analyzing the outfits in mean girls 👠🛍🗣

[Music] analyzing the outfits in mean girls mean girls is one of those rare films from the 2000s that has been able to stand the test of time and is just as popular if not more than it was when first released back in 2004. despite seeming like a pretty stereotypical chick flick it actually made a huge impact on its audience back in the day and i'm not just saying that i watched it in theaters and immediately saw the impact it had on other girls my age pretty much every school in my area had their version of a burn book scandal for those of you who somehow haven't seen this magnificent film in the last 16 years let me cut you up to speed mean girls is a comedic take on the dynamics of teen girls in high school and addresses the many complexities of the high school social hierarchy while mostly known for its legendary lines like you're like really pretty thank you so you agree what you think you're really pretty i'm sorry that people are so jealous of me but i can't help it that i'm popular one time she punched me in the face it was awesome so if you're from africa why are you white oh my god karen you can't just ask people why they're white getting loser we're going shopping glen coco fall for you glenn coco you go glenn cocoa she doesn't even go here do you even go to this school no i just have a lot of feelings the movie is also a master class in contemporary costuming the film industry as well as the average moviegoer rarely appreciate clothes and film unless they're grandiose period costumes which is a shame because contemporary costuming is just as important and just as difficult to excel at i'll let the film's costume designer mary jane fort explain the clothes can't wear the person so to speak but the person needs to look great in the clothes and so to sort of marry that together is always i think one of the costume designers greatest challenges because it's not just about oh isn't my costume beautiful your costume makes utterly no sense if it doesn't seem to be a fabric of the character and of the film it's more than clothes everything has a meaning everything has a purpose everything every color is there for a specific reason and you have to think of how they look together and if katie is in this and rachel is in this and gretchen is in this and karen is in this how will this work for what for what their action is and for what you visually have to see in today's video i'll be breaking down the characters clothes in mean girls and what makes them as crucial to the success of the film as anything else and as is the theme of this channel i'll be focusing on the five main female characters wardrobes which are katie janice and the plastics karen gretchen and regina and before people start coming for my neck about how i'm overthinking things i discussed a lot of these points with the film's actual costume designer so this isn't groundless speculation on my part speaking of which stay tuned for that interview with mary jane which should be coming out in the next few weeks anyway let's get into the video katie herron played by a then 18 year old lindsay lohan katie herron is the film's naive protagonist she begins the film as a fish out of water confused about pop culture and totally clueless about high school social norms i don't know if anyone told you about me i'm a new student here my name is katie here talk to me again and i'll kick your ass what do we even talk about hair products ashton kutcher is that a band can you just do it please katie do you even know who sings this um the spice girls i love her she's like a martian we're doing a dance to this song jingle bell rock you guys know that song everybody in the english-speaking world knows that song they do it every year of the characters we'll be talking about today katie's style goes through the greatest and clearest transformation like all of the main female characters in the film katie is given a distinctive color palette to make her instantly recognizable even at a quick glance at the beginning of the film she wears darker somewhat masculine colors blues browns reds and greens as her personality changes and she becomes influenced by her friendship with the plastics she begins phasing out other colors and sticks to mainly reds pinks and blues which are all colors that are often worn by the rest of the plastics she is first introduced in a pair of shapeless jeans a red t-shirt and an army green jean jacket her hair is tied up into a ponytail and she's shown with no jewelry other than a beaded bracelet from her time in africa the character essentially wears a similar outfit the following day but switches out her red t-shirt for an oversized and ill-fitting blue plaid shirt and her jeans for a pair of brown pants these outfits which are incredibly plain and simple reveal that the character has yet to develop not only a sense of style but a sense of self one thing that i really enjoy about these looks is that unlike many other films that feature style transformations her clothes don't seem ridiculously out of place she's just average not trying to stand out in any way this point is made even more apparent after katie joins the plastics for lunch as karen mentions the previous day on wednesdays we wear pink so katie borrows a large oversized polo from damian okay fine do you have anything pink while from a color standpoint she matches the plastics the silhouette is so different from the others that she still manages to stick out like a sore thumb and after a less than subtle jab by gretchen lets her hair down as a way to blend in with them and follow their rules you can't wear a tank