Twenty years ago, Fox’s teen drama, The O.C. premiered. Feel old yet? The premise now feels familiar: A down-on-his-luck teenager, Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), attempts to assimilate into the rich Orange County, California lifestyle after he is taken in by the wealthy Cohen family. In 2003, The O.C. was a complete phenomenon—the cast became stars, California culture became cool, and Death Cab for Cutie became a fixture on emo playlists.
It also had a huge impact on fashion at the time. Watching it as a teenager, I desperately wanted Marissa Cooper’s (Mischa Barton) low-slung Marc Jacobs skirts and to have a Seth Cohen–esque (Adam Brody) boyfriend who wore Paul Frank tees. It impacted my personal style so greatly at the time, I tested out velvet blazers, skinny scarves, and even a truly dreadful newsboy cap. But tendrils of The O.C.’s style still linger in my wardrobe today—mostly as a penchant for flats and Converse as an alternative to the heels that I still can’t maneuver in.
Through Marissa’s effortless cool-girl style, Summer Roberts’s (Rachel Bilson’s) California boho chic, Ryan’s utilitarian uniform, and Seth’s indie dream-boy quirkiness, The O.C. helped make high/low outfits, the aforementioned flats, and Marc Jacobs trendy. Now, with early aughts fashion coming back in fashion, Gen Z and TikTok creators are discovering the aesthetic anew. Below, the three women behind the costumes of The O.C. discuss its impact on fashion, their experiences on the show, and what trends should stay in 2003.
Season 1: Alexandra Welker
While Welker had worked on many films before The O.C., she had never done costumes for television. She got the chance to create the blueprint of Ryan, Marissa, Seth, and Summer’s style, and she was heavily influenced by California—obviously. “It’s funny to think about now, but at the time, California culture had not created popular culture. And I think The O.C. really had a lot to do with that certainly with music and clothes and so forth,” Welker says.
When beginning to think about what Ryan and Seth would wear, Welker was inspired by skate and surf culture. She was not interested in having them wear the baggy styles of the time, so she tailored all their clothes for a slimmer silhouette and bought quite a bit of vintage. She saw Ryan’s now-infamous white tank top and leather jacket combo as his “armor”—something that would give him the illusion of a cool bad boy and show that he is not to be messed with.
As for his choker, that was all Welker. “I had dated a lot of musicians and I had a couple of boyfriends who would do a guitar string and a piece of rawhide and something else around the wrist, and boom, they suddenly had some cool-looking bracelet. I had been wearing that rawhide around for a few days to soften it up. It was going to be a bracelet, and then at the last moment I decided he needed a necklace.”
Seth was a bit of “an old Jewish man” on the inside, according to Welker. She bought a lot of vintage for his slimmer fit and put him in brighter colors to counter Ryan’s neutrals. Seth’s Chrismukkah sweaters were also vintage, and inspired by Welker’s own love of ugly Christmas sweaters. “That sweater was great because it was weird enough, but it wasn’t horribly ugly, and it wasn’t like a kitten with jingle bells attached to it. It had some dignity.” She put Seth in many Paul Frank shirts because she had become friendly with the guys through a friend when the company was just getting started—starting the great graphic tee boom of the aughts.
When Seth and Summer finally get together during season one, it’s clear that Summer slowly adopts Seth’s graphic T-shirt habit. “I wanted to get her a little more on Seth’s wavelength while still being true to Summer,” Welker says. But as Summer evolves from quintessential Southern California beach girl into the most intelligent presence on the show, Welker got to have even more fun with her clothing. “I always had this idea that Summer’s approach to clothing was very playful and costume-y, and that she was trying out different looks. I loved when they went to Palm Springs, and it was very 1960s Joan Didion–inspired.”
Marissa’s style was the opposite of Summer’s.“Marissa out of the gate was supposed to be the golden girl. But one of the reasons Ryan is attracted to her is—even though she’s wrestling with her problems—she’s still this individualist with good taste in music and books that everybody’s surprised by. She’s a trendsetter quietly rather than a trend follower.” Welker liked Marc Jacobs and flat shoes, so Marissa became known for those items. But it was also practical, since Barton, who played Marissa, was taller than everyone else.
Marissa is supposed to be effortless and have a rich air about her. Hence the Chanel bags (many of which were fake in season one) and other designer mentions. Two of Marissa’s best dresses from season one show how the series’ fashion influence grew. A metallic Missoni minidress in episode 10 was likely bought at, as Welker says, a “deep sale price.” But when the show became a hit, designers started calling her. So in episode 13, Marissa dons a gray Chanel fall 2003 dress with white paillettes.
While Welker may be too humble to label herself as a trendsetter, I’m not. She still loves the shrunken jackets that she put Marissa in, but she does not like that the exposed thong of the time is worming its way back into fashion. She laughs, “Nobody needs that.”