{"id":111,"date":"2021-07-21T10:02:17","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T10:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/?p=111"},"modified":"2021-07-21T10:02:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T10:02:51","slug":"costumes-of-the-oc-10-year-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/costumes-of-the-oc-10-year-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Costumes of The O.C. – 10 Year Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

The O.C.<\/strong>, the American teen\/twenty-something prime time soap opera first aired on FOX on August 5, 2003.\u00a0 In celebration of the\u00a010 year anniversary<\/strong>\u00a0of the show, we take a look back at the iconic characters and\u00a0costume design<\/strong>\u00a0that made the show so popular.<\/p>\n

The O.C. had three\u00a0costume designers<\/strong>\u00a0over the life of the series including\u00a0Karla Stevens (2004-2005) and\u00a0Robin Lewis West (2005-2007), but most of this article covers Season 1 and the establishing looks designed by\u00a0Alexandra Welker (2003-2004).<\/p>\n

\"Costumes<\/p>\n

The story plays against a backdrop of Orange County, California, the wealthy Southern California county that sits along the coast between San Diego and Los Angeles. Ryan, the troubled bad-boy from Chino (in neighboring San Bernardino County, ewww) has found himself behind bars.\u00a0 His idealist court-appointed lawyer Sandy Cohen, the former hippie now married to one of the wealthiest women in Newport Beach, brings him home to their mansion when Ryan has nowhere else to turn.\u00a0 After a series of twists and turns, the Cohens take Ryan in, permanently. Herein lies the underlying premise of the series, the age-old insider\/outsider predicament. Though, as we get to know each character, we find that everyone\u2019s trying their hardest to appear as if they belong.<\/p>\n

In The O.C., we see a wonderful mix of well-known character types and the costuming is very successful in helping to support these archetypes.\u00a0 Here clothing serves as symbolism for each character\u2019s place in the society.\u00a0 Years before the incredibly successful Gossip Girl (another Josh Schwartz created series), The O.C. proves less flashy than its East Coast counterpart.\u00a0 Wonderfully capturing the spirit of California, these trust-fund kids trade the power suits and overcoats for swimsuits and beach wraps.\u00a0 As Donnie, a waiter at the Crab Shack and minor character, accurately sums up, \u201cWelcome to Newport, where things only appear to be casual.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bad-Boy\/Ryan Atwood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ryan starts the series off in a modern take on the 1950s iconic bad-boy style made popular by Marlon Brando and James Dean. Ryan\u2019s dark jeans and white t-shirt are accented by a grey hoodie, simple black leather jacket, and black work boots. \u00a0His rough exterior contrasts nicely with that of the residents of Newport and makes him instantly recognizable.\u00a0 The Cohens work to help him fit into society.\u00a0 There is even a particularly touching scene in the first episode where adoptive father Sandy shows him how to tie a tie. As the series progresses, Ryan loosens slightly, but continues his tough guy demeanor through a strong use of a cold color palette- blues, grey, and black dominate even his cleaned up wardrobe.<\/p>\n

The Nerd\/Seth Cohen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Cohens\u2019 high-school age son Seth may possibly have been one of the first TV characters to make being a nerd cool.\u00a0 Sure video games, superhero movies, and Comic Con have taken mass media by storm, but in 2003 these were still fringe genres.\u00a0 Tall, skinny, with a self-described \u201cJew fro,\u201d Seth Cohen stole the hearts of many teenage girls with his sarcasm, wit, and colorful, quirky wardrobe.\u00a0 Dressed almost exclusively in Penguin brand for much of the series, Seth\u2019s style mixes retro-inspired pieces, bright colors, and graphic elements.\u00a0 In stark contrast to the cold, rigid nature of Ryan\u2019s wardrobe, Seth\u2019s costumes mix earthy browns with funky greens, purples, and bright reds.<\/p>\n

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The use of layering, especially short sleeve over long sleeve shirts, as well as sweaters and track jackets, serves as symbolism for the depth of one of the series\u2019 most thoughtful characters.<\/p>\n

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Not afraid to be self-deprecating and referential, some of Seth\u2019s less serious looks speak to his role as pseudo-narrator, offering insightful, meta comments about the community and scenarios.<\/p>\n

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The Ingenue\/Marissa Cooper\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beautiful, feminine, and sweet; next-door neighbor Marissa captures Ryan\u2019s attention within minutes of arriving in Newport.\u00a0 She is wealthy, popular, and well connected.\u00a0 But we quickly learn that there is more to Marissa than first meets the eye.\u00a0 She surprises Ryan and Seth both with her impulsive decisions and taste in music.<\/p>\n

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Costumed in a mix of expensive feminine pieces like pleated skirts and floral patterned tops with cargo capris and checkered vans, Marissa\u2019s style nicely fits the duality of her character.<\/p>\n

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The Best-Friend and Secondary Love Interest\/Summer Roberts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Where Marissa bucks the stereotype of the naive girl next door, her best friend Summer is the picture of the loud-mouthed spoiled rich girl. She never holds back from sharing a sharp comment or harsh word when it enters her mind.\u00a0 Summer\u2019s style is a mix of bright colors, tight-fitting, low cut and short outfits that she barely wears.<\/p>\n

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From a logical stand-point, the eventual coupling may seem destined for disaster (and trust me, there\u2019s plenty of that), but from a strictly visual perspective you can step back and see how the simple and practically dressed Ryan and Marissa, and the expressive and playful Seth and Summer would end up together (well, off and on at least!).<\/p>\n

The Parents<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Sandy\u2019s board-shorts and eyebrows that just won\u2019t quit, to Julie Cooper\u2019s velour tracksuits, the parents have their own fair share of iconic looks.\u00a0 As high-powered business woman, even Kirsten Cohen\u2019s casual looks embody a structured, refined luxury.<\/p>\n

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In contrast, her husband Sandy\u2019s style leans in a much looser and more casual direction.<\/p>\n

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As mean-spirited gold digger fighting to stay on the top of the pile, Julie Cooper epitomizes flash and trash. From the velour track suits that would come to be associated with rich, over-tanned, Southern California moms, to the overly processed red and blonde striped hair, Julie\u2019s character would seem more a caricature if I didn\u2019t know first hand that women like that populate Newport Beach.<\/p>\n

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Looking back at the first season, now 10 years since it aired, it is amazing to see just how dated it all already looks.\u00a0 But what stays true are the iconic elements of dress that help to wonderfully support a story about the timeless pursuit of fitting-in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The O.C., the American teen\/twenty-something prime time soap opera first aired on FOX on August 5, 2003.\u00a0 In celebration of the\u00a010 year anniversary\u00a0of the show, we take a look back at the iconic characters and\u00a0costume design\u00a0that made the show so popular. The O.C. had three\u00a0costume designers\u00a0over the life of the series including\u00a0Karla Stevens (2004-2005) and\u00a0Robin … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyrannyofstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}