Everybody Wants Joan's Costume (from “Nobody Wants This”)

It seems that some people can't get enough of Joanne's wardrobe in the Netflix series Nobody Wants This these days. Joanne, played by actor Kristen Bell, is a Los Angeles sex podcaster with a crush on the most unlikely of men. The series tells the story of two people coming together late in life, with careers and stable identities, but also of two worlds dramatically colliding.

“Nobody Wants This” was inspired by series creator Erin Foster's experience of falling in love with and converting her now husband Simon Tichman. Also, early on, costume designer Negar Ali Klein decided to make Joanne and her family's color palette a mix of “pops of color and pastels,” as opposed to the rich jewel tones that Noah and his family prefer. This was intentional, Klein explains, to distinguish between their two worlds. (But as their lives begin to intertwine in later episodes, you will notice that Noah wears brighter colors.)

“She lives out loud, she's bold, she's fearless,” Klein says of Joanne. 'She's confident. She's not afraid to stand out. I think that's why she chose to do that kind of work. That kind of fearlessness comes through.”

Klein also drew inspiration from decades of “It Girls,” including the Hadid sisters, Alexa Chung, and of course the Foster sisters themselves. But it was not about finding items they actually wore, but about taking cues from their approach to dressing.

Like Alexa Chung, Joanne can go from a demure ladylike look to rock 'n' roll to smoky and sexy, sometimes all in the same day. 'What we love about Alexa Chung is that she has a chameleon-like approach to fashion. We wanted Joanne to have that same flexibility. She has the emotional intelligence to dress for her audience.” When she goes to meet an executive at Spotify, she wears power clothes. She wears high heels and dresses in very chic work clothes. And when I meet my parents, it's a knife-pleated skirt.”

Here's how Klein came up with Joanne's best “Nobody Wants This” outfits, and the items you'll need to recreate them for your own romantic comedy character arc.

One of the first outfits our brave blonde heroine wears in the series also happens to be the one Klein considered most: a reformed red georgette slip skirt and fuzzy cropped cardigan for Joan's first synagogue attendance styled with a By Far bag for the occasion.

“First of all, she had to jump into the temple, right? Klein explains. 'She's like a fish out of water in the temple at this moment. So she had to really stand out, not only for [Noah] to notice her on a practical level, but also because she is different from everyone else.”

On a more symbolic level, Klein wanted a striking look reminiscent of the strong female protagonists of past romantic comedies.

“There are costumes that are etched in our collective memory. In my case, that would be Annie Hall's outfit. Or Sarah Jessica Parker in her tutu. We just wanted something that fit the moment.”

The “Poinsettia Red” Reformation Leila skirt that Joanne wore in Episodes 1 and 2 is sold out, except for a handful still available at Poshmark. But Reformation routinely offers the Leila Skirt in other colors and patterns, in silk, satin, and linen, and in standard, petite, and extended sizes; pair it with a cashmere sweater from J. Crew and a tomato red slip skirt from Favorite Daughter and a closer color match.

Nobody Wants This is inspired by series creator Erin Foster's real-life love story and conversion story with her current husband, Simon Tichman. Fittingly, Klein sourced several items for the show from Favorite Daughter, the clothing line that Foster co-owns with her sister Sarah. For example, the pinstripe vest and matching pants that Joanne chose for episode 5 of the show are both best sellers from Favorite Daughter.

In this scene, Joanne is at an important dinner meeting with executives who are trying to market her podcast. In a small but meaningful show of affection, Noah shows up at the restaurant for an impromptu Shabbat dinner.

“The connection makes a lot of sense because Joanne is modeling me and Favourite Daughter is all about clothes I love,” says Foster.

“This suit was the perfect outfit for Joanne to spend some adult time in a meeting where she wanted to impress the execs. Plus, the Shabbat scene is one of my favorite scenes of the entire season, so it's really cool to see a little FD in there."

Joanne also said, ”I'm really excited about the new suit, and I'm looking forward to seeing it in action.

When Joanne and her sister show up at the bat mitzvah, their dresses send a clear message. Even though Noah's family tries to separate them, their hearts simply want what they want. Klein recalls having Belle try on several Alex Perry dresses and having her moment. But when she put on a strapless teal column dress for Joanne's big day, the decision was instantly clear.

“I mean, she took that dress and sealed it,” Klein says. We were just like, 'Here's the dress.' They walk in, and everybody's staring, and at that moment, your jaw is on the floor and the wind is blowing."

[11

Later in the evening, Joanne layers a Saint Laurent cropped black tuxedo jacket over her dress and takes a lonely shuttle bus ride that becomes a surprise reunion with Noah.

“It was so cold, I had to add a Saint Laurent tuxedo jacket,” Klein says. 'She was on a rooftop and the wind was blowing. I couldn't let her go outside without a jacket.”

Joanne stumbled into Noah's life when she met him at a mutual friend's dinner party. She arrives fashionably late to the event, a bottle of red wine in hand and wrapped in a fake chinchilla coat. Underneath, she wears an off-the-shoulder black bodysuit from Abercrombie & Fitch and black jeans with a Kaite Bambi belt, high-low, mafia-wife-esque corset.

Finding statement outerwear was not as easy as searching for “best faux fur coat.” There just aren't that many faux chinchilla coats out there that you can get at the mall,” Klein says. 'I mean, costume houses and even vintage. So we really searched far and wide for that piece.” Once the team found that one piece, they worked with a series tailor to narrow the waist to fit Kristen's petite figure.

What I couldn't help but notice about Joanne's wardrobe is that all of her pants and jeans fit her petite frame perfectly.

Klein worked with FOX's tailoring team to make Joanne's jeans just right. For example, from olive green Jesse Cam sailor pants to pair with a striped sleeveless knit from A.L.C. when she gets together with her mother and sister, to a twisted cutout top from Christopher Esber to watch Noah play basketball in episode 7 to Aje x Outland's light-wash wide-leg jeans. However, the costume designer was quick to point out that many local dry cleaners also have tailors on staff.

Just before hosting a Havdalah ceremony for Noah's family, Joanne makes the hasty decision to ditch the modest navy polka-dot dress with ruffled collar she had planned to wear in favor of a navy sweat suit and her signature gold “J” initial pendant necklace She makes the hasty decision to

“It was like she was playing dress-up, playing wife, playing the perfect girlfriend moment,” Klein says of the discarded reformatted dress. 'She would not only change, she would put on sweaty clothes. She not only changed, she put on a sweatshirt.”

The continued use of her “J” necklace symbolized Joanne's need to assert herself in this scene. 'She came back to herself. And I think this is something that some women, not all women, but some women have trouble with in new relationships,” Klein says. 'How far are you willing to compromise yourself? What kind of person do you want to be for this person? Are you playing a role to be with this person?' And it's important to see her come back to herself every time.”

Below are more of Joanne's “Nobody Wants This” costume essentials, from her favorite white sneakers to the black crossbody she wore three times throughout the series.

.