top two days in a row and you can only wear your hair in a ponytail once a week so i guess you picked today this is when we begin to see how easily katie gets swept up by the plastic's pace specifically regina's which will become a major theme throughout the film after becoming acquainted with the plastics katie slowly starts to become more fashionable with the inclusion of trendier silhouettes of her shirts and pants she's still fairly dressed down and conservative in comparison to the plastics wearing hoodies and sneakers in fairly monotonous shades of grays and greens and browns when halloween rolls around katie makes the blunder of going for a funny costume instead of a sexy one showing up as an ex-wife as explained by mary jane she specifically wanted the outfit to look homemade the dress was from a thrift store and the rest of the outfit was picked up at a costume shop something that katie and her mother easily could have made at the last minute while katie is at first able to balance her real life and her plastic life there's a distinct turning point when she discovers that regina lied about liking her bracelet which throws her off her game not only does katie stop wearing the bracelet but it's also when she becomes more aggressive and vindictive in her takedown of regina the bracelet which was the last piece of her former life is gone and in a way so is katie from here she begins integrating more pastel colors into her wardrobe and playing with different hairstyles following this is the christmas talent show where all four girls dress as sexy santas mary jane goes into a lot of detail about these outfits in this video which i'll link below but basically what you need to know is that the outfits were once again designed to look homemade and achievable it's also the most revealing outfit that we've seen katie in so far shocking her parents in the audience and us as well this marks the beginning of katie going full plastic not only wearing pink regularly but also sporting jewelry specifically hoop earrings which as we know are regina's thing these hoop earrings are often present when she has the upper hand notably when she kisses aaron samuels is elected one of the spring fling nominees when the plastics prevent regina from sitting with them and when she hosts her party it's not until she's fully consumed by her plastic lifestyle and her newfound popularity has gone to her head that katie's style undergoes its biggest change gone are the pants and income short skirts plunging necklines and heels she still wears the hoodies but they're a touch more fashionable tighter and in feminine colors her transformation into regina is further solidified with the wearing of initial necklaces slogan shirts louis vuitton handbags and velour tracksuits late into her transformation katie even sports an outfit that is a near-exact dupe of regina's earlier in the film when i asked mary jane how katie managed to get her hands on these somewhat pricey items she said that even if katie's parents didn't necessarily approve of her new outfits they would still want their daughter to be happy and buy her what she thought she needed to fit in but she does think that katie's louis vuitton bag would probably be a knockoff we even see katie carrying an initial purse the affordable bag was a must-have in the 2000s and let me tell you trying to find a t for my name back in the day was damn near impossible when katie is revealed as a full plastic walking down the hallway in slow motion with the rest of the girls she's wearing an outfit that is a little bit of everyone the pink and blue color scheme is very reminiscent of karen the plaid skirt is a popular gretchen accent and all of her accessories match regina's it's revealing to the audience that katie is basically replicating what she's been taught instead of truly developing her own style and taste at her party katie's outfit is a reflection of her time with regina it mirrors the strapless spring fling dress regina is shown trying on earlier in the film but with an emphasis on black more than pink at this point the character is an over-the-top caricature of regina and reveals how katie believes popularity and power is an outcome of one's physical appearance just as a side note i love this outfit although the bra and pink hoop earrings are very of its time while katie never winds up wearing it to the spring fling dance we also get a very brief look at what she would have worn a pink dress with a waterfall hemline and flowers when katie finally owns up to her part in the burn book she reverts to the style we can interpret as her true self it's back to jeans and shirts but elevated and more polished the result of her time as a plastic the final look we see the character in jeans a white top and heels shows how she's reconciled both parts of herself part plastic and part normal human being janice ian played by lizzie kaplan janice is the antithesis of the plastics if she's on one end of the fashion spectrum then the plastics are on the other her style is reminiscent of the grunge and punk styles of the mid to late 90s and predicts the future emo and scene trends of teased hair and dark eye makeup janice sticks to darker colors throughout the film browns greens and black with the occasional pop of neon yellow or red she's also fairly covered up typically wearing jeans or long skirts and t-shirts layered over long sleeves or under jackets interestingly in screen tests janice's hair was actually bigger but was toned down a bit for the film to seem more doable although if you went to high school around the time i did then you know that if there's a will there's