LET’S TALK ABOUT AGENT CODY BANKS
the 2003 teen action flick that’s a y2k goldmine - including nostalgic gadgets, holographic ice cubes, and all the smokey eye inspiration you’ll ever need
my younger brother spencer and I were pretty obsessed with agent cody banks growing up. just like how you had hoped you would meet your long lost twin at summer camp after watching lindsay lohan’s rendition of the parent trap, didn’t you hope that you would be secretly drafted into the cia at 15 after watching agent cody banks? if anything, I wanted nelly’s “hot in herre” to play whenever I opened a door and happened to be feeling particularly confident that day (a rare sighting as a pre-teen but maybe not for a leo rising.) I digress; not only do lines from the film still make me laugh, I also (unfortunately) still resonate with cody and his crush natalie’s teenage brattiness, after being swooned by all the y2k nods of course. from the interior design of dr. brinkman’s lab to cody’s orange-accented gadgets and a particular silver suit, it’s sure to catapult you right back into the start of the new millennium like it did me. here are some of my favorite elements from this early 2000’s feel-good film:
1. cody’s gadgets
one of the funnest parts of any action movie is the revealing of gadgets for their spies - your typical piece of tech but reimagined with easter eggs that always come in handy when tracking down the bad guys. I loved that cody’s x-ray sunglasses are such a quintessential style from that period of time. very victoria beckham when she’s first married to david. then we’ve got the sidekick-style cellphone which I think I wanted more than I wanted to have my first kiss at that age. the cellphone plus the watch (in addition to much of cody’s wardrobe) is accented with an orange hue, tiger lily to be exact (pantone’s 17-1456 aka 2004’s color of the year). this is still my favorite color to this day and I think it’s because of the stamp it left on the early-2000’s and my brain. then let’s not forget cody’s first generation ipod, whose multi-use features include acting as a wire pulley to help cody descend from the air vents inconspicuously. there are also the scooters that will forever represent the tech world, as well as cody’s moon boot-style shoes that suction cup the ground he walks on while reminding me of outfits paired with cargo pants and tight nylon tank tops. sigh. finally, let us not forget that the nanobot ice cubes are holographic, making even deadly robots look desirable.
2. dr. brinkman’s lab
my sun sign is scorpio so my home, specifically my room, is my sanctuary - my safe space. my isolation chamber as co-star calls it. whether you empathize or not, I think we can all agree that when you’re dedicated to making a space look cool, it turns out, well, cool.
dr. brinkman’s lab, tucked away in the cascade mountains, oozes of new millennium coolness. with it’s white and teal-accented color scheme, it’s igloo dome complete with a shag carpet and leather bench, and the font of the directional signage, they’re all are nodding to the icy nature of dr. brinkman, his work, and the digitally-obsessed decade in which they’re working. my favorite part are the circular lights and computer pods. like are the backstreet boys back or what? not to mention the cherry on top are the costumes for dr. brinkman and francois, with high-collared, mushy leather pullovers and silver velour track suits that scream new millennium and dangerous duo.
3. ronica miles’ wardrobe
everyone remembers the sexy, show-stopping red number that introduces ronica miles. how could you not? I can just hear nelly in my head thinking about it. I’m making the case that that isn’t the only outfit of hers worth remembering though. the wardrobe styling on cody’s handler is phenomenal - sexy, sustin powers-inspired without being costume-y, and a lot of what we WANTED to dress like in the early 2000’s. every outfit was monochromatic and complete with an envious smokey eye. even her silver space suit she wears to dr. brinkman’s lab is complete with a matching headpiece. enjoy these photos and excuse me while I go dig up all of my dark eye shadow pots.
honorable mention: natalie’s body glitter
agent cody banks is currently available to stream on hbo, and rent from amazon prime, fandangoNOW, etc. let me know if anything inspires your next fashion or decor purchase.
