Heather Chandler’s name may not be as recognizable as Regina George’s, but the shining star of the 1988 film The Heathers has left her mark on the high school mean girl trope and on fashion. For such an influential character, though, Heather Chandler doesn’t get the same recognition as her male counterparts despite the similarity in traits they exhibit. Think of the gulf-sized gap in fame between Heather Chandler and Patrick Bateman of American Psycho, a character whose vapid shallowness and constant striving towards culturally acknowledged measures of “success” leaves him with a shattered identity. In this sense, they are the same character except they’re in entirely different situations and are made to play by different rules (i.e. the expectations of their gender).
And when it comes to vapid and shallow, few other things get as much hate for these perceived qualities as fashion. That’s why instead of a stuffy character analysis, we’ll be looking at Heather Chandler through the outfits she sports throughout the movies.
Heather Chandler’s Iconic Red and Everything It Stands For
Color is its own character in The Heathers. Each of the titular Heathers is assigned a color that serves as the only way to mark them as individuals and as a way to communicate their relationships with each other. While Heather McNamara is the meekest of the three Heathers, she’s not at the bottom of the totem pole. That honor goes to Heather Duke who is dressed in green for many scenes in the movie. Her envy of Heather Chandler is palpable and pointed out to us with the color (think of the phrase ‘Green with envy.’). Heather McNamara, who is the most anxious and submissive of the three, gets yellow, a color associated with cowardice.
Compared to them, Heather Chandler is the most active, dominant, and powerful of the bunch which is why we see her in red, a color that symbolizes life, passion, aggression, and violence. Red tells us all we need to know about Heather Chandler at a glance. She’s aggressive and a little violent in the way she deals with other students in Westerberg High, terrorizing them into following her. But she’s also incredibly enthusiastic about everything she does compared to the more sullen and reserved Heathers and Veronica.
Red is also a color of sexuality and we’re later shown that Heather uses her sexuality as a weapon, however, instead of making this a completely #girlboss #feminist thing that she does in the film, it’s made clear to us that she’s also a victim of sexual violence. Her bullying can only get her so far and when it comes to getting popular boys to follow her lead, she needs to do them sexual favors and even accept being forced into them.
In the movie, Heather Chandler takes Veronica to a party at Remington University where they meet her boyfriend, David, who makes Heather perform oral sex for him. Later, she’s seen spitting water at her mirror, clueing us in on her own self-loathing and her hatred of what she has to do to stay popular and in control. But misery needs company and she later gets mad at Veronica for refusing to have sex with the party’s host. It’s a reminder that passive, calm blue Veronica has more agency than her as well as a threat to her control over the Heathers since refusing sex here is the same thing as refusing Heather’s demands.
Heather Chandler’s Clothes as Identity and Armor
We never see Heather Chandler without her iconic red scrunchie, the symbol of her status as Westerberg’s mythic bitch, as Veronica calls her in the musical. It’s her crown and everyone else acknowledges it as such. When Heather Chandler passes away, Heather Duke starts wearing her red scrunchie and a red blazer. Even Veronica briefly wears the red scrunchie after she takes it from Heather Duke. Weirdly enough, while everyone who wants to “become” Heather Chandler by wearing her scrunchie and colors, it’s not really Heather Chandler either. Even for Chandler, her persona as this untouchable red queen was aspirational. She uses it and her snazzy shoulder pads, a staple of ’80s women’s office attire, to communicate confidence and dominance.
Rule the Roost at Westerberg Highschool With These Updated Heather Chandler-Inspired Outfits
If you plan on dressing like Heather Chandler, you better do it right unless you want the ghost of Heathers past looming over you in your sleep. The basics of Heather Chandler’s wardrobe are to wear a lot of red and structured outfits. Just so you don’t have to look for pieces on your own, here are outfit items you can add to your wardrobe so you can finally join the team.
1. The Iconic Red Blazer
Wear the Miss Selfridge Longline Fitted Waist Blazer in Red
It wouldn’t be a Heathers outfit without a red blazer. The ladies of the film all appear in a blazer in the movie, presenting them as a preppy and intimidating clique. Sure, Heather Chandler doesn’t wear a red blazer in the film, but she does in the musical. Besides, a red blazer is a great pop of color for an otherwise bland outfit. Imagine what this would look like over a plain black dress.
2. The Red Dress Heather Chandler Wore at the Party
Wear the River Island Ruched Front Mini Dress in Red
Heather Chandler wears a red dress with long sleeves and a heart shaped neckline in the party at Remington University. It doesn’t have the ruched details in this red dress from River Island, but it’s a pretty close copy that can double as a Halloween party costume. Think about it, dressing up as the Heathers + Veronica with your fellow Heathers-loving friends would be awesome.
3. Burgundy Loafers That Mix the Movie and Musical’s Heather Chandler Looks
Wear the Magnum Super Chunky Loafers in Burgundy
Heather Chandler wears a pair of red and black flats in the scene where she plays croquet with the Heathers and Veronica in Veronica’s backyard. In the musical, she wears a pair of Oxfords instead. This pair of chunky loafers strike a compromise between the aesthetics of both while giving you a more flexible wardrobe item that can just as easily be paired with jeans as a preppy all-red outfit.
4. The Red Scrunchie
Wear the Red Jumbo Velvet Scrunchie
You can’t be Heather Chandler without her signature red scrunchie. Instead of silk, this scrunchie is made of velvet which is a little more lux-looking, don’t you think?