A valuable connection can be made be made between Jane Austen's `Emma' and Amy Heckerling's `Clueless' although fashion, customs, society and language differ between the two. The connection is made through the plot, characters and inevitable human nature. The themes of vanity, rank, status and gossip link the two medias and create a valuable linkage in relating the 19th century life with the contemporary world.

Fashion is constantly changing, season to season, year to year, decade to decade. Despite these changes, the human urge of vanity allows for the nature of fashion to always remain the same; it is a reflection of the person underneath and their position in society. Although Austen does not give us much physical description of Emma's world we know that dressing right is important. Mrs. Elton comments that Emma's dress "did not have enough lace" therefore implying that the dress was cheap; a...