Fashion Inspiration: Jane Porter from Walt Disney’s Tarzan
Jane Porter is a charming, talkative, and kindhearted young woman who travels to Africa to study apes in Walt Disney’s Tarzan. Jane has definitely got a knack for style, which is shown via her various outfit changes throughout the movie.
Like the previous articles in this series, the purpose of this article is to use a childhood idol as inspiration for outfits that you can actually pull off as a college student. All it takes is a little creativity!
For more Disney-inspired looks, check out our past articles on Walt Disney’s Snow White, Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Walt Disney’s Cinderella, Walt Disney’s Princess Jasmine, Walt Disney’s Princess Tiana, Walt Disney’s Pocahontas, and Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
About Jane Porter
Jane Porter is a beautiful and intelligent woman from England who is passionate about studying apes with her father, Professor Porter. She travels to Africa with her father and a hunting guide named Clayton, in search of apes to study. Once they arrive and set up camp, Jane is separated from her father and attacked by a pack of baboons. Sure she will never get away, Jane is suddenly rescued by a mysterious jungle man.
This jungle man is Tarzan, who was shipwrecked in Africa with his parents when he was only a baby. His parents were viciously killed by a leopard, and Tarzan was then taken in by an ape named Kala who raised him as one of her own. Jane thinks Tarzan is an amazing creature because he understands apes and can glide through the treetops with ease. He has a knack for mimicking, so Jane teaches him to speak English. She brings him to her camp and teaches him about the human species.
Jane and Tarzan eventually fall in love with each other. After discovering that Clayton has evil intentions of murdering the troop of apes, Jane and her father decide that they should remain in the jungle to live with Tarzan and the apes.
Jane Meets Tarzan
When Jane first meets Tarzan, she is wearing a pale yellow dress with a purple tie. Her dress embodies a simple style with girly accents. Also, even though she is in the jungle, Jane still wears high heels. This outfit inspired me to find this lovely dress with soft, feminine details. To accessorize, I added a purple necklace, subtle leopard print earrings (Jane is in the jungle, after all) and a cute pair of simple heels.
Earrings- Betsey Johnson, Clutch- Debenham’s, Dress- Topshop, Necklace- Anthropologie, Shoes- YesStyle
Tarzan’s Teacher
When Jane brings Tarzan to her camp to teach him about humans, she wears a casual outfit consisting of an olive green skirt and yellow top, with no shoes. If Jane’s look were translated into a modern casual outfit, she probably wouldn’t be wearing a floor-length skirt, so I chose a simple green romper, yellow cardigan, vintage oxford heels, and jungle-inspired accessories.
Cardigan- Bluenotes, Shoes- Modcloth, Romper- Urban Original, Bag- Chinese Laundry, Earrings- Fred Flare
Date with Tarzan
In one scene of the movie, Jane and Tarzan are hanging out alone and she is wearing a simple brown skirt and white top. Although what she is wearing is super casual, I chose to interpret it into a date night outfit, since the scene is somewhat romantic.
To translate Jane’s look into a date outfit, I used a simple white shirt that pairs nicely with a striped skirt. Finally, the heart earrings symbolize Jane and Tarzan’s blossoming love. This outfit gives off a very put-together vibe, which Jane Porter would definitely approve of.
Earrings- Avalaya, Skirt- EAT, Top- Forever 21, Shoes- Lori’s Shoes
Happily Ever After in the Jungle
When Jane decides to stay in the jungle permanently, she ditches her buttoned-up formal wear for a short brown top and skirt, similar to Tarzan’s loincloth.
Since most people don’t walk around in the female equivalent of a loincloth (thankfully), to channel this look, I chose a simple brown one=shouldered dress, a cross-body purse (so you don’t drop it if you happen to be swinging from treetop to treetop), and colorful shoes and earrings to add interest.
Bag- Fred Flare, Dress- Shop Ruche, Earrings- Avalaya, Shoes- Buckle
What do you think?
Are you inspired by Jane? Which Disney characters would you be interested in seeing posts about in the future? I want to know what you think, so be sure to leave your thoughts in a comment!
Posted on on August 18, 2010 / Filed Under: Inspiration / Tags: Disney, Inspiration, Inspired by, Jane Porter, Tarzan
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Kenna
These outfits made me smile, they were so cute! Especially the first one.
Nik
Very creative post – wonderful suggestions!
Eastside Fashion
Love the outfits! So cute!
Hannah
Haha! I loved this one :)
Please do Anastasia and Mulan!
Kate
You’ve totally hit the mark yet again :) These are great. I especially like the first two.
Leslie
Love it! All these looks are so great
Kimberly G
Love all four of them! Great post :)
Laura
Super cool!!! I didn’t even think of Jane Porter! Brilliant, as usual!
Lizzy
Pretty cute
crystal
love them all!!!! very good job you are doing an amazing job with this series
Luinae
The date outfit is my favourite one!
Kat
I absolutely LOVE the first and last outfits.
Alesha
i had my doubts about this one (i mean did you see Jane’s banana dress of terror?) but you really pulled through~! my faves are Tarzan’s teacher and Happily Ever After~ <3! awesome job!
Elle
These are amazing. I love love love the first one and the last one.. :) So spot on the character!
