On April 30, it will have been 10 years since Mean Girls was first released. That's right, people — 10 whole years. Feeling old yet? In honor of the now-iconic film's big birthday, there are all kinds of fun pieces surfacing on the Internet about the film. Nylon interviewed the film's costume designer, Mary Jane Fort, and revealed some things you might not have known about the clothing choices in Mean Girls . Unsurprisingly, there was a lot more to the wardrobe decisions than, "One time I saw Cady Heron wearing cargo pants and flip-flops, so I bought cargo pants and flip flops."
1. The Costumes In Mean Girls Were Inspired By The Future And Past
Fort told Nylon that due to the fact that they had to plan the wardrobe for the movie in advance (Mean Girls was filmed in 2003, but set in 2004). Fort said they looked at the European fashion of the moment so see what trends would soon be in the US, and also took inspiration from high school girls in the '50s.
"For Mean Girls, we also went back in the world of when women and girls actually dressed to go to school. In the '50s your nails were done, your hair was done, and your dresses were impeccable," Fort said.
2. The Actresses Kept Some Of The Costumes
Apparently the actresses liked a lot of the clothes that they wore, and kept some of them too (no word on which). Note to self: snag role in movie that has great fashion and will one day become a cult-classic ASAP.
3. There Were A Few More Costume Changes Than You Probably Remember
There are a lot of clothes in Mean Girls. But according to Fort, there may have been even more outfits that you think. While Lindsay Lohan had "probably around 59" costume changes, Fort says each girl had at least 30 throughout the film. That's a lot of pink.
4. Tina Fey Had Input In the Cast Wardrobe, Too
If you didn't already know, Tina Fey not only acted in Mean Girls, she wrote it. (Yup, she is that amazing.) Even though Fort was the costume designer, she said that Fey worked with the costume department to make sure her vision of the story came to life in just the right way.
"I think it was when Cady wears the pink polo shirt, we first thought maybe it shouldn't be that oversized for a petite girl," Fort said. "...Tina said 'No, no it should really look like she's in Damian's shirt.' It was great to have a sounding board, and it helped it all make more sense when you're all there and you're all together and you can look at it and talk about it."
5. Mary Jane Fort Wanted The Plastics To Be Like Candy
Yes, candy.
You know that candy store, Dylan's Candy Bar? When you see this group, you want to feel like you walked into something delicious and wonderful even though it's kind of bad for you," Fort said of the "Plastics."
Click over to Nylon to read about the differences between Karen and Gretchen's looks, wearing pink on Wednesdays, and Fort's favorite outfit from the movie.
Images: Paramount