a way and real life scene queens sure as heck found a way to make it happen janice is an artist as we quickly discover and she actually uses her artistic talents on much of her clothing ranging from painting designs on her pants to strategically tearing her shirts it makes her outfits look unique and one of a kind which is a reflection of janice's somewhat toxic not like other girls mentality don't get me wrong janice is a fun character but when re-watching the film you come to realize that she's just as judgy and shallow as the plastics but in a way that she deems as valid and acceptable because she's not popular and wields no power janus's clothing reflects the cultural phenomenon that many young women become familiar with as they enter adolescence the rejection of femininity it's this idea that once we reach a certain age we need to stop exhibiting overtly feminine traits like wearing pink putting on makeup and shopping unless you want to be seen as a shallow bimbo do you have anything pink we see this reflected in the plastics regina is a [ __ ] gretchen is a gossip and karen is dumb and promiscuous in order to be taken seriously many young women feel forced to rebel against femininity by exhibiting stereotypically masculine traits playing sports wearing muted colors and even going as far as to reject female friendships and of course whether you're the girly girl or go the other way at the end of the day it's seen by many as a tactic to gain male attention because everything we do is for men all in all it's a dangerous cycle that hurts both sides and janus is a key example of this toxic ideology not that i'm saying janice dislikes the style of clothing she's wearing or that it's even wrong to want to dress this way but for her it likely began with her hatred of regina the most girly girly girl god okay you have to do it okay and then you have to tell me all of the horrible things that regina says regina seems sweet gina george is not sweet she's a scum-sucking road horse she ruined my life my god see at least me and regina george know we're mean you try to act like you're so innocent janice's rejection of femininity is even showcased at the spring fling dance where she shows up in an oversized purple suit along with damian while i do think janice would be the type to wear a suit regardless you do have to wonder if she did it as a way of standing out from the other spring fling nominees as if to say oh i'm not like them as previously mentioned janus has rejected femininity throughout the film but when she begins dating kevin we see her sporting red star barrettes and other matching accessories revealing that while sure janice is most comfortable dressing the way she has she is no longer afraid of showing off her girly side a very important lesson karen smith out of all the plastics karen's style is probably the simplest rarely venturing outside of her comfort zone which involves a lot of mini skirts and soft tops due to her somewhat naive and childish nature many of her ensembles are almost reminiscent of children's clothes both in colors and details karen's pe uniform is the most risque a subtle way of introducing the perceived reputation she has in the film as a [ __ ] and the crazy thing is is that it should be karen but people forget about her because she's such a [ __ ] unlike the other two plastics she wears a tank top and her shorts are hiked up as high as they can go and the outfit garners a judgmental comment from damien the name of all that is holy would you look at karen smith's gym clothes we next see karen in a blue long-sleeve top layered underneath a black slogan top that says absolute diva and we see this shirt again later on in the film it's a look that comes off a touch juvenile similar to a kid's little league shirt the following day she's shown again in a slightly childish look where she's taken the on wednesday's we wear pink rule quite literally sporting a pink outfit from head to toe she's a pink prada messenger bag a pink mini skirt and a pink long sleeve top with a purple ribbon compared to the rest of the plastics her outfit immediately looks less polished as if saying she isn't capable of doing anything better than that we're once again shown how little thought karen is able to put into an outfit on halloween where she's wearing a black baby doll nightie and gray mouse ears unlike gretchen and regina who've gone all out with their respective cat and rabbit costumes it's around this point that you have to wonder how is karen actually part of the plastics what are you i'm a mouse duh we don't see much of karen throughout the film but when we do she's typically wearing pink and none of her outfits seem incredibly thought out in a way that almost makes her seem the most normal of the plastics later on in the film when karen is no longer a plastic she's shown still wearing similar ensembles implying that out of all the girls karen was the only one who wasn't pretending to be someone she wasn't gretchen weiners like all the girls gretchen has her own color palette made up of browns oranges pinks and reds while gretchen tends to mimic regina's style her character has a distinctly posh and preppy look wearing quite a lot of sweaters and pleated skirts and while many of the plastic sport designer items gretchen flaunts it most often with a penchant for the british brand burberry which in the 2000s had developed a reputation for being the brand of choice for well-off suburbanites and preppy socialites it's also important to note that whether purposeful or not gretchen's slang of choice fetch is supposedly from england and many of the prints that gretchen is fond