her groove back, and while she definitely discovered some rhythm, a lot about the 1998 rom-com doesn’t hit as hard. First, there’s Regina King’s bob. Taye Diggs’ Jamaican accent. The ending. The plot. Every bit of dialogue that comes out of Stella’s son Quincy’s mouth. (Why was an 11-year-old speaking like he had a mortgage to pay?) Even Whoopi Goldberg identifying as a “big old ho slut” — actually no, let’s keep that one. Representation matters! But unlike many of the plot points, the fashion in the film holds up.

If you’re unfamiliar with How Stella Got Her Groove Back, based on Terry McMillan’s same-named bestselling book, first, do better. But the short and sweet of it is that the titular character, an uptight stockbroker (Angela Bassett), takes a much-needed girls trip to Jamaica and, against her better judgment, falls in love with a man half her age (Diggs). The film’s fashion comes courtesy of Academy Award–winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter. She, Angela Bassett, and Angela Bassett’s arms are a movie magic throuple made in heaven. With more than 60 costume changes for Stella alone, the film is both ripe with ’90s relics, like Susan Lazar’s sexy silhouettes, while simultaneously predicting some of today’s most popular trends — and, as it turns out, my entire closet (read: personality).

When the film premiered in 1998, the style embodied the minimalism of the decade’s working woman, with a nod to the brighter colors and maximalism that would come in the early 2000s. Fashion trends tend to re-emerge every 20 years, so it makes sense to see some of the movie’s most prominent looks making a comeback today. Even the white tank dress she sports on the poster art looks as though it could be pulled from Outdoor Voices — I’m pretty sure I have a tennis dress just like it.

We meet Stella as she’s running in slow motion at dawn. Her airy black-and-white Nike tracksuit is a mix of classic Princess Diana athleisure and Whitney Houston’s iconic outfit from when she invented the national anthem. I can confirm that every good lesbian has this look, but GQ put it best when they said earlier this year that the best suit is a ’90s tracksuit — even Hailey Bieber and Kim Kardashian have hopped on the trend.

At the office, Stella darts about shouting futile statements with big dollar signs and asking questions like, “You feel like making some money!?” The dialogue hits you over the head — this is a working woman! This is a girlboss! — and her clothing affirms it. Clad in a black turtleneck with her hair tightly pulled back, Stella Payne walked so Elizabeth Holmes could run, er, go to jail. Stella Payne ran so Harper from Industry could fly. Stella Payne flew so I could have a serious-seeming LinkedIn photo.

When Stella lands in Montego Bay, she and her best friend, Delilah Abraham (Goldberg), arrive at their hotel in cream sets that would put every coastal grandmother to shame. Neutrals are a staple in Stella’s closet, an off-hours alternative to her black workwear. Everything about her says she has disposable income and she’s not afraid to spend it. She’s serious about Banana Republic and she doesn’t play about Theory. And although I’m working on the disposable income element, 90% of my summer closet can be categorized as a Nancy Meyers beige or Folklore off-white. The brown crochet dress she wears in Jamaica is practically identical to the Paloma Wool one I wore to a concert at Elsewhere last week.

As best friends, Stella and Delilah’s styles perfectly contrast each other in a symmetry that could easily function as a Barbenheimer meme. When they’re working out on the beach — wearing wired headphones of course, as all it girls do — Stella stretches in a hot-pink bodycon set while Delilah half-heartedly mimics her in a boxy black T-shirt and printed biker shorts. There are two types of workout girls: the ones who wear colorful Lululemon matching sets and the ones who dress like Adam Sandler. If you wear both, you might be bisexual. (*Raises hand.*)

Stella’s color scheme changes once her romance ramps up, adding primary colors to her previously neutral palette. My two favorite looks are her multicolored, spotted Altuzarra-looking dress, which I would have immediately plucked from the closet of a girl who runs a Depop like it’s her full-time job, and a black leather bustier top paired with a thick jeweled choker, which mirrors my exact outfit for Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. Next to her, Diggs wears a mesh top and pinstripe blazer with a big silver choker that looks like something from Frank Ocean’s Homer. This couple would get stopped on the border of Bushwick and Bed Stuy, only to be asked if they’re looking for a third.

In Jamaica, there’s a youthful femininity and elevation to Stella’s wardrobe, which perfectly suits a present-day, 20-something cusper, a mashup of Gen Z attitude and freshly-minted millennial money. Her closet says basics are essentials, neutrals can be bold, and a pop of color might just get you your man.

And truly, Stella’s style has laid the groundwork for mine. She’s a woman with range. A coastal elite cool girl. A runner, a track star! And while I don’t identify as any of the above, and would refrain from dating a man who is still on his parent’s health insurance, a girl can at least get the look.