Sarah Michelle Gellar Reflects on Iconic ‘90s Fashion and Closet Dreams

Los Angeles, CA – Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has taken a trip down memory lane, revealing her biggest fashion inspiration from the ‘90s. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Gellar expressed her desire to swap closets with Kathryn Merteuil, a character she played in the 1999 film Cruel Intentions.

“That’s easy,” Gellar, 48, said. “She had an incredible closet.” When asked about her favorite look, she highlighted the iconic suit her character wore, which was complemented by a custom-made corset.

“My first [favorite] was the suit, the iconic suit she wears in the beginning,” Gellar reminisced. “I was 20 when we started that, and our costume designer wanted to create a custom-made suit. She took me to Trashy Lingerie, a famous shop in Los Angeles.”

Gellar shared her initial hesitation about entering the lingerie store, but it quickly became a memorable experience. “I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I could go in there,’ but it wound up being one of the best custom shops for corsets,” she explained. “I was properly fit.”

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star praised the process, noting that it was her first experience with tailor-made clothing. “It was really the first time I think I’d had anything tailor-made like that, where they take your measurements and they build it from scratch,” she said.

Gellar, well-versed in ‘90s fashion, recently collaborated with eBay to launch a curated collection featuring iconic fashion and collectibles from the era. This special collection celebrates eBay’s 30th anniversary and includes items such as a signed piece from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a signed Michael Jordan Bulls jersey.

The auction will run for a week, and all proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Gellar expressed excitement about giving back through this retro collection.

As her career continues to flourish, Gellar remains a symbol of ‘90s pop culture, with Cruel Intentions inspiring both a sequel and a spin-off series on Amazon Prime Video. The original film, based on the novel Dangerous Liaisons, features Gellar as Merteuil, a scheming teenager at a prestigious New York school.