Kimi
i would lov eto see mulan
Laura
I give you major props on these disney princess fashion posts! They are always so cute and creative and you do an amazing job making modern up-dated outfits! Keep ‘em coming!
Anon
One word- MULAN!
I can understand why Anastasia hasn’t been touched on – she’s not a Disney character. And I can understand why Megara hasn’t been covered yet either – she’s not the most popular of the princesses.
But, seriously, Jane before Mulan?
I mean, these outfits are amazing – don’t get me wrong – but are you EVER going to do what is many people’s favorite Disney character – a symbol for power and equality the world round – the warrior Mulan?
J'adore
These outfits are so creative and cute!! Good job :)
Rebecca
Awesome job! I love the last outfit the most!
Laura
Please DO NOT do Anastasia. Not only is she not a Disney character, but it would ruin the whole series.
Cruella would be keen, as would Mulan.
Katie
Cute! I’d love to Esmeralda!
Olga
Tis is really cute and I love the second outfit!
But please do one on Megara – she’s my favourite Disney character (though she’s not ‘a princess’ at all) and I know she wears just one outfit but you did an amazing job with the Pocahonta’s dress, too…
Heather
These are so cute. I love this series. I’d like to request Mulan and Megara. Keep these coming, they brighten up my day :)
Maddie
OMG I squealed when I saw this! This is the best one yet based on the outfits. Can’t wait for Mulan!
Joy
I can’t wait for some Esmeralda and Mulan!
Breanna
Yay for my favourite series :) Those are so spot on, like always!
Gloria
i love all these disney movies-inspired outfits! and tarzan is my alltime favorite disney movie so thank you so much. i would totally wear all those xD
Morgan
Another great one, I’d love to see one about Meg from Hercules.
karena
amazing! meg from hurcules and mulan would be super cool.
Ali
Yay, Tarzan is one of my absolute favourites! I was just watching it last week actually! I love the first outfit
Katie
Oof, I don’t envy you coming up with Meg and Mulan — yeah, they’re both such kickass heroines, but coming up with four different, modern, and on-trend ways of doing Grecian draping and Chinese armor (?!) is gonna be rough!
Weird as it may seem, I’d love to see a “Lady and the Tramp” one — yeah, OK, no clothes here, but visually, this was still such an inspiring film! Plus that means we could see some fun interpretative originality as opposed to modernized translations! It’s set in the 1950s — my sense of Lady includes some bright and flirty Betty Draper styles, with maybe a couple looks with tough “Grease”-esque influences…
Sari
I love this one!!! Honestly, your posts just keep getting better and better and I think this is one of my favorites. I love your attention to detail here. Look forward to the next post :)
Amber
Great job! I love your Disney Princess series. You are are doing a fantastic job. I would love to see Megera and Mulan next. I would also like to see a branch out into the villians of the movies.
Jem
This is a great wardrobe inspired post! Every week I look forward to seeing how you will interpret the next Disney princesses style… its so much fun seeing what they could look like if it was modern day. Please do Mulan though, she is such an awesome character and would be amazing to see how she’s interpreted as. Also Alice in Wonderland, and Megara would both be also equally enjoyable to see as well. :)
Maranda
My favorite so far!!!!
Shelly
Mulan!! The comments have been asking for her, and now, they’re screaming her name.
This is the first time I’ve been completely disappointed by this column, and it’s because after you did all the major cast members of the Disney Princess franchise, I thought you’d finally do Mulan.
The let-down about this article is a shame, too, because these outfits are cute.
Lalalina
I really liked all the jewelry you paired with the outfits here. I especially loved the elephant earrings and the necklace from outfit #1. Please do Mulan next. I was surprised to see that she wasn’t before Jane
Renee
How can you create such great outfits just by looking to Tarzan? I LOVED the outfit ideas theyre elegant & chic!
Shu
Oh they are all perfect! Great choices, love the “Tarzan’s Teacher” style!
I know it’s no Disney! but you got to do something wizard-ish ala Harry Potter! Or Mickey Mouse the Wizard!
Anne
Hiya yet again im going to ask can you plz do esmerelda, meg or mulan please ?
I really like the first outfit – its super cute and the last outfit!
Ann
This series is great! Jane is my favorite! She’s sweet and so self-assured intellectually, but is still a little shy when it comes to men. I can sympathize!
I’d love you to do a post on Anastasia! I know she’s not a Disney girl, but most girls that grew up in the nineties loved her just as much! A Mulan post would be great too, but please consider Anya! Russian style doesn’t get enough play! ???????! :-)
Niya
GORGEOUS
I am always so amazed how you come up with such cute, wearable outfits that totally fit the inspiration :).
I would love if you could do one on Esmeralda, just a request :).
Thank you!
Anna
I *love* the second outfit!
Elodie
great post, my favourite outfit is the fourth one, the dress and the shoes are beautiful and perfectely represent the courageous Jane Porteur
Christy
This series is SO AMAZING!!! You are a fashion GENIUS! :D
nikki
Love the dress from top shop, but it’s sold out now! I did some searching and found this one from Nordstroms! I think it’s perfectly Jane. Let me know your thoughts!
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3076931?origin=category&resultback=228#reviewAnchor