“You’re watching Disney Channel!” The iconic Disney Channel shows of our childhoods had their characters attending high school in high heels, boots, sparkly dresses, crazy animal prints and the bizarre but legendary “dress-over-jeans combo.” Were we ever supposed to believe high school students actually dressed like that? Actually, no. The reason behind Disney’s eccentric styling has substance behind it. Former Disney channel stylist Cathryn Wagner shared that competing with cartoons for popularity was a factor in styling Disney characters such as Lizzy McGuire and Hannah Montana.
“When I was first working on the Disney Channel, someone told me, ‘You have to understand that live-action shows are basically competing with cartoons for kids’ attention,’” said Wagner, to Vogue.
Wagner’s quotes are consistent with most Disney shows’ fashion, showcasing an eye-catching mix of hot pinks, yellow, turquoise and some unflattering shades, such as lime green. Often, the colors or prints did not match or seem cohesive with each other, but they worked out since characters were typically drawn in distinctive, colorful outfits in cartoon character designs. Children are often captivated by the bright colors and imaginative outfits displayed in Disney’s cartoons and live action shows. For instance, the popular 2000’s Disney show “Jessie,” starring Debbie Ryan, followed the story of 18-year-old Jessie Prescott, who moved to New York to pursue her dreams of being an actress. Jessie’s character was a hard working nanny, chasing the kids she cared for around the city. However, she was commonly styled in unpractical heels, dresses, hats and scarves which also seemed very mature, as she was only 18.
“But in ‘Jessie,’ they wore really long skirts and brightly colored flannel shirts,” FHS sophomore Aishi Nanda said. “I don’t think I’d wear their outfits because I don’t have the confidence to go out in public in a bright red dress with tall boots.”
This makes sense, as Disney channel was designed for kids, after all, and all the bright colors and funky personal style helped add to the magic of the show, as well as representing the character’s personalities.
“I think their outfits are fun for the show, but unrealistic for what people would actually wear,” FHS junior Chloe Maxwell said. ”I think they were dressed like that because it was more to show their personality.”
Another notable detail of Disney’s styling was the absurd combination of a dress over a pair of jeans. This outfit combination unexpectedly did make some appearances in real-life 2000’s fashion, showing up on stars like Jessica Alba, Selena Gomez and, to no-one’s surprise,appearances on the Disney red carpet. The real reason behind the dress-over-jeans design was actually for modesty purposes.
“They had a picture of Miley [Cyrus], and she was wearing a polka-dot dress and jeans,” Wagner said. “Those girls would wear jeans for modesty because they were always jumping around and running around. But looking back now, I am like, ‘That’s weird.’” Unexpectedly, Disney’s styling was a lot deeper and more calculated than our childhood selves could have imagined.
