The Best On-Screen New Year’s Eve Looks to Inspire you Before the Big Night

Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally

It’s an unfortunate truth that most of us could spend hours tirelessly wrapping our hair around the barrel of a 3/8 inch iron and still not look as cool as Meg Ryan. Those spiral curls paired with a peachy lip and off-the-shoulder gown might not be look we think of when it comes to When Harry Met Sally (hey, it’s hard to compete with that deli scene), but it’s still nothing to scoff at.

Fran Kubelik in The Apartment

Shirley MacLaine’s character spends most of her time onscreen in The Apartment clad in boyish collared blouses and prim buttoned-up jackets, but it’s the styling in her final scene that steals the show (can we talk about that coat?). We could watch the flirty delivery of her famous last line on an endless loop—the only thing cheekier is that choppy pixie cut and fluttery lashes.

Robin Scherbatsky from How I Met Your Mother

It’s not until the later seasons of HIMYM that Robin’s personal style really comes into its own. We start seeing her in sleek, tailored ensembles that perfectly match her no-nonsense personality. Maybe that’s why catching Robin in all her mid-aughts glory—the awkwardly layered haircut, the shiny purple frock—is sort of charming. Granted, it also helps that this episode contains one of those rare moments where she’s not ripping Ted’s heart to pieces.

Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City movie

Leave it to Carrie to somehow make a night spent in front of the TV look like the most glamorous New Year’s Eve activity possible. From slurping back ramen while decked out in layered strands of pearls to hitting the streets of NYC in a massive fur coat, sky-high heels, and silky pajamas, it’s all classic Bradshaw (right down to the hat that makes her head look like a disco ball).

Linda Mason in Holiday Inn

Giving us all unrealistic standards for New Year’s Eve since 1942: Linda Mason (played by Marjorie Reynolds), who kicked off the New Year hanging out with Bing Crosby and dancing the night away with Fred Astaire. Considering that it’s a sort of unspoken law of fashion that every New Year’s outfit isn’t complete without glitter, hers has to be the mother of all New Year’s Eve gowns.

Linda Seton from Holiday

It doesn’t get any better than watching Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant dancing into the New Year to the soft tinkling of a music box. Add that black dress, red lip, perfectly groomed brows, and brushed-out curls to the mix and you’ve got the strongest case in history for sticking with a classic look on New Year’s Eve. We can even get behind the oddly draped ribbon on her shoulder—the whole look is just that flawless.

Monica Geller from Friends

The piecey high ponytail. The beaded gold (or is it brown?) tank top. The multiple chokers. The flared black jeans. The chunky heeled boots. Could Monica’s look be any more aggressively ’90’s? Regardless of your feelings on the retro trend, take note: if there’s one style lesson to be learned here, it’s that a good New Year’s Eve outfit is, first and foremost, made for dancing.

Rachel from About a Boy

First: take a moment to recover from the fact that Rachel Weisz has seemingly not aged a day since this scene was filmed over ten (ten!) years ago. Second: appreciate the glory of Rachel’s prom-style updo and glitter-covered gown that looks not unlike a wearable version of a Christmas tree ornament. Third: try your hardest not to secretly wish that you could have a meet cute with Hugh Grant at a New Year’s Eve party.

Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard

While Gloria Swanson’s character might not have the best approach to snagging a kiss at midnight (we’re guessing tricking your date into attending a party that doesn’t exist still won’t fly in 2016), we can definitely get behind her more-is-more approach to New Year’s Eve style. If you’re looking to copy Norma’s look, her general M.O. seems to go a little something like this: when in doubt, add more diamonds.

Marissa Cooper in The O.C.

If you consider yourself a millennial and have ever felt vaguely disappointed in the outcome of your New Year’s Eve festivities, there’s a 90% chance you can blame it on having watched the famous O.C. countdown scene. While Ryan’s swoon-inducing kiss tends to make everything else in this episode feel unimportant (albeit rightfully so), you’ve gotta give beauty credit where it’s due. Marissa’s sleek French twist ponytail hybrid is a serious departure from her signature surfer girl hair and it somehow still works.