Mischa Barton is perhaps one of the most famous faces to have ruled our TV screens in the early noughties. Marissa Cooper, her character on The O.C, is still a fashion muse until this day (even after the show wrapped up in 2007) having worn some of the world’s most coveted labels including Chanel.
Or at least that’s what we thought.
To celebrate The O.C‘s 15th anniversary this past week (where has the time gone?!), Alexandra Welker explain to Page Six how she paired knockoff designer pieces with Cooper’s signature pointed flats, low-rise denim jeans, extra skinny scarves and short, summery dresses.
Speaking of how the costume designer experienced difficulties in the show’s early days, Welker said: “We started with a little tiny budget, which was a challenge because everything had to look super high-end. There was absolutely no borrowing [from brands] involved either because nobody had ever heard of us, so they were very leery of loaning anything. In the pilot, I remember we did a fashion fundraiser. I called every designer out there to explain what we were doing and who I was, and they all turned me down. So for those runway looks, we used everything from sale-rack clothes to things from costume houses to things I’d designed myself.”
And where did Barton get those coveted designer accessories from? Welker explained: “I’ll be honest: Those Chanel bags that she carried, those weren’t something I could have on my budget. But I found this amazing store in Downtown LA that sold the best-looking fakes I’d ever seen! So we used some really, really good knockoffs.”
Well there you have it.
In other TV news, find out which actress will be playing this Hollywood legend in a new series.