of tartan plaid argyle and paisley all found massive success in the uk like regina she's shown regularly wearing silver jewelry again flaunting her wealth and on her arm we often see a tiffany toggle charm bracelet an item every teen girl in the 2000s wanted they were basically the y2k version of the cartier bracelet craze of the 2010s and in nearly every scene she's shown with a diamond necklace and studs up until the end of course when she finally gets away from regina and can wear her white gold hoops you know that i'm not allowed to wear hoop earrings right yeah two years ago she told me that hoop earrings were her thing and i wasn't allowed to wear them anymore along with the other plastics gretchen is first introduced in her pe uniform with her shirt hiked up to reveal her stomach definitely not dress code appropriate this is one of the first times that we see gretchen dressing similarly to regina when the girls are at lunch she's sporting a brown and red argyle sweater that we see again later in the film marking the first of many knits the character wears and in the following lunch scene gretchen sports a bubblegum pink sweater with white elbow patches and a plaid skirt in a tan colorway the looks are both hyper feminine while also showing off gretchen's wealth and slightly conservative upbringing like all the plastics gretchen dresses as a sexy animal for halloween showing up in a vinyl cat suit while it doesn't show much skin it's very figure-hugging mimicking gretchen's paradoxical and somewhat hypocritical nature following this we see gretchen in renditions of similar outfits some type of knitwear along with a miniskirt gretchen happens to be the plastic who's style i like the most and you can probably see why even this look which is a simple slogan t jeans and a burberry belt is something i could honestly see someone wearing today the only misstep in regard to gretchen's style at least in my opinion is her purple spring fling dress with the tulle and the flowers it looks girly in a way that doesn't match up with our perception of gretchen who usually wears outfits with structure i feel like a black halter dress something designer and expensive would have looked far better and fit her ideals following the end of the plastics reign gretchen moves on to another click the cool asians she undergoes a huge style change from the silhouette of her top to the way she styles her hair revealing gretchen's perpetual need to be part of a group never a leader always a follower also i just want to take a second to mention gretchen's junior plastic self wearing a burberry kilt what a moment regina george played by a 26 year old rachel mcadams the oldest actress pretending to be a teenager regina george is the queen bee everyone at school either wants to be her or be with her her style is polished never looking out of place and is hyper feminine with an emphasis on romantic colors like pink purple black and red along with very short hemlines our first introduction to regina george is atop the shoulders of the guys in her gym class a fitting entrance for teen royalty she appears to be wearing the school's pe uniform but with the waistband of her shorts rolled up along with a pair of wedge sneakers which are wholly impractical but allow her to physically stand above the other girls solidifying her place in their social hierarchy instantly interestingly her character is covering up more than both gretchen and karen as if to say that she doesn't need to show her skin in order to be desired the next time we see regina is later at lunch sitting at the center of the plastics table her character is wearing the teen version of a power suit a pink blouse with a crisp collar layered under a black knit sweater with a skirt and black knee-high boots she's also wearing her signature silver r necklace and a pair of diamond encrusted hoops besides appearing very polished the look is also made up of many early 2000s fashion trends not just the silver jewelry which was the norm instead of gold at the time but also the sweater blouse combo which was so popular during the 2000s that you could even purchase shirts where the two were attached besides having style we're also quickly made aware that regina has access to money and lots of it as evidenced by her car house and designer products besides supposedly owning two fendi purses she's shown carrying a gucci boat pochette and a louis vuitton cherry blossom push head the latter was created by artist takashi murakami in a legendary collaboration with the luxury brand that proved immensely popular with younger clientele i was actually given one as a hand-me-down from my cousin way back in the day and she still lives happily in my closet waiting for the day i decide to take her out on the town the cherry blossom print itself is also representative of the plastics pink pretty and coveted regina is also shown wearing a matching louis vuitton belt later on in the film when regina and the rest of the plastics take katy shopping she's shown in one of my favorite outfits from the movie a leather miniskirt a white slogan tank a baby pink cardigan her louis vuitton pochette and a pair of black heeled flip-flops not only was this outfit incredibly fashion forward at the time the film was released but it's since come back into style down to the shoes as for the slogan t which says a little bit dramatic in red it was actually custom made by mary jane just like all the other slogan tops in the film as a way to bypass copyright and trademark infringement the shirt itself is the cherry on top of a perfect sundae it's a giant red flag warning you exactly what type of