Jennifer Aniston’s longtime costume designer Debra McGuire sits down with me to discuss her new book, her decades-long career built on storytelling and reinvention, and some unforgettable memories along the way — from partying until dawn in late-’80s New York City to helping clean out Aniston’s ’90s L.A. closet. Plus, her upcoming Cold War-set epic Mayday, starring Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds, arrives September 4!
Hope you’re all enjoying the last stretch of summer — whether that’s beach days, much-needed vacations, or just catching up on your favorite shows in the AC, like me.
xo Fawnia
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As I settle in for breakfast in the cozy-chic courtyard of Robert De Niro’s The Greenwich Hotel with legendary costume designer Debra McGuire — the creative force behind Freaks and Geeks, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, New Girl, and, of course, Friends — she immediately waxes nostalgic about her early creative days designing jewelry in late-’80s and early-’90s New York City. How did she know I’d die to hear about martinis at Bemelmans, dancing until the early morning at Greenwich Village hotspot Nell’s, and the downtown adventures that helped shape one of Hollywood’s most celebrated costume designers? Not to mention $25-a-month lofts. (Sob.)
“My friend’s loft was on Franklin Street — 5,000 square feet, amazing artist — and at night we’d go to The Mud Club. We’d dance until we couldn’t move, and go back upstairs into the loft. Our life was like this little downtown,” says McGuire. “Then we’d walk to The Odeon and have a drink and meet 50 friends, and it was really a different time.”
McGuire also gave me a signed copy of her new book, Dressing the Story: The Art of Costume Design, written with producer and close friend Jim Stark (and with a foreword by David Mamet, mic drop). The as-told-to memoir offers a deeply personal look at her storied, multifaceted career — from art student to jewelry designer to prolific Hollywood creative — as well as an insider’s guide to the craft for aspiring designers.
“My dream is for every director — every actor — to be able to read it,” says McGuire, who also hopes the book will become an essential resource at art schools across the country. “Everyone that we have to collaborate and interact with, and who really have no idea what we do.”
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The book really does have something for everyone. It’s a heartwarming family affair, featuring her son Gavin, who grew up on his mom’s sets before joining the business as a costumer and producer. And for pop culture nostalgia fans like me, McGuire shares plenty of delightful, fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes stories — including Julia Roberts‘ memorable 1996 guest appearance as Chandler’s (Matthew Perry) aggrieved childhood classmate.
When Julia Roberts was a guest on Friends, I went to introduce myself, knocked on her door, and found her lying on the couch in her dressing room. “Any idea what you’d like to wear in the scene?” I asked. She looked me up and down and said, “I like what you’re wearing—let me try it on.”
McGuire also recalls Brad Pitt‘s “a little bit more complicated” costume deliberations for his cameo as Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) self-proclaimed high school nemesis. “Brad had a lot of his own ideas,” said McGuire, who skillfully guided the actor toward the look that ultimately felt right for the character.
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At the height of her jewelry design career, the eternally curious McGuire found herself unexpectedly pivoting into costume design after creating a marketing video. Reinvention, she explains, has always been part of her professional DNA.
“Creative people need to have 10-year careers. If you’ve gone beyond 10 years in a career, it’s too much,” says McGuire. “Also, part of my rap is that you have to have a side hustle because you never know if your side hustle ends up being your hustle hustle.
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McGuire broke into the business as a production assistant on Steve Martin’s 1990 crime comedy My Blue Heaven and began costume designing movies of the week — a real time capsule of the era. Her first jobs starred the likes of Veronica Hamel, Gena Rowlands, Tyne Daly, and a 15-year-old Reese Witherspoon.
“It was such a gift. I think I did 21 in one year — it was just nonstop,” says McGuire. “It was like being thrown in the fire, and having to just figure it out.”
In the book, McGuire remembers her Friends interview with creator Marta Kauffman — landing the job with her creative instincts and easy confidence, plus an olive-green Versace miniskirt suit borrowed from a friend and styled with stacked heels. “Just make sure all the girls on the show look as good as you do,” said Kauffman.
McGuire’s intuition for storytelling, character building, and style — influenced by her years in downtown New York — proved instrumental in defining the look of Friends. Rather than dressing six twentysomethings in the relatable, grungy uniforms of the ’90s, she envisioned an elevated wardrobe that felt worthy of their fantasy Manhattan lives (and apartments).
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“In the beginning, Marta Kauffman wanted them very relaxed in jeans, hanging out, and I’m like, ‘I lived in New York City for 10 years. I never wore a pair of jeans, OK? I’m not doing jeans.’ It has to be aspirational,” says McGuire. “It has to be six friends and amazing — everyone would want to be like that — and the loft in New York. Who wouldn’t want that? The clothes have to be equal to that aspirational quality. And that was my goal.”
The stylized but still accessible wardrobes that inspired legions to embrace Rachel’s A-line miniskirts and baby tees, Monica’s (Courteney Cox) tunic dresses and kick flares, and Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) bohemian looks also won over the soon-to-be A-list cast.
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“They were so young. They didn’t know about the world of fashion or what was going on,” says McGuire. “[The show] was their first awakening, like, ‘Oh my god, it was like all these beautiful things,’ and ‘oh my god, there’s 30 different kinds of jeans.’ The whole world opened up.”
The book also includes a cute story about Aniston, impressed with McGuire’s sartorial eye, asking the costume designer for guidance in cleaning out her closet.
“That experience with Jennifer was adorable. She was 24 years old,” says McGuire, who’s continued to work with Aniston on Netflix’s Murder Mystery and, currently, The Morning Show. “I’ll never forget that day, and it was with her friend Andrea [Bendewald], and they’re still best friends. We just went through the closet and threw stuff out — and then we went to Fred Segal and went shopping.”
“That’s so ’90s L.A.,” I say, with a laugh.
“Yeah,” McGuire says. “It was 32 years ago.”
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