‘Grease’ fans remember Olivia Newton-John’s iconic outfit

August 9, 2022

For “Grease” fans, Olivia Newton-John and her iconic spandex hot pants go together.

The actress, who died Monday at age 73, was mourned around the world by adoring fans who admired her girl-next-door character Sandy Olsson in the hit 1978 movie — but especially her infamous final outfit when she swapped her poodle skirt for skintight black pants, a sultry off-the-shoulder top and leather jacket.

For fashion lovers, her costume — complete with gigantic curls, strong makeup and a cigarette dangling from her red lips — had a lasting impact on them, even 44 years later.

“This outfit will always be the outfit to me! It has shaped my fashion style since I was about 3,” one superfan remembered.

“When I was young and I saw Olivia Newton-John come on screen with the black outfit at the end of ‘Grease,’ the world changed for me,” added another.

One person described it as “top-notch in my youth,” while another said: “I am 100% certain your leather outfit in ‘Grease’ was a contributor to my future love of powerful, dominant women.”

The cast of "Grease" during the final scenes — “Grease” fans still adore Sandy’s transformation scene over 40 years later.

Olivia Newton-John dressed as a cheerleader — The actress called the moment “something I was really worried about.”

“There was no cooler moment for me as a kid than when Olivia Newton-John walked out in that all-black outfit,” added another.

In fact, Newton-John herself felt cool when filming the final scene, telling Vanity Fair in 2016 that she turned heads on set with her transformation as she stepped out of her trailer.

“I was always the girl next door,” she told the magazine at the time. “And then I got into that trailer with those guys and they put me into that outfit and the hair and I walked out to show Randal [Kleiser, director of ‘Grease’], and the whole crew turned around. And the look on their faces! I remember thinking, ‘Oh my — I’ve been doing this all wrong.’ “

However, it almost didn’t come to fruition, Newton-John noted.

“That was such a stretch, and something I was really worried about,” she said. “But when it happened, it was just this amazing feeling. It was very freeing. Not just for Sandy, but for me as well.”

"It was very freeing. Not just for Sandy, but for me as well," Newton-John said of her character Sandy's final scene. — “It was very freeing. Not just for Sandy, but for me as well,” Newton-John said of her character Sandy’s final scene.

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta sitting at a table — Newton-John’s co-star John Travolta paid tribute to her on Monday, writing: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John.”

The “Physical” singer ended up keeping the leather jacket and some other costumes she wore in the film until 2019 when she put the clothing up for a charity auction to support breast cancer research.

“I feel like I’ve had my time with them. I’m happy that it’s going to go to people that will enjoy it,” Newton-John told Page Six Style at the time.

Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, was the winning bidder for the satin trousers, scoring them for $162,500.

But before saying goodbye, the Australian actress tried the legendary outfit on one last time at 70 years old, just to see if the hot pants — which she was reportedly sewn into on set while filming — would still fit.

“I thought I’d have one last go and throw them on,” she revealed to Page Six Style. “I actually could.”