The Who What Wear Podcast: Nobody Wants This Costume Designer Negar Ali Kline on Portraying Authentic L.A. Style and Where to Shop the Characters’ Wardrobes

0:10Hillary Kerr:Welcome to the Who What Wear podcast, your direct line to the designers, stylists, beauty experts, editors, and tastemakers who are shaping the ever-evolving world of fashion. I'm Who What Wears co-founder and chief content officer, Hillary Kerr. And today on the podcast, I'm joined by costume designer, Nagar Ali Klein. Nagar's most recent work can be seen on the hit Netflix rom-com, Nobody Wants This, which just dropped its second season. The show follows the hilarious love story of Joanne, who is an agnostic sex podcaster played by Kristen Bell, and Noah, who is a hot rabbi, played by Adam Brody.

0:53Hillary Kerr:Nagar tells us what drew her to the show and how she selected some of the hero pieces we saw in both seasons, from Joanne's vintage chinchilla faux fur coat in the pilot to her new arrivals dress in the season two finale. Yes, we go all the way to the finale, so spoiler alert. Plus, Nagar talks about how she enlisted local designers and boutiques like Reformation and Loho Bride to pay homage to Los Angeles' rich style history. It's all coming up on Who What Where.

1:32Hillary Kerr:So I have to start by saying that I am truly so excited to talk about season two of Nobody Wants this. I have seen the entire thing. It is an absolute dream show. I love your work on it. But before we get into season two, can we talk a little bit about your background and how you fell in love with fashion and how did you land in the very interesting and specific world of costume design? Well, it's so great to hear that you love the show and I'm so happy to be here. I fell in love with fashion, well, rather style. It was something that I guess I grew up with in the atmosphere. My parents emigrated to the States in the seventies and they had, you know, a European sensibility.

2:20They dressed really well. My grandparents dressed really well. I'm an only child. And I remember my parents hosting parties where everyone was dressed really glamorously. I mean, this is the 80s, right? So you can imagine. Shoulder pads. Shoulder pads. Jewelry. You know, this dynasty.

2:37Hillary Kerr:Taffeta. And I've always been obsessed with pop culture. So this was the time of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper and Prince. And so I think this informed me. But I never thought to seek a career in fashion. I was going to college and I started working for Paper Magazine and I was an assistant to the Yes, to Kim Hashrider. Oh my gosh, that's amazing. What a legendary project to work on. And this is like late 90s. And it was just a very cool place to be. And these great contributing fashion editors were coming through. And they started asking me to assist them on their shoots. And so I just kind of fell into that.

3:20And it was a time where it was just about fashion editors. The role of a stylist wasn't widely known. So I graduated college and I was going off on a trip to Europe. At that time, there were these magazines, they were called Production 411 or something, where they would list their active productions. And I remember reading about Spike Lee was going to make a film called Summer of Sam. It was the 1970s based on the serial killer Son of Sam. And I thought, that sounds pretty cool. So I was cold calling the production offices to inquire, like, can I come work in the costume department? I was in Prague and I was on a pay phone.

4:01I had called so many times, so I guess they probably had heard this girl keeps calling. They finally put me through and I spoke to the wardrobe supervisor. Her name was Jordana Feinberg. And she said, you know, you could come in and intern for us. Once I got back to New York, a few days later, I was on set on a night shoot. We were shooting a Studio 54 scene. Oh my God. I was dressing background. It was like three o 'clock in the morning. We're on set. And I was just thinking to myself, is there anything I'd rather be doing than this? And it was just like such a clarifying moment for me that this is exactly what I wanted to do.

4:35Hillary Kerr:So what a beautiful start to things. So dressing background, that means you're responsible for a ton of people, I would imagine. Like that is volume dressing. How equipped did you feel to do that? I feel like it's one thing to dress oneself. It's a different thing to dress bodies that are totally different from you, a taste that's different from your own, all of that stuff. So how did you upskill yourself in that way? Yeah, I think in that moment, I was just learning, right? But I think they just felt my enthusiasm. I was so excited to be there, and I was just happy to do anything that they asked me to do.

5:11So I was just absorbing everything. I mean, I was assisting Ruth Carter. The legend. The legendary Ruth Carter was, she costume designed Summer of Sam. And she was working with Mira Sorvino in that movie. And I just thought she was amazing. So since then, I've gone on to work in sort of every facet of my field. So I moved back to LA and started working in music styling. Did that for a very long time. Celebrity styling. I learned so much in those days. You can anticipate only so much, but then you're just problem solving on the spot. Long, long hours. I mean, worked on music videos and this is before they were like unionized.

