The Fabric Of Film - Looking Away From The Protagonist: Jane Lane's Style In 'Daria'
"Don’t fashion people squander their lives loudly worshipping all that is superficial and meaningless while the planet keeps riding a roller coaster to hell?"
Jane Lane, Daria (Mike Judge, 1997-2002)
Daria was an American adult animated sitcom televised on MTV between 1997 and 2002. The outfits of it's namesake, Daria (Tracey Grandstaff), are synonymous with the late 90s to any avid MTV watcher; the simplicity of her bottle green jacket, mustard top, black pleated skirt and combat boots does not mean they were anything less than memorable. Her clothes were the foundations of her comedic character, never found without her other trusted accessory - her accomplice Jane Lane. Whilst Daria’s style is nothing if not consistent, Jane’s (Wendy Hoopes) style, grows more dynamic and emblematic of her plights as a teenager existing between the poles of Daria’s ostracisation and the teenage temptation to conform with her peers, particularly in the last two seasons,
Jane’s standard outfit comprises of elements not dissimilar to Daria’s - she wears a red jacket, black top, shorts over tights, and black knee boots. Her ears are littered with silver hoops and her bedroom is overtaken with the staples of the 90s artistic teen; an easel, paints, stack system, and various unconventional art mediums. This is where she fundamentally differs from Daria; whilst Daria’s alienation from her peers is derived from her misanthropy, Jane’s rather stems additionally from her experiential cynicism of those around her. Whilst Daria moves to Lawndale High in the pilot episode, it is presumed that Jane has been there for much of her life and thus has made the active choice to distance herself from the likes of Britney (Lisa Kathleen Collins) the cheerleader and Kevin (Marc Thompson) the quarter-back. Therefore her battle with her desire to conform with the people she has grown up with is more pressing than for Daria, who for the most part has other concerns.
When Jane meets the decade-regressive, pseudo-enlightened Nathan who chooses to dress like it is his first day out of a time-machine from the 40s, her grunge melts away and is replaced by clothing that you could only find in a niche vintage store. In kid gloves and silk scarves around her head, Jane is cast from high school life into tiki bars and fox trot lessons. During the brief stint she spends with Nathan, Jane rejects the teenage confusion embodied by her usual attire and rather begins to chase a style and maturity far beyond her years. Her uncharacteristically frequent wardrobe changes from one decade to the next begin to represent the often observed scorn for childhood that thieves the teenage years of many a woman in favour of love or a false sense of having grown up. The angst of Jane’s wardrobe is lost and replaced with the sad lust to change herself for the man who cannot stand to see her ‘mixing decades’. Thus her return to her usual dress is a welcome sight by the end of the episode, where Jane returns to her senses and remembers that her personal style and image should never have been in question from a superficial man living in the past.
Returning to Jane’s choice to remain on the sidelines of her peppy high school community with Daria, Jane begins to show a degree of vulnerability through her style in the 'The F Word' episode. Catalysed by her teacher to ‘fail’ at something, Jane decides to fail at being ‘unconventional’ shedding her look and donning what she deems to be the conventional 90s style. She wears a crop top, miniskirt and hides her blunt bob in a scrunchied high pony all tied together by her teddy bear backpack. Her sudden change in style invites the attention of the cheerleading squad who immediately treat her differently, not even recognising her as the Jane they have ignored for the duration of their schooling experience. This experience shakes Jane’s perception of her own fashion choices; if there is so much less resistance involved in conformity, it begs the question of why she should struggle to maintain her own individual style if she could achieve contentment with a conventional look. To eradicate her fear that all her efforts to remain steadfast in her style have been meaningless, she tries out to be a cheerleader and in the Lawndale colours of blue and yellow it becomes clear that the cheerleader outfit, miniskirts and scrunchies are nothing more than a costume and do not confirm the presence of ‘pep’ within her soul. As order is restored and she returns to her regular outfit, just as she does after Danny, she affirms her own personal style and identity, and more importantly, that pep is definitively inherent not cultivated.
Jane’s wardrobe also shifts when she is on the other side of the cheer as an athlete. During the episode ‘See Jane Run’ Jane is once again ripped from her leather boots and is characterised by her track uniform and athleisure. Outside of the track uniform she maintains her wardrobe’s primary colour palette wearing a red sports top, but nonetheless she is defined by her representation of the Lawndale colours again. Her change in character and clothing is spurred by her PE teacher’s likening Jane to her older sister, who is postured as a slacker. Thus her commitment to school sports, although a testament to her athletic abilities, is representative of a festering insecurity that she is a slacker. To see her gilded in the Lawndale vest and shorts once again is representative of clothing used as a signpost for conformity - after Jane realises that her place on the track team causes her moral compass to run askew, as before she returns to her previous look whilst not abandoning her love for running.
As the often overlooked counterpart to Daria’s character, Jane’s style and character are integral to the journey that is the five seasons of Daria. Jane Lane remains a welcome friend for those who stand in the liminal space between social exclusion and normalcy, and her style is a testament to this.
Written by Maaya Karuppiah, Columnist
Edited by Daisy Packwood, Fashion Editor
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