Fall TV Costumes: Selfie

We’ve focused mostly on dramas for our Fall TV previews, but Selfie, ABC’s highly anticipated half-hour comedy, is a sitcom that has some great costumes.  Why?  You might find the story familiar: it’s a little bit of a Pygmalion story.  Picture it: social media maven (named Eliza Dooley — even more familiar, huh?) thinks she can become famous via Instagram and Twitter.  Enter Henry Higgs, a marketing guru who’s set to change her image.

You can imagine: the costumes are fabulous.  Think Kim Kardashian meets Princess Kate. Danielle Launzel, costume designer for Selfie, has two distinct looks for Eliza.  Eliza’s social-media-obsessed self wears a lot of body-con dresses, short skirts, flashy accessories, and wild tights.

Once Henry performs his “makeunder”, her look is more delicate, but still occasionally has pops of her former self peeking out.  Launzel’s favorite outfit is an Adrianne Papell dress that evokes the scene in My Fair Lady where Eliza Doolittle goes to the ball in a champagne-colored, beaded dress.

Here’s an interpretation of that look — with another Adrianna Papell dress.   It’s subtle and elegant — one of those looks that makes people look without saying “this is me”.  If you’re wearing this dress, be sure to carry some Silk and Clean and Wine Away in that little bag just in case of emergencies!

I’ll be interested to watch the rest of the Selfie episodes to see how many times Launzel hearkens back to the classic Broadway and film costumes of My Fair Lady.  Will we ever get an Ascot dress?  I’d love to see how Launzel modernizes that look.