5:52So yes, we were working like 24 hours straight and it was a time for sure. But I learned a lot that I apply every day. It's really those hard, challenging jobs where you learn the most. And then I started designing independent films. I think that's kind of unique because some of the skill set translates going from commercial and celebrity styling to costume design. But I've always loved straddling both worlds. And I do think one informs the other for me.

6:24Hillary Kerr:Talk to me about working on season one of Nobody Wants This. How did you get connected with Erin, who's the creator? And what drew you to the story? because obviously it's a huge monster hit now that we're all in love with, but to see the opportunity in it and the heart in it early on just from the page, that's its own skillset. So walk me through how you got connected with the show for season one. At the time it was called Shiksa actually, but I read about Nobody Wants This, I think I read about it in Deadline and I thought, wow, this sounds cool. I was familiar with Aaron and I knew one of the EPs.

7:03So I reached out to Ollie Opes and I asked if I could read the script. He sent it to me. It was just one of the smartest. It was so funny, witty. Erin's writing, her banter is just of the time. She just created this world. Each character was so fully realized in the pilot episode. You knew exactly who they were. Just so rare. I was obsessed. Like, I have to do this. I felt immediately, like, even in the location descriptions, like, I knew all the locations. I knew this world. I was so familiar with it. And I thought, I really feel like I have to do this. So I got a meeting. But again, similar to that, like tenacity, I reached out to friends that we had in common to just let Erin know that I was very keen on working on this with her because it was just so good.

7:56But I think she has this very unique voice that really speaks to not just women, because so many men that I meet, they're like, I love the show. So I don't want to call it girl humor because it's not. But it really hits it. She's got her finger on it. They're very realized characters. I loved her characters. Like I fell in love with Joanne. I just thought I could relate to her so much.

8:20Hillary Kerr:It's wild watching season one. She felt like part of my friend group or myself. Like it really was such an immediate connection. And also it doesn't feel like a story that you've seen before or characters that you've seen before. So one of the things that I really love about it is it feels like L.A. contains multitudes. So I'm not saying it's representative of all of L.A., but it's very authentically its own version of L.A. And the style in it is very specifically like, I know that woman. I know where she shops. I get the taste, all of it. As an Angeleno, I'm wondering how you approached those initial mood boards when you were in the process of interviewing for the job or first starting.

9:04Hillary Kerr:Obviously, there are certain things that are always written in a song, might be written in a location. Were there fashion pieces written into the scripts? Or did you have total freedom to pull from whatever people you knew, muses, people you saw on the street, whatever it may be? The way I approach early mood boards is that I'm trying to convey an approach to the character versus literal outfits, right? So in that first meeting, it just felt like Erin and I were naturally aligned in the way that we saw Joanne. For me, it was really important that she had this versatility in her style. She understands putting herself together in a specific way for the environment that she's going to find herself in.

9:43The way she dresses for a Spotify meeting with executives is different from the way she dresses to go to a basketball game as a wag.

9:52Hillary Kerr:Yeah. Or versus how she dresses to meet the parents, right? She can use style as armor. She can use style to garner attention when she wants attention, as in the fur coat scene. The fur coat scene was scripted. And Erin and I talked about that because it was actually hard to find that coat. Because we didn't want it to be jokey, right? Like she still looked chic. Like she could walk into the dinner party and look cool. So it's more rather a way she approaches dressing herself. Like she understands the power of style. And she's just effortlessly cool. Keeping Erin in mind, this is loosely based on her life.

10:30So not every outfit is something that necessarily Aaron would wear, right? But that spirit, the essence of Aaron, if you will, is definitely alive in the character.

10:41Hillary Kerr:So I also love how Kristen Bell's character, Joanne, expertly mixes high and low pieces in a way that feels like the way that real women dress and re-wears certain pieces, whether that's a cape belt or a by far bag or has like an everyday jewelry stack. Jack, talk to me about how you built some of these everyday key pieces, because we all have those pieces that we lean on in our wardrobe, but that's not something that I see depicted on a regular basis in this way. So walk me through how you land on it and then how you apply it throughout so it doesn't feel repetitive, but it still feels like she's actually getting dressed from a real closet.

