This is no “Burn Book” — this is a “Lookbook.” I’m bringing you the hottest trends from the 2004 film Mean Girls! Why, you may ask? Well, very recently we encountered Wednesday, Oct. 3, A.K.A the official Mean Girls day! So Her Campus Laurier and the WLU Film Society put out the word and loyal fans from far and wide came together in their pink attire to screen the film. Now I’m determined to share my fashion findings.
New Girl Ponytail
When Cady first starts her new high school she is wearing her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, but it looks good and she is noticed by “The Plastics.” It is a low ponytail, some of the front hairs are coming loose, but she still looks nice, neat and approachable. That’s a cute, yet super simple, everyday look. If you’re going to attempt a “new girl ponytail”, make sure the ends of your hair are healthy: apply a little hair oil to give your hair a healthy glow.
Janis’s hair is something hard to miss. It’s definitely a statement style — very rebellious. A lot of pieces are just left down, there are clips and pins holding all this lack of order together. It no doubt catches your eye. Her go-to-hairstyle almost says “I only care about looking like I don’t care, because I really don’t care.” There is definitely a level of effort, a method of some sorts. Janis Ian invites you to stray away from the norm. If you’re confident, give it a try! Don’t let the haters stop you from doing your thang!
As we move through the movie, Cady adopts a more done up, yet wild hairstyle of loose waves. This look contrasts her new girl neat and tidy look, but she rocks both styles and so could you! For nice waves I recommend buying a set of hot rollers for your hair. They work wonders and if you buy a decent set you’ll be party ready in no time! Just shake out your hair after and apply hairspray.
Hoop Earrings
Did you hear the scoop? Grool (great + cool) earrings come in hoops! In the movie hoop earrings are Regina’s thing, but in reality any girl can rock them. Hoops are my go to, specifically ones in a gold tone. Regina loves hers so much she even wears them in gym class, which I personally don’t recommend.
Letters Around the Neck
Regina has her “R” proudly displayed as a symbol of reputation. She celebrates her reputation by having the first letter of her name front and centre in the form of a necklace. Karen also attempts the letter look but fails to notice she has applied the bejewelled letter “K” backwards. I used to have a whole bunch of “S” pendants — maybe it’s time to dig them out again.
Looser Bottom Jeans
Although jeans are one of the items only allowed on Fridays, there were still some relevant outfits that involved jeans. The jeans they wore were somewhere between bootcut and flared, not quite a bell bottom, but definitely on the verge of becoming so — such as the pair Regina wore on the day of her revenge against Cady (the reveal of the burn book). She paired the jeans with a belt, a black off the shoulder sweater, a simple braid, her signature gold hoop earrings and the “R” necklace as a combo.
Jeans Cont’d: Cady’s First Day
On Cady’s first day of school, she wears a green jacket paired with the ambivalent jeans I described above, with a simple red t-shirt and what has (for the purposes of this article) been deemed a “new girl ponytail.” This here is some super simple fall outfit inspiration. There’s no good .gif to showcase this look, but it is pretty straight forward!
Cady’s Second Day
On the second day it looks as though Cady was wearing dark brown corduroy pants with a slightly fitted blue and white plaid shirt. Again, a super simple look with the “new girl ponytail” and the cute and approachable vibes — great for fall. Here we have a .gif which shows the outfit in its entirety.
Rad Plaid
Mini skirts were definitely a common occurrence in the film and they did come in plaid! Plaid skirts are also making a comeback and are super cute in the kinder fall weather.
Gretchen’s Burberry skirt also deserves a mention!
Janis wears the short sleeve over long sleeve look. This was common a look at the time for guys and gals. I still attempt this look every once-in-a-while. The important thing is finding two compatible shirts.
I used to have a matching velour tracksuit, it was black. I thought it was super cool! I actually saw a pair of pink pants much like Mrs. George’s tracksuit pair at a thrift store and even considered buying them. I would like to pull this off but I just don’t know where the look would pass off — maybe while dog walking. More specifically, dog walking involving a chihuahua?
Think Pink
Wearing all one colour is a standout move. Obviously people wore pink before Mean Girls, but what about pink on pink? This fashion decision also deserves a mention. A standout colour for October, but pink comes in many shades so you could make it work.
These were just a few ideas I wrote down during the Mean Girls screening. Take from this what you will. And remember: you can’t buy a skirt without asking your friends first if it looks good on you.