Ghosts of noughties past: Revisiting the genius of Disney Channel’s stylists
OMG. Okay, so these are my OBSESSION CONFESSIONS. I know, maybe it’s a little embarrassing, but come on… Surely I can’t be the only one? This series is about all the things that we can’t take our eyes off, the latest viral TikTok trends, the secret infatuations with certain former boyband members…okay I’m only going to say this one more time, surely I can’t be the only one?
The outfits worn by some of our favourite ‘00s Disney Channel characters have lived rent-free in my head ever since my fashion-hungry 8-year-old self first feasted her eyes on them. They’ve been the subject of much ridicule, but I always admired their audacity. The clash. The jangle. The sheer number of layers. Could it be that we’re finally reaching the peak of this big old y2k renaissance? We’ve done the diamante and the flares and the baguette bags. But the particular kind of noughties maximalism - dresses over jeans, hats and beads, scarves and leg warmers - that was exemplified by the Disney Channel stylists of yore might just be the next frontier. Therefore, this year’s style inspiration feels fitting: the looks had a beautifully chaotic energy that always appealed to me, and does even more so right now. If the 2020’s are going to be as roaring as we’re hoping, I kind of want to look like chaos. To do so reclaims the instability the last year has thrown at us, and repurposes it into pure fun.
Now that thrifting is so ubiquitous, the sheer quantity of clothes required for such styling feels practical, too. The philosophy is simple: ‘wear it all.’ As in, literally wear as many clothes as you can fit onto your body. In shows like Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, That’s So Raven and Wizards of Waverly Place, rarely did we see looks with fewer than ten elements, or episodes with fewer than several outfit changes. I imagine the wardrobe department as a kind of Willy Wonka Factory: garms on tap, rather than chocolate. It sounds like a dream, but it’s not that far off the near-limitless wardrobe we now have at our fingertips. Beyond the continuous spew of styles being coughed up by fast fashion brands, we now have the infinite treasure troves that are eBay and Depop just a tap-tap away. I don’t know about you, but I have a growing pile of lockdown purchases that I’ve been hoarding in anticipation of brighter days. This might be all the encouragement I need to wear them all at once...
“If the 2020’s are going to be as roaring as we’re hoping, I kind of want to look like chaos.”
True, Disney Channel stylists can’t be credited for starting many of the trends they referenced, but they can be applauded for the magic they created with their work. Each character living in the parallel Disney-verse had a fantasy wardrobe to match: almost-normal clothes that were somehow always MORE, elevated by finely balanced cocktails of colour and perfectly composed piles of accessories. The result was a special kind of extra-ness that can only be described as ‘Disney’.
A special mention must go to Cathryn Wagner, the costume designer behind Lizzie McGuire’s infamous wardrobe, and the mastermind behind the much-overlooked style icon that was London Tipton. With London, Wagner was able to achieve the sartorially near-impossible. Navy blue sequined t-shirt, denim, waistcoat, ugly-as-hell pleated skirt and, er, a neckwarmer? Stunning. Turquoise dress, turquoise trousers, turquoise feather boa and gold wedges? Couldn’t be chicer. Custard-coloured flat cap, bubble-gum-pink top and a bejewelled yellow scarf? Absolute magic. To get such monstrosities to work is nothing short of genius.
So thank you, Disney Channel wardrobe fairies. You taught me that more really is always more (as long as it’s colour-coordinated). When I’m getting dressed to party again this summer, I’ll be thinking of you - and Ashley Tisdale. And don’t you worry, I’ll be wearing enough jewellery to blind a man too.