11:18Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, that's how women dress, right? We have our jewelry that oftentimes I sleep in my necklaces or my little huggy hoops. So that was important. I wanted her to feel grounded and real. So that was intentional and that she would have jewelry that she would repeat throughout the season. Maybe she'll add a piece, take off a piece, but we landed on her layers, her stack, and wanted to keep that consistent. Similar to her belts and her handbags even. So we wanted her to re-wear those pieces, even though we knew that the outfits would change. These were things that she was pulling from a closet.

11:52Hillary Kerr:So when you're starting the initial project, are you pulling together? These are brands that she wears or these are silhouettes that she wears or this is her color palette. She never wears this. She loves this. Or what is your strategy for making some of those points of differentiation between, say, Kristen Bell's character and Justine's character, Morgan, as sisters, where you feel like there's going to be some overlap, but their journeys are different. And that's part of the tension of the season, which I think is so fun. But I'm curious about how you approach that from a strategic point of view.

12:25Yes, exactly. They're stealing from each other's closets. So there was definitely an overlap. I tried to vary their silhouettes. You'll see Morgan in more sort of oversized outerwear or mini skirts, shorts. Early on, I sort of had these rules about what the Rock Love family colors would be and what Joanne and Morgan's world would be. So the Rockloves were jewel tones and these rich colors. And Morgan and Joanne's side had more of like the pastels and the poppy colors just to make this distinction between the two worlds. But now that sort of has blurred a bit more in season two. But definitely trying to hone in on their personality and convey that in silhouette and in color.

13:08Joanne is a bit more controlled in the way that she dresses. She's a bit more tailored. So definitely making those distinctions while at the same time, they should feel like very much a duo and also that they share references. They've shared a childhood. So there's this common sort of ground that they have.

13:26Hillary Kerr:So Joanne doesn't have a uniform per se, but she has an impressive collection of knitwear and button downs and denim. What are some of the brands that you looked for when you were putting together some of these wardrobe staples? Joanne, I mean, we're always looking for jeans and a cute top, which is harder to find than you think. I mean, jeans, we look at all the brands, right? We use Redone, we use Agledy. We used a lot of vintage Levi's this season, actually. And then tops this season, we looked at Calmeyer, we have another Abercrombie top. So we look at all the brands for Joanne, like nothing's off the table for sure.

14:06I think that she knows what looks good on her. She knows what's flattering and she leans into that.

14:12Hillary Kerr:So I also want to talk about Joanne's sister Morgan. I think she's so talented. Justine is just like everything to me on every level. She has such a breakout season. I feel like season two is just on a whole new level for her. What were some of the things that you were thinking about in season two as like the Morgan evolution? And now, as we all know, Justine was pregnant for most of season one. Season two, now she has a baby in real life. So you're not dressing to accommodate in that way. So how did that journey change things both from a style standpoint and then also from a character standpoint?

14:48Yeah, for season one, we were thinking about concealing the bump. So it was... Which you did a beautiful job of. Oh, thank you. It was oversized bomber jacket. So this season when she came in for her first fitting, it was like, gloves are off. Let's go. I was stuck on that idea of her wearing those micro shorts for the first episode. Not only was it like she comes to the door and she's being provocative and irreverent, but I think it also kind of signaled like Joanne here has planned this perfect dinner party. And it was the first sign of like, this isn't going to go exactly the way you thought.

15:24Hillary Kerr:Just stirring the pot right from the entrance. Exactly. This season with Morgan, we were able to do so much more. Her arc and journey. So spoiler alert, this season, she has her own love interest. And we get into later on in the season, her engagement. It's kind of a big season for Morgan. The character was so developed and so funny and just like the perfect foil to her sister. I feel like the show is so much about their relationship and their love story together as best friends and everything that goes along with that. So I also want to talk about the wedding dress shopping scene, which was hysterical.

16:01Hillary Kerr:How did you pick the right dresses for that moment? And were you shooting in an actual bridal boutique? We were. Actually, when I read that episode, I thought, how cool would it be if we could shoot at Loho Bride? Which, for anyone who doesn't know, is like a very beloved boutique. I think our editor-in-chief for Who What Wear got her wedding dress there. Like, it is the cool girl style. Yes, that's where all the fashion girls would go if they're getting married. So we knew she would have all the right gowns. And it was great that we got to shoot there. And Christy was amazing. So we pulled our hero gowns from her.

