I don’t remember when I first saw this film, but I feel like it’s been embedded in my memory for what seems like forever. Up until he unleashed his particular kind of weirdness by jumping on sofas, Tom Cruise was everything and Top Gun is still the greatest evidence of his movie stardom. But, aside from his iconic Ray-Bans, this post is about Kelly McGillis.

I love everything about her character in Top Gun, from wardrobe to hair to her spunky personality. There is not a single outfit she wears that I wouldn’t wear now. Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood is a smart and PHD in astrophysics and a civilian lecturer at the Top Gun Naval Flying School where she’s lone woman surrounded by a bunch of macho dudes.

She dresses the part, a tomboy with a feminine edge. Nothing about her is fussy. Charlie’s relaxed office wear of crisp white shirts and pencil skirts is given a dose of badass with a leather bomber jacket, made even cooler with the way she bunched up the sleeves to expose a dainty lady-like watch and a slim gold bangle. Off-duty, she frolics with Tom Cruise’s Maverick in relaxed whites and WASPY-y pastels, juxtaposed with a pair of classic (stonewashed!) jeans and rugged cowboy boots. All is topped off with a sexy matte red lipstick, accentuating her classic beauty. (I miss this lovely actress.)

Wish: Go back in time (before Scientology) and have Tom Cruise serenade “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” to me. And someone get me that bomber — I’d be forever grateful!