Books
Because who doesnt want to dress like the flashy girl from Flushing?
Turning on your TV as a young woman growing up in the 90s was treacherous.
Magazines were filled with images of the ultra-skinny Kate Moss; waifish Winona Ryder dominated the big screen.
But one of TVs leading ladies went against the grain:The NannysFran Drescher.
Fran was unabashedly herself: sexy, funny, and powerful.
Now,The Nannycostume designerBrenda Cooperis sharing what she learned from workingon the show with itslegions of fans.
[I want to] help each [reader] love who they are and step into their magnificence.
I love how the book starts with curating your inner closet.
The inner closet affects everything that’s in your closet because how you feel about yourself affects everything.
Dressing isn’t superficial.
It’s as much an emotional thing as it’s a tangible thing of putting on a dress.
So, for me, the obvious place to start was the inner closet.
From childhood, from what was said to us, from what the media tells us.
What happens as she moves?
Is that flattering to her?
So you want to wear things that fit and flatter your body.
And to develop a discerning eye.
Because that is so my truth and my philosophy about women.
You have the body that you were destined to have.
I have the body that I was destined to have.
And I hate the rules of fashion.
I really do, because they’re limiting.
It’s subtle changes.
People often say, “Well, how would you dress Fran today?”
I wouldn’t dress her that differently.
What items should every woman have in her closet?
I see it more like as an artist, that’s your canvas.
So the possibilities are endless.
Its the same method you used to dress Fran.
Its asking, How can I maximize the look and create a silhouette and make Fran look sexy?
Its about starting with the foundation garments of the right bra to create the right shape.
Start with that and you might do a million things with it.
Then in my own life, my version of that is with trousers.
I found pictures of myself from the 90s when I was doingThe Nanny.
I would have a turtleneck on and a pair of palazzo pants.
I would wear things from vintage clothing stores, men’s wide legged pants.
So I created my silhouette from it.
Growing up I was really self-conscious about my curvy body, and TV always reinforced that.
You know how happy that makes me?
With Fran, it’s self-acceptance.
That was the character.
She’s a woman who lives out loud and the character lived out loud.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