16:34She has like Vivian Westwood and Daniel Frankel. And it was great to be able to do that.

16:39Hillary Kerr:Okay, so I also want to talk about the fellas as well. So Adam Brody's character, Noah, he has such a cozy aesthetic, which I love. And I read that you didn't use any synthetic fabrics with him, which I thought was really clever. So his wardrobe feels so warm and inviting. So walk me through his closet a little bit. Where did you shop for him? What were key words that you had in mind when you were crafting his wardrobe? Noah, he's going through an existential crisis. We pick up the season shortly after where we left off. He's in love. He's found this woman that he's really into, but everything hangs in the balance for him.

17:17And then he learns that he didn't get this job that he's prepared his entire life for, basically. And so for him, those first few episodes, I thought, well, he's probably really stressed out. He's probably not sleeping at night. He has a lot on his mind. So he's not really thinking about how he's getting dressed. So we find him in a lot of vintage Levi's and T-shirts or double RL button down shirts that he's just throws over a T-shirt. And so this was like unemployed Noah, right? And then he joins this progressive synagogue. So we see him try and ingratiate himself into this new environment. Maybe he's dressing a little bit outside of his comfort zone.

17:58And now he's wearing that striped polo or Todd Snyder, you know, incorporating more color, trying to look cool so that he can fit in. And we wanted to make sure that even if it's very nuanced with Noah, because we're not making big style statements with Noah, you know, that you are experiencing the shift in him visually.

18:18Hillary Kerr:I also love so Noah's brother Sasha has such phenomenal style and it is so distinctly different from his brother there is no Venn diagram overlap so walk me through how you thought through Sasha's wardrobe especially because again spoiler alert hopefully most people have watched it at this point in time Sasha has a very challenged season as well going through a lot of stuff with his amazing wife Esther but talk to me about Sasha's wardrobe because it's just hysterical. Like, I love his Marnie t-shirt. I love all the jackets. I love that he loves fashion so much. Well, Sasha, I felt like we know this guy in LA, right?

18:55Like he has the designer hoodies. He has the limited edition sneakers.

18:58Hillary Kerr:He's a little hype beastie. It's a little hype beast. You know, it's sportswear, but it also shows his wealth that he's flossing a bit. And it's more playful. It's super playful. I mean, he's so funny, Tim. One of the lines in the first episode, I think for me was really telling. He says, oh, well, you want to go take some gummies, you know, after Temple? And we thought, well, this guy isn't taking anything seriously. Like he's just having a good time. So we really leaned into that and he came into his fitting and Tim has talked about this. And we had like a rack of oversized hoodies and he was just like, oh my God, I get it now.

19:35This is the guy. It was really fun to create that character with Tim. In the first season, he talks about being the loser sibling. He's kind of a man child. And I think the hoodies kind of play into that to say he's still like holding on to this version of himself. But then in season two, we wanted there to be this shift. He went to his father for this new position. And so he wants to be taken more seriously. So he's wearing like beautiful sweaters from Elder Statesman. He's still doing his like colorful things. But like that's fancy. It's fancy. It's a little elevated now. So, yeah, we get to have a lot of fun with Tim, you know, especially with like his footwear.

20:19And now he's really gotten into it. Yeah. And then in contrast to Esther.

20:24Hillary Kerr:Who also has a bit of a transformation this season and was a lot more buttoned up and in a lot more black in season one. And then has like hair transformation, has color transformation, really changes in season two. I would say Esther has, of all the characters, as far as the style goes, she has the most dramatic transformation. Because when we first see her, you know, it's a week after the bat mitzvah, we always put Esther in like these higher collars and she's pretty tailored and buttoned up. So you see her, she's still in her rock love red. Modest. Yes. And she's got the high collar and then progressively her neckline gets lower and she starts incorporating color.

21:08One shoulder comes out for a girl's dinner. And one of my favorite costumes was that NSYNC t-shirt that she wears at home because I thought that said so much about like maybe who she used to be. Like she still has this old t-shirt in her wardrobe like we all do that we put on when we're cozy at home and that she kind of lost herself a bit in becoming a mom. And she was trying to come back to herself. Something that I kept thinking about was that when Joanne came into Noah's life, it was very disruptive, but it was disruptive for everyone else too. Like for Esther, she met this woman who's unapologetically herself.