Get That Look: A Holiday Fashion Guide for Kids in the Hall Fans

Comedy Features kids in the hall

Comedy aficionados are a tricky group to shop for, and lovers of The Kids in the Hall are no exception. The beloved Canadian sketch show has been off the air since 1994, giving fans two decades to memorize its most famous catchphrases and inexplicable jokes. It also means that the show’s beloved recurring characters have become part of our lives, instantly familiar and worthy of emulation, whether they stand out as voices of reason or the most terrifyingly nutty people we could imagine.

So, when shopping for the Kids in the Hall fan in your life, why not bypass the box sets and help them relive the glory days of Dave, Bruce, Mark, Kevin and Scott? They’ll love you forever—though even that probably won’t stop them from incessantly quoting Buddy Cole.

Kathie with a K

Kathie-with-a-K is a woman of many layers: a secretary at AT & Love, an old-fashioned girl from Parry Sound, a coffee connoisseur and a cheesecake enthusiast, a woman who won’t object to finding creative ways to speed up her dry cleaning, and Mississippi Gary’s long lost love. But, perhaps most essentially, Kathie is a Blue Jays Booster—and, in the fashion world of 2014, a fundamental normcore inspiration. Get her look with a vintage Jays sweatshirt from Etsy ($31.62), a pair of Playgirl glasses frames from American Apparel ($120), and a signed photo of Kelly Gruber from eBay ($49.99) to hang on your cubicle wall—and, if you want to really indulge the Kathie in your life, go to the KraftCanada website and make her a batch of the treats of the Gods known as almond bark.

The Basic Bruce

Listen, he’s no role model—but he can still be the greatest Albertan fashion icon of the ‘90s. Head to Stampede (“Canada’s Finest Saddlery”) to pick out some high-waisted Wranglers ($64.95 Canadian), and then to J. Crew for a winter-weight flannel work shirt ($32.50). As to what kind of underwear you keep in a bowl in the fridge… well, that’s really up to you.

Sizzler and Sizzler

Was there ever a more glamorous pair of lounge singers than Jerry Sizzler and his sister, Jerry Sizzler? You don’t need to be clearly insane to agree—or to recreate their look in some tasteful Botany 500 pajamas from the Vermont Country Store ($29.95-$34.95) and a flannel robe from Travelsmith ($59.00). Complete the look with MAC Pro Longwear Lipcolour in Lasting Lust ($25.00) so you don’t have to worry about your lipstick wearing off, even if you spend the whole night serenading a club full of pricks. Now all you need is a ravishing wig in Jayne Mansfield blonde or Rita Hayworth red—just be sure to leave the tag on.

Darcy Pennell

Doesn’t the person who makes your life a lot less hell deserve a classic one-button blazer from Forever 21 ($32.90) and an onyx horseshoe bolo tie ($23.45) from Rocky Mountain Western? Of course, if you want to really make a statement, you can get a free sample railroad spike from Railway-Fastener.com. It may not be a Christian Renoir, but who would know the difference?

Nicole the Ballerina

For the KITH fan in your life who exudes both fragile grace and irrepressible joie de vivre, there’s no more fitting gift than a Danskin NYCB long-sleeved leotard ($48) and a sheer pink wrap skirt ($15). Of course, nothing goes with ballet quite like snacks, so cater to your tiny dancer’s twin passions with a barrel of Utz cheese balls ($7.99). To ballot!

Buddy Cole

There are actors, singers, dancers, models, and Canadians in the world, and then there’s the one and only Buddy Cole. Buddy’s may have burned to the ground twenty long years ago, but its spirit will live on when you don your Gentleman’s Emporium paisley ascot ($23.95) and Brooks Brothers velvet smoking jacket ($998).

Wardrobe will only take you so far, however: To really pay homage to Charles Budderick “Buddy” Cole—pioneering softball team manager, pop star Svengali, royal correspondent, and devoted friend—you need not just a blond pompadour and a chilled gimlet, but wit, irreverence, and warmth. In ‘80s and ‘90s Toronto, Buddy’s bar was an oasis of acceptance, pride, and long monologues. If filling his shoes seems too tall an order, you can always practice making the word “Canadian” sound sexy, and work your way up from there.

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