This ‘Tastefully Tacky’ New Brand Is for the Pop Culture-Obsessed

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Finally, a brand specifically engineered for that one friend who quotes obscure trash cinema and attends midnight screenings of Showgirls: Female Trouble, a line of apparel, jewelry, and home goods that describes itself as “if Valley of the Dolls had a problematic lifestyle brand.”

Launched today, Female Trouble is the brainchild of former editor Chelsea Fairless, who also co-runs the painstakingly detailed (and very hilarious) Instagram account @EveryOutfitOnSATC. “The line was born out of a desire to decorate my apartment, really,” she tells Racked, adding that the name is a partial reference to the 1974 John Waters film. “[It’s] very much rooted in a tongue-in-cheek, somewhat hedonistic worldview. It’s all about vices: sex, booze, and my personal favorite — pop culture addiction.”

Prices range from $30 to $325, and motifs include iconic tabloid imagery (the National Enquirer’s extremely shady Jean Seberg cover), cult films (The Eyes of Laura Mars), supporting actresses (Joan Cusack in The Addams Family), as well as illustrations inspired by the ’70s animated epic Fantastic Planet and nunsploitation film.

Below, Fairless explains the inspiration behind some of Female Trouble’s funniest pieces.

Photo: Gewet Tekle/Female Trouble

“I’ve always been obsessed with tabloids, specifically how unintentionally funny and cruel they often are. The late ’60s-era tabloid that the blanket references is certainly both of those things. And I’m a huge fan of Jean Seberg as well, so that cover always stuck with me. It seemed like a natural fit for the first collection.”

Photo: Gewet Tekle/Female Trouble

“I’m a huge fan of both Sylvia Plath and marijuana, so the graphic was a very organic synthesis of my interests. Plus, I’ve always been a huge fan of the Davida typeface, which was used on the cover of The Bell Jar. So I really just wanted an excuse to use that, to be honest.”

Photo: Female Trouble

“I’m always interested in underdogs. And supporting actresses never get the recognition that they deserve, even though they often upstage the leads. Joan Cusack is an absolutely brilliant actress, so she was a natural choice to launch the series of tees with Carly Jean Andrews.”

Find these three delightfully esoteric pieces and more here.