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"To lead the Lawndale High School populace in all matters of attire, personal adornment, and garmentual self-enhancement. To support fellow students in achieving their appearance goals, even the hopeless ones with greasy bangs and rough, dry elbows. To spot trends, reflect upon them, and critique without malice or favor (like why are all those girls with thick calves jumping on the Capri pants bandwagon?). To maintain standards of dress in school hallways and classrooms using the time-honored tools of philosophical enlightenment: logic, gentle persuasion, and vicious, relentless ridicule." -From their website, the mission statement

The Fashion Club is a Lawndale High school club, a self-appointed 'upper class' concerned with the promotion of "looking good," both through example and the critique of others. They have extremely high physical and social standards for admission: there are strict requirements for weight (in Fat Like Me it was decided this would be on a case-by-case basis) and fingertip length, and Brooke had to have extensive plastic surgery to get the point of possibly getting membership.

Admission Policies[]

Admission to the Fashion Club appears to be a lofty ambition of many girls at Lawndale High. During the series, we never see any admissions besides Quinn, who is admitted, as Vice-President, on her first day at school. Brooke is strung along with implied promises of admission, but these presumably false promises fall apart when Brooke's plastic surgeries go wrong, and Quinn mentions that she won't be able to join.

Admission policies are seen being discussed in the episode Fat Like Me, and later, the group fails to find any girls at school that meet their standards.

The Club's Place in Lawndale High's Social Order[]

The Fashion Club appear to be at the top of the Lawndale High social order: at noted, boys used to do anything for them, Brooke was desperate to join, they got into the right parties, and they have a strong following of boys (up to and including a bloody punk) in The Story of D.

The Fashion Club definitely views itself as highly popular, and Quinn certainly is. However, Brooke was the only girl who wanted to join, the boys did stop giving them rides after a while, and most of the boys shown were interested solely in Quinn (to Sandi's annoyance), with Stacy being blown off by her only known date.

The club only had three members before Quinn joined. Evan, a popular kid and member of the track team, had publicly dismissed the Club (See Jane Run). Notably, Tiffany once stated "Everyone likes us because we tell them what's wrong with their outfits," a remark that heavily implies the opposite (on the writer's part).

The Selective Soulmate website (see web presence) implies Sandi has to date people who don't live in Lawndale by the time of Season 5, as she's developed a reputation for paranoia and viciousness.

The Fashion Club & Academics[]

It's made clear throughout the show that they do not perform well academically. In Quinn's case, this turns out to be because she's bright but is deliberately not trying hard enough. She knows she's smarter than the others and expects to get higher marks (but doesn't let on about this), and was worried when she didn't get a much higher score on the P-STATs in Is It Fall Yet? It is not known if Sandi is dumb or just lazy, but it is known that Tiffany and Stacy just aren't that bright—Is It Fall Yet? has Stacy noted as trying to learn and not doing well. Stacy does do better on P-STAT scores than both Sandi and Tiffany though. While Sandi expresses contempt for the idea of academic learning, she still pretends she got higher marks than she did so she didn't seem dumber than the rest of the group.

The Fashion Club was officially disbanded at the end of the Daria series, with all four members deciding to take extended sabbaticals. However, the four immediately started making plans with each other to fill their newly freed time.

Members & Their Roles[]

Fashion Club Members
Role Member
President Sandi Griffin
Vice-President Quinn Morgendorffer
Secretary Stacy Rowe
Treasurer Tiffany Blum-Deckler

Overview[]

They may be shallow but that doesn't mean they should be executed.
Yes it does.
Very well, I'm sold.

- Daria and Jane, The Old and the Beautiful

The club is generally assumed to be one of the most powerful cliques at Lawndale High. The members are presented as being highly popular and at all the right parties. In early episodes such as Malled, they could get boys to drive them anywhere they wanted just on the promise of getting to hang out with them; they abused this by making the boys stay in the car during their shopping trips, and eventually boys stopped giving them rides (Legends of the Mall).

While the Fashion Club are an official school-sanctioned extracurricular club, they are referred to during a school assembly in The Old and the Beautiful—they seem to lack a faculty adviser or any sort of oversight. They have an internal charter and by-laws, which is quite byzantine, Antisocial Climbers implies Sandi is making up the by-laws but it's the only episode to do so.

Depth Takes a Holiday has a report from the Accessory Committee. Since there's only four girls in the club, it's possible that Tiffany is the entire committee.

Sandi Griffin has stated she founded the club.

