Fashion Club

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Lawndale Fashion Club


Img_capt = clockwise from top left: Stacy, Sandi, Quinn, Tiffany
Current_members = Sandi Griffin, President
Quinn Morgendorffer, Vice President
Stacy Rowe, Secretary
Tiffany Blum-Deckler, Coordinating Officer

The Fashion Club is a fictional clique that is regularly featured in MTV's animated series spin-off, "Daria".

The Fashion Club is a four piece group consisting of vacuous, popularity obsessed high school girls in the fictional "Daria" universe. Primarily based at Lawndale High School, the girls represent an elite force of teenagers who rank among the upper echelons of popularity, along with the stereotypical list of jocks, cheerleaders, and prepsters. The club hierarchy functions in a matter similar to The Plastics in the 2004 film, "Mean Girls", and the eponymous girl group of the 1989 film "Heathers". The club serves largely as a stage for competition between de jure President Sandi Griffin and Vice-President Quinn Morgendorffer, as the two attempt to garner attention and praise from their peers while struggling to exert their influence over the group. Within the series, the Fashion Club's purpose is primarily farcical, serving as a humorous sounding board for the darker and more realistic lives led by Daria and her cohorts.

Members

Presumably, the Fashion Club existed in a time previous to Quinn Morgendorffer's arrival to the suburb of Lawndale in episode #101, "Esteemsters." At the start of the "Daria" series, the Club was made up of the following members:

andi Griffin

:(First Appearance: Episode #101, "Esteemsters"):Sandi serves as the club's president and absolute dictator. The product of her mother Linda's controlling and dominating personality, Sandi has a knack for sniffing out weak individuals and then bullying them into submission. She, like her mother, speaks with a thick, snooty-sounding accent, and has mastered the art of faux politeness, delivering backhanded compliments to her peers and even her elders. Sandi manipulates others by assaulting their insecurities and then broadcasting their shortcomings in public. Her stranglehold over the Fashion Club is later challenged when Quinn moves to Lawndale, and she adopts an increasingly insulting and domineering attitude towards Quinn over time, though Quinn generally parries Sandi's comments and overlooks her malevolent leanings. Sandi was voiced by Janie Mertz, and is portrayed as the queen bee of the the group.
* Interests: "Gemstone identification, the tragic life and death of Princess Di, debating the difference between trouser socks and knee-highs."
* Relationship Goals: "I hope to meet my other half, start a family, and buy a house you can't see from the road."
* Ideal Man: "Someone who will treat me with respect and devotion, even on those days when I can't stand the sight of his fat stupid face."cite news | url=http://mtv.com/onair/daria/fashionclub/soulmateselect/| title=The Fashion Club's "Selective Soulmate" Profiles| accessdate=2006-10-29]

tacy Rowe

:(First Appearance: Episode #101, "Esteemsters"):Stacy Rowe holds the position as club secretary, but she'd be more than willing to work under whatever title Sandi or anyone else assigns her, provided that she won't be called stupid or blamed for any accidents along the way. Insecure, shy, and overanalytical, Stacy's self-esteem is a battered mess. She rarely speaks up against anything Sandi suggests, though it's obvious she favors Quinn's opinion more than the others. A regular chameleon, Stacy is easily persuaded to follow the trends of the group, and suffers minor trauma when she thinks she's been deliberately shut out from the group's collective decisions and activities. In the movie "Is It Fall Yet?" she expresses anger and calls herself stupid when she isn't able to answer a history question. According to MTV's official "Daria" site, Stacy's feet are size 6 1/2 AA. Stacy was voiced by Sarah Drew, and functions as a worker bee.
* Interests: "Aromatherapy, the tragic life and death of Margaux Hemingway, collecting fragile glass animals, assertiveness training."
* Relationship Goals: "I'd like to meet someone to grow old with. A plastic surgeon would be helpful in this area."
* Ideal Man: "Will accept me as I am. Unless you'd like me better if I were different. What should I change

Tiffany Blum-Deckler

:(First Appearance: Episode #102, "The Invitation"):As the Coordinating Officer, Tiffany's official job is to ensure than none of the club members' clothes ever clash with one another. Unofficially, Tiffany serves as the insincere "yes man" of the group, playing against either Sandi or Quinn, depending on who's winning at the time. However, she does little to contribute to the actual conversations at hand. Tiffany is much more content with staring vacantly through space or with primping herself in a mirror than she is with actually fueling the fire between either Sandi or Quinn. She is generally presented as the least intelligent and most vapid of the group, as she speaks slowly with a valley girl monotone to her voice, something Stacy mocks overtly in the episode "Fat Like Me". Tiffany is also the only Asian high school student included as a series regular. Tiffany was voiced (slowly) by Ashley Albert, and also functions as a worker bee.
* Interests: "Grooming (especially buffing), the tragic life and death of Selena, varieties of lettuce."
* Relationship Goals: "I am looking for a serious long term relationship of at least three months."
* Ideal Man: "Is comfortable in both jeans and a tuxedo, but not at the same time. That would just be weird."

...And Then There Were Four: Quinn Morgendorffer

:(First Appearance: Episode #101, "Esteemsters"):Quinn makes an immediate impression on Sandi and Stacy within her first minute at LHS, and is asked to join the Fashion Club on her first day at school. She takes her role as vice president very seriously, and is often the first one to come up with new activities or plans for the group to take part in. Quinn could very easily survive outside the confines of the Fashion Club, but her own insecurities prevent her from venturing outside the safety of the group's presence. Although she presents a very shallow and self-centered persona around Sandi and the other girls, Quinn is noticeably more intelligent, insightful and conservative than she leads others to believe. Many of her battles with Sandi are signs of Quinn's maturity and her repressed concern for others. Quinn was voiced by Wendy Hoopes.
* Interests: "Fine dining, the tragic life and death of JFK Jr., animal rights (but none of that paint-throwing stuff), Pilates."
* Relationship Goals: "To find an equal partner in life to share everything with, except the closets where I need at least 75 percent."
* Ideal Man: "I am looking for my knight in shining armor. A flat area on the armor would be helpful for fixing lipstick."

