Twice in a Blue Moon: Oh, Spunky

Flannel: So, Kohl's; Skirt: Mudd, Kohl's; Boots: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Bag: Delia's

Tee: Self Esteem, Macy's

Gummy Bear Flair Necklace

Calling all '80s babies: The Punky Brewster reboot has landed on Peacock!  Although to be fair, Penelope "Punky" Brewster herself, a.k.a. Soleil Moon Frye, says that it's not so much a reboot as it is a continuation.  (I recently saw her on Kimmel and thought, hey, where have I heard that voice recently?  Oh yeah, from a rerun of Friends where that pint-sized brunette beat up on Joey!).  Because in the Peacock spin-off, America's favorite foster kid is all grown up with four kids of her own.  Two are adopted, and one is a foster kid who's a mini Punky, rocking the same scruffy-cute style, only with a blue hair streak and a beanie standing in for the vest.  Izzy is streetwise yet sensitive, a lost little girl in need of a home.  And in the tradition of Punky's own foster father Henry, Punky and her musician ex-husband Travis (Freddie Prinze Jr.) are just the good Samaritans to take her in.  Also like Henry, Punky's a photographer and even lives in his -- now much more colorful -- apartment.  With her bubbly, no-holds-barred approach to life, she's a rock star at tackling parenting issues including gender identity, dating, and drugs.  Travis, the actual rock star, is less talented.  When their daughter's boyfriend denies ownership of a joint on the grounds that he has asthma, Travis quippily reminds him that they make edibles too.  SPOILER ALERT!  The joint turns out to be Travis's, an allegedly forgotten relic from his partying days.    

Still, as much as I'm enjoying this revival about the ragamuffin turned sweetheart, the original series aired when I was too young to remember much of it (not that that stopped me from having the doll, purple vest and all).  So I delved even deeper into Peacock's plumage and watched the first three episodes of Punky 1.0 to find out how Punky and Henry came to be.  The opening shot of Chicago's bleak cityscape emblazoned by the words Punky Brewster in wobbly Crayola letters (so symbolic!) jogged my memory, but Henry's struggle to first accept Punky and then go through the system to become her foster parent might as well have been brand-new.  So I soaked it all in, along with the '80s era screen quality and music.  Although I initially found them to be kind of cheesy, both quickly won me over, eclipsing a story that could've easily been a soulless after-school special to reveal a tale with a bittersweet heart.  Style-wise, it was fun to watch too, what with Punky and pal Cherie's "sophisticated lady" photo shoot, not to mention the social worker's prim pastels warring with Punky's rumpled rainbow.  Same goes for the reboot -- er, continuation -- which features thirty-six-year-old Punky in tie dye, rocker chic tees, and, of course, denim vests.  What's more, her daughter is an aspiring fashion designer who's always whipping up eclectic looks.        

So I was inspired by both shows', ahem, punky and playful palettes to curate this outfit.  The pink flannel, daisy-print baby tee, and granny square bag are part girly '90s, part boho, whereas the ripped denim and (admittedly pink floral) combat boots (Private Punky, reporting for duty!) give it a smidgen of edge.  (True, there's no vest.  But never fear; you can find one back in time here.)  I topped it all off with my new Gummy Bear Flair Necklace, which is a bit of a black rainbow, its juicy bright bears and baubles lighting up the midnight beads and cameo.  It reminds me of another '80s classic TV show, namely the animated Adventures of the Gummi Bears

Speaking of cameos, it would be rad if one of the bears visited Punky.      

Provided, of course, that Travis doesn't get confused and eat him.