Background[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Season 5[]

In Fat Like Me, The Fashion Club is meeting at Sandi's house and they discuss the various items on their agenda. They are interrupted by Sandi's brothers who are fighting over a remote-controlled car by the stairs. Sandi goes out of her room to tell the boys to stop making noise during the meeting of the Fashion Club. The brothers continue to fight over the remote which causes the car to crash into Sandi, who trips down the stairs and break her leg.

Quinn, Stacy, and Tiffany look down the stairs in shock.

At another Fashion Club meeting, at the Morgendorffer house, Sandi is shown to be absent. The rest of the Fashion Club members are talking, when Quinn gets a call from Sandi. Quinn puts Sandi on speaker phone and questions her on how she's feeling. Sandi tells her that she can't even give herself a pedicure with her cast. Quinn asks if Sandi is sure she doesn't want to have this meeting at her house. An annoyed Sandi says she is sure. Quinn expresses sympathy for Sandi and says she's missed having her around the past few weeks.

Stacy approaches Quinn and Tiffany to tell them about Jackie, who is wearing green shoes with yellow socks. Tiffany remarks she never did like her. Quinn notices that Sandi is back at school with crutches and says that she can't believe it. Stacy, thinking they are still talking about Jackie, misunderstands and says she couldn't believe it either. Quinn clarifies that she was talking about Sandi, who is revealed to have put on a significant amount of weight in her absence.

Sandi approaches the other girls and tells Tiffany to stop staring at her. Quinn nervously tells Sandi that her new skirt is cute. Stacy almost says that they can hardly tell Sandi has gained weight, but quickly changes it to gained a cast. Quinn is approached by Jamie, Jeffy, and Joey and they ague over who should walk Quinn to class. Quinn tries to tell them Sandi is back in school, but Sandi rushes out the door. Once Sandi is outside, she questions out loud why this is happening to her and says she's ruined.

Later, once they are home, Quinn and Stacy discuss Sandi leaving school early and say she doesn't look that bad. Stacy remarks that she could be a spokesperson for "weight-challenged people." Quinn gets a call from Sandi and tells her that she'll be right over.

At Sandi's house, she tells Quinn that she is lucky to still be thin. Sandi informs Quinn that she is resigning as president due to the Fashion Club's stringent obesity policy she is resigning as president. Quinn protests this and Sandi says she hopes that when Quinn is president she'll remember her as she used to be. Quinn tells Sandi she could never take her place. Sandi, in tears, tells her that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to her. She thanks Quinn for being such a good friend and resigning from the Fashion Club. Quinn hesitantly tells her not to mention it.

At the next Fashion Club meeting, Quinn announces to the other girls that Sandi is resigning. They say that's awful and conclude Quinn must be the new president. They start congratulating her and Quinn explains she is also resigning due to the promise she made Sandi. The other girls protest what they are supposed to do now, and Quinn gives them a motivational speech about how to carry on the Fashion Club without them.

At the Fashion Club meeting, Stacy tries to get Tiffany to come up with specific points they should discuss. Tiffany has difficulty doing so and Stacy suggests they beg Quinn to come back.

The next day at school, they try to beg Quinn to come back saying they need her. Quinn tells them she promised Sandi that she wouldn't. Stacy tells her that Sandi doesn't have to know and Quinn says she'll think about it.

Jane, who overhears this conversation goes up to Brittany and gives a hypothetical scenario about a Kevin cheating on her with her friend Angie. Brittany says Angie wouldn't do that. Jane pointedly says that friends don't stab each other in the back and that she new a girl who felt so guilty about stabbing her friend in the back that she ended up in an insane asylum from the guilt. Brittany says it serves her right for being a backstabber and Quinn looking guilty walks off. Jane thanks Brittany for clearing that up for her. After Jane walks off, Brittany says she can't wait to get her hands on Kevin for cheating on her.

In the Morgendorffer kitchen, Quinn tells Stacy they will just have to find some new members. The phone beeps and Quinn questions what if it's Sandi. After Quinn hangs up Stacy concludes they are on their own. She brings up the topics she brought up for that meeting and Tiffany questions if she'll look good in different things which Stacy gives her a reluctant yes to. Stacy concludes by saying Quinn is right and they need more members.

Later, Daria is sitting on the kitchen counter eating ice cream. Quinn is on the phone with Stacy who gives different suggestions for potential Fashion Club candidates and Quinn rejects all of them saying it doesn't sound like their are any suitable girls at school. Quinn sighs and hangs up, walks over to Daria, telling her she'll end up like Sandi if she keeps eating ice cream. Daria asks Quinn if this means her friendship with Sandi is over now that she can no longer squeeze into a size zero.