Philosophy

Among other things, Quinn insists that "...The whole Fashion Club philosophy is built on getting guys to follow us around." And follow, they do. The Fashion Club has a talent for attracting men of all ages, and then using them to perform whatever tasks they desire. The girls have used their charms to get even perfect strangers to drive them about town, buy them dinner, clothes, accessories, or to perform physical labor. Most of the attention from men is centered around Quinn, who excels in tempting the opposite sex without ever rewarding them with sexual advances. Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie are inevitably present to be used in this way.

In episode #503, "Fat Like Me," Quinn recites the following list of characteristics of the Fashion Club mission to Stacy and Tiffany:
* Stop the vertically challenged from wearing really fat stripes
* Point out icky fibers to icky fibers wearers
* Fight frosted shadows (unless it's at a costume party)
* Hold the highest standards possible: No ankle boot too pointy, no chartreuse too chartreusey, and no mock turtleneck too mocky
* Never, ever date anyone less attractive than you are (although equally attractive is okay)

Initiation and Membership

The Fashion Club prides itself on being one of the most exclusive groups at Lawndale High; so exclusive that the girls find recruiting and admitting new members too difficult, with the lack of other students appealing to their standards of vanity. Each Fashion Club member is an avid reader of "Waif" magazine. For the most part, prospective members are chosen based on their physical attractiveness and overall popularity. This is perhaps the reason Quinn was singled out as a candidate for admission on her very first day at Lawndale High; allowing her to join the Club would increase the clout of the previously existing members while scuttling any chance for Quinn to singlehandedly overpower the group with her own individual popularity. Sandi makes good use of Quinn's genial manner by allowing her to attract attention to the Fashion Club as a whole, but is quick to put Quinn in her place when her admirers detract from the spotlight of Sandi or the other girls.

As central as Quinn is to the core of the Fashion Club, her position is not tenured. Sandi makes this clear in episode #109, "Too Cute," when fellow schoolmate Brooke becomes a potential rival (and candidate for Fashion Club membership) after getting plastic surgery. When Brooke inquires about joining the group, Sandi refers to Quinn's possible departure. "...We may have an opening soon. What's the rule? Last hired, first fired?" Sandi also enforces a "Fashion sabbatical" whenever any of the girls steps outside of her good graces. Quinn has been put on such probation at least twice. ("Quinn the Brain," "Depth Takes a Holiday")

With regards to potential candidates, the Fashion Club has officially voted upon the following requirements:
* Applicants cannot have stubby fingertips or nails shorter than 1/4 an inch.
* Applicants with few eyelashes must agree to wear mascara at all times.
* The maximum allowable weight is reviewable on a case by case basis.

It is not clear if potential members are required to complete a form of initiation or hazing before being admitted to the Fashion Club, however, the practice would not be out of Sandi's character.

In the series finale movie "Is It College Yet?", the Fashion Club officially disbands but the four women agree to continue to hang out together and enjoy all of their newly accessible free time.

Volunteer Work

The Fashion Club's volunteer and charity work primarily serves to either improve their social status, inflate the members' egos, or to update their wardrobes and makeup supplies.
* Episode #105, "Malled." Quinn suggests that the group sponsors a surprise makeover for a random mall shopper in order to draw attention to their fabulous creative talent. Sandi agrees, adding that the girls should "...Have a fundraiser to buy her makeup."
* Episode #212, "Pierce Me." The Fashion Club participates in a charity mother-daughter fashion show. While the other girls walk the runway with their real mothers and/or step-mothers, Tiffany recruits a professional model, an African-American woman.
* Episode #302, "The Old and the Beautiful." The Fashion Club starts a clothing drive to donate gently used clothing to the needy. However, instead of glady accepting any and all donations given to them, the girls refuse to take any article of clothing that doesn't meet their trendy standards. They eventually present a pair of go-go boots and a belly chain as their donation, much to the dismay of Principal Angela Li.
* Episode #406, "I Loathe a Parade." The girls show their school spirit by riding a Fashion Club sponsored float for Lawndale's annual homecoming parade. Each of the members is dressed from head to toe in formal evening wear.
* Episode #505, "The Story of D." The girls create a fashion-newsletter, but they have to recall each issue after every one of their fashion predictions is proved to be out-of-style.

Quotes

cquote|Tiffany: ("On the phone with Stacy, Sandi and Quinn") You know, I saw this homeless guy on TV once and he was wearing plaid pants with a striped top.

Stacy: Ew! Why can't he just reach inside his shopping cart and pick out something that matches?

" – Episode #503," "Fat Like Me"" [cite news | url=http://www.outpost-daria.com/ts_ep503.html| publisher=Outpost-Daria| title=Transcript of 'Fat Like Me'| accessdate=2006-10-29]

cquote|Stacy: Let's begin with a debate on crew necks. Now, I think people with long necks look really good in them because they make their necks look long.

Tiffany: Do you think I look good in crew necks?

Stacy: Of course. You look good in anything. But what about the color? I think I prefer pastels.

Tiffany: Do you think I look good in pastels?

Stacy: Um, yes, Tiffany. ("looks at magazine") Anyway, I don't care how long her neck is. I can't believe she dated Matt Damon.

Tiffany: Do you think I'd look good with Matt Damon?

References