What I Learned about Style from Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight”

Remember Whitney in the early 90s? A beautiful, former model. The uncontested queen of female pop vocal performance. Before Whitney turned into a “crack is whack” punchline, she blew my childhood mind with her onscreen cuteness and clothing-catalogue smile, both of which were evident in every single one of her 80s videos.

But she changed that image for good with the video for “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” off her 1990 album of the same name. Instead of Barbie heels and candy-colored dresses, she strutted around in ripped high-waisted jeans and an oversized leather jacket. She’s was not messing around.

With director Julien Temple behind the lens—he’s also responsible for videos for The Kinks, The Stones, and David Bowie, plus two Sex Pistols documentaries—Whitney flexes an androgynous, slightly rebellious muscle. Mostly, the video pays homage to styles and icons that came before her: namely old Hollywood glamor, 60s Motown, and Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.

WEARING ONE EARRING TAKES CONVICTION
Not everyone possesses the charm and audacity to pull this off. Whitney’s working it here. It’s sort of like Michael Jackson’s one glittery glove: you’ve got to show real intent, otherwise people will be asking if you lost your other earring all night long.

WHITE SUITS ON LADIES LOOKS REAL NICE
Whitney channels Marlene Dietrich in the 1936 movie Blonde Venus. In this scene she saunters around, has an awkward hand-touch moment with a guy, and twirls a freakin’ cane. Her faithful solo earring still dangles as Whit makes her way through the crowd. What’s also notable here is that she’s covered up, thus setting a precedent for artists like Janelle Monáe and Jessie Ware, who do that menswear thing to make sure you’re not distracted by their boobs and you’re actually listening to their songs. Clever.

FROSTED PALE PINK LIPSTICK SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. EVER.
Although this trend reared its ugly head about a decade after this video’s release (sup Christina!), not even Whitney could make it happen.

BE DECISIVE. BOLD EYES OR BOLD LIPS. NOT BOTH
Unless you’re doing black cat eyes and a red/burgundy lip, a little restraint on both the peepers and smackers goes a long way. (Literally “smackers.” Wow.) But yeah, if you’re doing crayon colors on both, then maybe match your hair to your lips and eyes, like M.I.A.

SEQUINS CAN BE CLASSED-UP BY THE RIGHT DRESS
Which in this case, is a form-fitter that hits at the knee. We can only assume Tina Knowles dubbed this video onto VHS to study later, then turning this into the inspiration for Destiny's Child's matchy-matchy outfits. Whitney sets a few girl band rules here already: never have the same hair as someone else, if you’re wearing the same outfit, color differentiation is key, and the person of importance is always in the middle. Also, shout out to New York looking all pretty as a backdrop of this rooftop scene. Acutally, while we're on this frame, let's talk boas…

FEATHER BOAS WERE ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE 90S
Whether you were a drag queen, or a tween who thought excessive feathers would boost your premature sexual prowess (they were a popular accessory at my middle school dances), boas were the epitome of glam on a budget.

CHAMPAGNE FOUNTAINS ARE AWESOME
No need to elaborate much on this one. They’re a little messy, aesthetically pleasing, and they get you drunk. Win-win.

FUNNY FACE IS A SEMINAL FASH FILM AND YOU SHOULD REFERENCE IT WHENEVER POSSIBLE
This black turtleneck-leggings-white socks combo from Funny Face, the 1957 Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire musical, never gets old. Whitney bites Audrey’s look from the Parisian beatnik club scene here, prancing around with two guys and a big ol’ smile on her face. The Gap followed in Whitney’s footsteps in 2006 with an ad for their black skinny pant. And yes, Beyoncé did the same thing in her video for “Countdown” in 2011. Props to Whitney for getting there early.

POP VIDEOS BENEFIT FROM A BUNCH OF MIRRORS
Just ask Ciara, Eminem, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, or Rihanna. They know. Whether a metaphor for sad, personal stuff (hey, Eminem), or an illustrative device to multiply overall sexiness (RiRi and JT, we see you), Whitney championed multiple mirrors too.

Like Beyoncé’s mini-career retrospective in her Pepsi commercial, “I’m Your Baby Tonight” used reflections to flashback the different eras and looks that Whitney rocked in the video. Very meta.

LIP-SYNCING ON A MOTORBIKE LOOKS REALLY RAD
As a clincher, she rides along what appears to be a cobbled rooftop somewhere in Manhattan. And pulls it off. Although, after she picks up her lover—and stays firmly In the Driver’s Seat—I do wonder how they’ll actually get to the ground. A cargo elevator? A stunt jump off the roof? Whatever, Whitney at the peak of her powers, was untouchable, even with frosted lips. What a feat. We miss you.

Tshepo has not lip-synced on a motorbike yet, but still holds out hope. She’s on Twitter - @NeuThings.

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