Fashion
Lena Dunham Wore The Best Rompers And Dresses In 'Girls' Season 2 — "Shorteralls" Are All The Proof You Need
As a lover of Lena Dunham and her unapologetically candid style, I am a huge fan of Hannah Horvath's fashion in Girls . Besides the laughs and life lessons, I'm endlessly inspired by the stylistic choices of the characters, particularly Hannah's (she clearly knows her way around a romper).
Not only are her outfits on point, but the politics behind how Lena chooses to present her character, as well as how these outfits aid and illustrate character development, are super important to me and to any Girls viewer.
I was feeling nostalgic with season 5 beginning production this week, and marathoned the series in my downtime. I discovered that season 2 is a particularly good season for both incredible outfits and incredible breakthroughs. So check out the six best outfits I've compiled — what a great season it was!
Image: HBO
Episode One: Collared Dress
The second season opens with new beginnings for Hannah, as her former best friend Marnie moves out and ex/new best friend Elijah moves in. We also see a shift in Hannah no longer wanting to exist for the needs of others, and therefore distancing herself from the toxic relationship she and Adam shared, and finding love with her new fling, Sandy.
To bring in the new and good vibes, Hannah hosts a party in the new apartment and is feeling great and in charge. She rocks a short-sleeved dress with retro print, a huge pilgrim-like collar, and a cinch at the waist. She looks great, even though she claims that she’s embodying a “sailor nun,” and changes into an equally cute floral tank dress.
Hannah is more than capable of crafting her own identity, and changing it as the feelings arise. In season 2, she is trying on new dresses, new relationships, and new identities. At the end of the episode, however, old habits die hard as she shows up at Sandy’s apartment in the middle of the night, stripping off her dress and reverting back to an older identity (circa Adam and Hannah).
Image: HBO
Episode Two: Purple Romper
Visiting with Jessa, who had just returned from her honeymoon, Hannah realizes she may be shortchanging herself in her relationship with Sandy. The sex is great but, as Jessa points out, he is not supporting her creatively after making excuses about not reading her essay.
In this episode, the first romper makes its appearance and it’s glorious. She calls the purple and plaid garment “shorteralls” when Jessa’s husband compliments them and Hannah’s general inclination for dressing in a unique way.
The front has a bit of a distressed and runny look, which makes it look more like funky purple tie dye. The outfit is accented with an adorable silver robot necklace, and perfect for storing a tiny Chihuahua puppy Hannah lovingly named Hanukkah in the front. As Hannah said earlier in the episode, “I’ve always danced to the beat of my own drummer, ever since I cut my camp shirt into a halter top.” Hannah follows her heart and breaks up with Sandy.
Image: HBO
Episode Four: Plaid Frock
In the aftermath of episode three, a cocaine-filled night of dancing that ended in tough confessions and broken friendships, Hannah throws an “adult” dinner party after Elijah has officially moved out. After having “cleaned up (her) divorce from Elijah,” the apartment is arranged differently again for the second time this season.
Hannah rocks a yellow and greenish black sleeveless dress with big wooden buttons, accented by her gold earrings and gold studded bracelet. She pins back the front of her hair as she did in the first episode’s apartment party (perhaps Hannah’s go-to look for facing new beginnings).
Even though the party falls apart and Hannah burns her pad thai, her effort to try to get her life together is real and not unnoticed. As her friend Shoshanna proclaims, “I really think that the best years of your life are like totally going to happen here.” We’ll see…
Image: HBO
Episode Five: The Single Greatest Romper In the World
In this episode, Hannah meets a mysterious older man at her new job at Grumpy’s when he comes to complain to her boss and friend Ray about garbage from the cafe being put in his cans. She essentially follows him home, in her absolutely adorable birds-covered romper and TopShop-looking brown flats.
In a days-long sexcapade with this guy, who turns out to be a married doctor, Hannah admits that she’s tired of treating her life like an experiment for her writing. She comes to terms with the fact that she needs love and stability like everyone else, and that being within a comfort zone of some sort could be beneficial for her.
The delicate beauty of her outfit perfectly complements how gentle Hannah is with herself in this episode, and the raw emotion she exudes as she makes these important life discoveries. The infamous romper reappearing in the season also highlights that Hannah is seeking to stay true to her unique and most authentic self.
Image: HBO
Episode Six: Blue Hannah, Blue Romper
In episode six, Marnie invites Hannah to her boyfriend’s house party, attended mostly by the art elite of New York. Hannah feels very out of place at both the party and in her relationship with Marnie. Their friendship is clearly strained as their interactions have become a lot less intimate and rather awkward and forced.
She sports a blue and slightly frumpy romper, which seems to reflect the old, less polished Hannah — the Hannah who was friends with Marnie. At the closing of the episode, the end seems near for the girls’ friendship as viewers watch the distant and lie-ridden phone call they share.
Image: HBO
Episode Seven: Vintagey Dress
In episode seven, Hannah accompanies Jessa on a visit to her dysfunctional father upstate. Hannah rocks a burnt orange frock that looks like an organic cotton-made dress you’d see in a health food store. This perfectly aligns with Jessa, her father, and his latest girlfriend’s hippie sensibility. It’s accented with a neat pink manicure with black tips, a feat that seemed out of character for Hannah.
Although the weekend was weird and filled with odd food offerings (“Is this rabbit the same rabbit that we were feeding and petting in a loving way this morning?”), Jessa’s strained relationship with her father reminded Hannah how grateful she is for the stability in her own life provided by her parents.
Image: HBO