person regina is unfortunately this is the only time we wind up seeing all four girls in pink which i understand was probably to make the scene memorable but come on there had to be other wednesdays following this we see regina in a set of jammies pink with her initial on the chest hyper feminine yet again revealing that even in the comfort of her own home regina has to be perfectly plastic especially when she's the head of a passive aggressive three-way call halloween is where we get one of regina's most legendary outfits the bunny costume just like katie's halloween costume it's totally doable and is something that you could throw together with pieces from your own closet the look with the stockings and the fur cuffs is a clear reference to playboy bunnies who wore similar outfits the playboy brand was incredibly popular in the 2000s and its apparel was everywhere the costume itself was having a bit of a moment around this time being featured in both legally blonde and bridget jones diary one thing that i love about regina's costume is that it just makes sense of course she would show up to a party that she knew her ex would be at in a playboy bunny costume and just a fun little detail that i noticed she's not even the only person in a bunny costume this quote unfriendly black hottie is wearing one too you might also recognize her as the quote ugliest effing skirt girl what an icon following this we see regina in variations of what i'd call her uniform a simple top a short circle skirt and heels which also happens to be what she's wearing when this iconic look happens i aspire to have regina george's confidence after she's dumped by aaron samuels the results of katie's backstabbing she's seen crying in her room in a black shirt with black pajama bottoms with shopping bags on them this is a lot more childish than the pajamas we saw her wearing earlier in the film revealing that while regina was cheating on aaron and mainly dating him to make katie jealous her feelings were still hurt and this is a moment of weakness in regina's perfect world she is always the dumper not the dumpy when she gets together with shane omen regina's style has the subtlest of changes becoming a touch more casual and down to earth she continues wearing her usual tops but instead of her usual feminine circle skirts she's now sporting tight denim miniskirts as katie grows more powerful eventually dethroning regina and taking her place as the school's it girl regina's clothing loses all of its previous polish a reflection not only of her decrease in status and loss of control but her struggles with her weight and newfound insecurities these sweatpants are all that fits me right now she regularly begins wearing sweatpants and jeans while generally showing less skin than earlier in the film this eventually leads to regina's downfall where she's told by gretchen that you can't sit with us because she's broken one of the plastic's fashion rules i truly feel bad for regina at this moment because while yes her weight gain isn't entirely katie's fault it was still an incredibly [ __ ] up thing to do and it's probably the moment where regina realizes that she truly has no one who actually cares about her regina shows up to katie's party uninvited wearing an outfit that covers her up completely jeans a black lace camisole heels her gucci pochette and a pink almost cream puff jacket her hair is also up which is very rare for her what's interesting about this look is that while the silhouette is incredibly different than the outfits she wore at the height of her popularity all the pieces are there the pointed shoes the pink jacket the gucci bag she's ready to regain control and boy oh boy does she the reveal with the burn book is still one of the greatest cinematic twists i've ever seen when regina leakes the burn book she is wearing a pair of jeans a black off-the-shoulder top that shows her bra strap a pair of white mary jane flats and her matching louis vuitton purse and belt overall the outfit is incredibly casual compared to her previous looks mirroring the switch to denim skirts earlier but it still manages to be put together and honestly if there's an outfit to get run over by a bussin it's probably this one at the spring fling regina is wearing her dress from earlier in the film except now she can fit it and her back brace is accessorized with matching pink flowers the dress is a reminder of regina's prior plastic mindset all about her public perception while the brace is a physical warning against that type of behavior regina's final look is a pair of black pants and a gray sweater with a pink heart almost as if to say that she's embraced her new life but won't be forgetting about her past self anytime soon and just in case you still feel a little bit confused about what makes regina style stand out and unique in comparison to the other plastics look at the outfit her junior plastic self wears a top with a cardigan an a-line skirt and heels it's not an outfit regina has worn in the film and yet we can immediately see it as something she would wear and that folks is proof that these costumes are great thanks for watching this video and don't forget to like and subscribe i'll see you soon bye [Music]

Channel: ModernGurlz

Views: 1,484,875

Rating: 4.9782066 out of 5

Keywords: style, modern gurlz, 90s fashion, fashion, movie review, movie commentary, moderngurlz, review, movies, mean girls, mean girls outfits, gretchen wieners, regina george, cady heron, lindsay lohan, 2000s style, style analysis, style guide

Id: UcvKdNiA7uc

Length: 27min 27sec (1647 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 03 2020