Dressing the Girls of "The OC"
by Karla Stevens

The show's Costume Designer and resident fashion expert discusses the girls of "The O.C." and what you can expect to find on them this season.

The show made quite a noise from a fashion standpoint during the first season, so there will likely be even more attention paid to that during the second season. Give us a preview of what you have in store for a character like Marissa this season?
KS: This season, Marissa is in more knee-length skirts, which is very popular this year. They're sold all over the place; all different styles. You can do silk, you can do cotton, you can do some of the old boutique prints. But anything knee-length is definitely back this season.
And pair that with a really fabulous jacket or just with a t-shirt and some beading. I think it's a very, very cool look for this year. I think that you'll see the kids this season are coming back to school and they're a bit more grown up and their style is just a little more sophisticated-as they are too-this season.
Mischa Barton loves all of the glitter with the silk. She's into that this season in her personal life and we're incorporating that into her character. We like to find interesting lines and textures, because the camera reads it very nicely.

What about Summer, how would you describe her style?
KS: Summer is very bohemian chic this season. She's definitely into that kind of bohemian chic feel, so we do a lot of the Batik kind of prints on her. Lavender is always really, really great for Rachel Bilson, who plays Summer. And Ya-Ya is another fantastic brand of clothing that we love and use quite often. There's a Ya-Ya skirt that is really pretty that I used for Summer, so you'll be seeing that in Episode Six, I think it is. It's great, because it's got really beautiful pleating on the bottom.
I like flirty and fun tops with a bohemian edge for Summer, but we always have to see when we fit her. But I like great patterns which will look really pretty on camera.

With the show taking place in Southern California, jeans have to have a pretty major role for characters living there...
KS: Jeans are a big thing for everybody, of course, and we are constantly learning about new jeans. There are so many labels out there now-Paper Denim & Cloth, Hudson, Citizens Of Humanity and Seven, there are just tons. And Chip & Pepper has some great jeans out right now that the girls are wearing. And Juicy has great cords.
The thing about jeans is that they all have different washes on them and some are just better on camera. There are some washes that are lighter in some areas and darker in others, but on camera they look really strange. So when we buy jeans for the show, any denim, we try to keep it one wash, so that it doesn't look strange on film.

What about the accessories?
KS: Jackets or the blazer are very popular this season for women. And we're seeing a lot of great buttons; things like diamond buttons. And what we would probably do on the show is put maybe some broaches on the lapel to make it a little more interesting; to jewel it up.
For Summer, we're always trying to find her more interesting handbags. When we see something we like, we pull it because there's always another episode and we always have more costumes. So we have a nice stock of things like handbags, belts, earrings, etc.
There will be a lot of broaches this season; they're very hot this year. That's a big trend we're seeing, and we're taking it to the limit with Mischa. We'll do like five broaches on a sweater for her; it's just a nice little accent to any sweater or any piece of clothing.
Some of the bigger houses, like the house of Dior and Chanel are really wonderful and provide us with many handbags, belts and accessories for Mischa and all the girls. So people have had a great response to the show. We're also a show about style, so we're always trying to maintain these contacts.