Quinn tells Daria that she's not shallow and Sandi has not gotten ugly. Daria tells Quinn she misjudged her and didn't realize she would sacrifice her popularity for the sake of friendship. Quinn questions what she means, and Daria explains that they know society discriminates against fat people, to the point of shunning them. Daria states that the old Quinn might have done the same thing. She states that it's great how the new Quinn sticks by her friend no matter how heavy she gets.

Daria goes on to say that a shallower friend might try to help Sandi lose weight so that she can rejoin the Fashion Club and life can resume as normal. Daria once again congratulates Quinn on accepting Sandi as she is. Quinn then rushes off, saying that she has to go.

Quinn heads over to Sandi's house and knocks on the door. Her brothers let Quinn inside and lead her up to Sandi's room where it is revealed she has had her cast removed and is scarfing down chocolates. Sandi tells Quinn to go ahead and laugh at her disfigurement. She tells Sandi she is there to help her lose weight and that she is not disfigured. Sandi says it's too late for her. Quinn reminds her that she is not thirty and that she is still beautiful on the inside.

Quinn plays an aerobics tape she brought with her and Sandi starts crying, telling Quinn she loves her. The girls make up and hug as they both are crying.

At school, Stacy and Tiffany are walking the halls. They realize Quinn is right about there being no suitable girl candidates for the Fashion Club. They decide to try inviting boys and allow The Three J's to join. The boys question if Quinn will be there. Stacy tells them no but they want their opinion on girls in bathing suits, which excites the boys. Daria and Jane overhear the conversation and bet on whether this is the last official meeting of the Fashion Club.

At Stacy's the boys, Tiffany, and Stacy are in Stacy's living room. The boys ask about the bikinis and Stacy tells them that's not till later, and right now they are discussing tank tops. The boys misunderstand and think she is taking about war tanks. They once again ask where the bikinis are and Stacy shows them pictures of models wearing bikinis in a magazine and asks what fabric they like best. The boys realizing that this was not what they were expecting, run out the door saying they have somewhere else to be.

Stacy, panicking asks what they are going to do because the fashion club is falling apart. Tiffany says she needs concealer.

At the Lawndale Health Spa, Quinn times Sandi as she swims laps and notes her progress on a chart. Sandi asks if she can rest and Quinn gives her a pep talk to motivate her to continue.

At school, Stacy is muttering angrily in the bathroom mirror. Tiffany walks in and questions Stacey on when the meeting will be. Stacy goes off on Tiffany saying that she is the one doing all the work, and Tiffany won't even lift a finger. Stacy exclaims that she quits. Tiffany says maybe she should quit too. This causes Stacy to shriek and run out of the bathroom in response.

It is finally revealed by the gathering of a crowd of people that Sandi has returned to her former weight. Jane defeatedly tosses her former winnings in the air. Daria looks triumphant at this.

At the next meeting of the Fashion Club at the Morgendorffer's, Sandi has once again rejoined the others. The girls are once again seen discussing requirements to join the Fashion Club. There is shown to be a change in dynamic within the group. Sandi realizes things are not going to be the same as before, and is shown to be slightly uneasy at this.

The Club & Daria Morgendorffer[]

FashionClub Daria

Daria, the anti-Fashion.

Daria and the Fashion Club as an entity had very few interactions; while Daria was aware of and contemptuous of them, she tried to avoid them and they tried to avoid her. Exceptions to this included several deliberate attempts to start a conversation in Too Cute, The Misery Chick, and Quinn the Brain or unsuccessful makeover attempts in Malled and I Loathe a Parade, (to show the public what good work they do); and Fat Like Me, where Daria covertly helps the Fashion Club survive in order to win a bet with Jane (neither cared beyond that). The Fashion Club didn't think much of Daria, but as Quinn the Brain shows, the girl unnerved them: an attempt to talk to Daria went tits-up because none of the three had the guts to talk to her.

Fashion Club parade

Fashion Club float in I Loathe a Parade.

Web Presence[]

The two original MTV Daria websites gave the Fashion Club their own website and online presence, the first in 1999 and the second in 2001.

That Lawndale Look, in 1999, ran monthly articles by the members ("Internet Shopping vs. Real Shopping"), a guide to the members, an application form ("automated rejection feature"), a Flaw Finder by Tiffany, quotes and wallpaper, and a copy of the Mission Statement. Selective Soulmate

In 2001/02, they'd created Selective Soulmate, an online dating site for popular people. Features included: Online Etiquette ("Quinn is full of useful advice in her usual know-it-all way"); Safety Tips ("Tiffany tells us how to protect ourselves in an online world full of weirdo freaks and sorry geeks"); and Success Story ("Stacy profiles a couple who met online and are still in that show-offy stage. It’s kind of sickening, actually.")

External Links[]

That Lawndale Look

Selective Soulmate

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