I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what, exactly, makes someone a “style icon”. I usually just go off of someone with a covetable closet and a unique sense of fashion that can tell far more about them than anyone would think. But, you know what else all of these characters have in common? Their wardrobes are seemingly endless and you sure as hell don’t see them recycle an outfit, let alone a pair of jeans. This week, that pattern shifted. It only took one episode of Netflix’s Love to deem Mickey Dobbs (Gillian Jacobs) my new style obsession and at that moment, I didn’t even realize I was breaking the cycle.
Mickey Dobbs is, for lack of a better phrase, a hot mess.
So, when she spends two episodes in a row in the same outfit (part of which included a one-piece bathing suit), I didn’t blink an eye. A wardrobe department truly can make or break a character. As I watched Mickey have somewhat of a meltdown in an outfit she’d worn the night before in the middle of a convenience store, all I could think was, “Yeah, this seems about right.”
FYI, she still looked super good in that outfit. Yes, even if it was a drug-induced mistake and super inappropriate for a religious gathering. Swimwear as tops always feels a little too “teenager at a music festival”, but I’d be lying if I didn’t think it could pass as a cute bodysuit.
It wasn’t for another few episodes that I realized that she’d been wearing the same shoes over and over, too.
Her trusty (and adorable) black buckle ankle boots reappeared all throughout that season. Turns out, it was all done on purpose. Jennifer Eve, the series costume designer, said in an interview for Elle magazine that “the idea is to make Mickey be a realistic character with a real closet and a person that uses the same clothes more than one time, just like anyone else.”
The way Mickey Dobbs dealt with emotions, relationships and all-around adulthood was already #relatable. But, it’s safe to say this topped it all off. We’ve seen far too many television characters with endless closets and bottomless funds to support those wardrobes despite never having a good enough job to really be able to afford it all. So, I’m all here for a style icon that’s both attainable and realistic…
And that can inspire my next OOTD with pieces I can easily find in my closet.
You can stream all three seasons of Love (and Mickey’s killer outfits) on Netflix now.
Loving Mickey’s looks as much as I am? Then you’ll also love last week’s style icon, Issa Dee.
For more fictional fashion, check out the rest of our series!
Tristan George
Tristan puts her fashion business degree to good use as the operations manager at Jordandené. She spends most of her free time writing, baking, and watching reruns of The Office.
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