Melissa M. Dunn 
“Fresh money is more fun money” was the mantra that guided costume designer Kirston Leigh Mann on the Apple TV+ comedy series Booty. Mann and Maya Rudolph’s seventh collaboration in a decade (including The right place, Stilland Amy Poehler’s 2019 directorial debut Wine Countery) also scored their most extravagant: Rudolph plays newly minted billionaire Molly Novak (née Wells), whose divorce settlement from a tech CEO (Adam Scott) just made her the third-richest woman of the world.
Molly’s wardrobe resembles the actress’ real-life style – Booty even uses real red carpet photos of Rudolph to illustrate Molly’s stardom – taken as far back as possible. “Thanks to the budget, we could really dress Molly appropriately,” Mann says, filling her closet with fringed kaftans, designer dresses and feather-trimmed pajamas for lounging around the rectory. And since Molly is a California girl, she’s able to be fancier with her clothing choices than, say, a Uber– wealthy family in a show centered on New York. “Maya is fearless with fashion,” Mann says, and it shows in the eye-catching jewel tones, over-the-top florals, and extravagant silhouettes of the costumes. Mann envisioned Molly as an important client in the fashion world. “If Gucci gets something new, they tell their loved ones about it and they send it to them immediately,” Mann says. “Molly is one of those very elite people.”
Molly’s 45th birthday outfit had to be as extravagant as the festivities themselves. After all, it’s the day she goes from “Jennifer Aniston to Lopez” on the “ageless Jennifers scale,” according to assistant Nicholas (the equally fabulously dressed Joel Kim Booster). This is also the moment Molly finds out that her husband of 20 years is cheating on his much younger mistress, Hailey (Dylan Gelula).
Mann spotted Halston’s shimmering blue and green tie-dye maxi hanging in a California store window and knew it was perfect for when Molly embarks on her journey of self-discovery. Not just because the bright colors looked amazing on Rudolph, but also for how the cool shades pop in Molly’s megamansion. “It’s so hard and cold,” Mann says of the $141 million Bel Air Palace where Booty is filmed. “Maya warms it up.” Mann especially liked the way the lamé dress swings as Molly angrily drives off, eventually escaping in a neon green sports car that complements her Halston. “I wish I could take credit for this car,” she says. “But some style choices are just happy accidents.”
Photo: Apple TV/Courtesy of Apple
Molly wears silk pajamas around her chilly enclosure, a nod to Mann’s home style. “When I walk through my own door, even if I go out in the evening, I get straight into my pajamas,” she says. “It’s like Mr. Rogers, who always had to put on his sweater when he came in from outside. It’s a chance to change. It’s also an opportunity for Molly to point out that her sleepwear, from brands like Olivia Von Halle and Bernadette, is opulent like everything else in her wardrobe.
Mann’s favorite set is Sleeper’s mint green crepe de chine pajamas with removable ostrich feather cuffs. The luxury loungewear brand’s “party pajamas” retail for $320 and are meant to be worn for more than sleeping, making them an activewear-inspired choice for a stylish billionaire moping around. home post-divorce – or for anyone looking to spend their stay- at-home wardrobe. “After being in kind of a sweatpants zone at home, I feel like it’s fun to have fun with fashion again,” Mann says. “We can all throw away our gray sweatpants and take a page from Molly’s book.”
Picture: Apple TV
In the final moments of the premiere, Molly wears the fringed kaftan dress Mrs. Ross from Dubai-based womenswear brand Taller Marmo. The cerulean look, named for music legend Diana Ross, is almost as disconnected as giving away Goop-esque gift bags at a ribbon cutting for a women’s shelter — and it was the aim. “Molly looks amazing in it, but it’s the wrong look,” Mann says. “The sleeves look like wings, because she’s feeling a little angelic right now, but it’s not about her at all and she has to come to that conclusion.”
The dress’s high, tied satin neckline and waterfall hemline with sweeping fringe contributed to Mann’s decision to use the edgy look for Molly’s first of many aha moments this season. “In a way, her work clothes are part of her disconnect from the real people she’s trying to help,” she says. “Molly hasn’t managed to dress like someone who understands this town yet. She always arrives a little too fabulous.
Picture: Apple TV
Mann considers the extremely floral look that Molly wears in episode 2 as a testament to Rudolph’s “free and unfantastic” style. The designer initially thought that the matching multi-piece outfit from Milanese label La DoubleJ was a little too extravagant, even for a billionaire. But Rudolph was willing to try it all: the stretchy flares, the oversized shirt dress, the matching headband and handbag. “You might say, ‘Oh, you don’t have to wear the pants with it,’ and she’s like, ‘Let’s give it a try! ‘” Mann said. “Maya never tries to hide.”
It would certainly be hard to keep a low profile in the brand’s head-to-toe Selva Bianco motif, a jumble of cheerful florals named after the Italian white wine. It’s also Mann’s favorite look this season. “It brought us all so much joy on set,” she says of the $1,785 outfit Molly wears on her private jet flight to Miami. “DoubleJ is a fun brand for a casual billionaire.” The brand also made the purple palm leaf kaftan that Rudolph wears in the BootyThe opening shot of: “It’s such a vibe.”
Photo: Apple TV/Courtesy of Apple
In episode six, Molly receives a prestigious award for her humanitarian work, which she proudly accepts in a raspberry red 1920s-inspired pleated cape dress. With its ruffled high neck and clean silhouette, it looks like high fashion from one of the finest couture houses. It’s actually the work of Theia Couture, a line of minimalist evening wear by Irish designer Don O’Neill, whose fans include Rudolph’s best friend Amy Poehler, Taylor Swift and Khloé Kardashian. “We were all laughing because in some places we spent a lot of money and in others we saved a lot,” Mann says, noting that she had to buy so many costumes to Booty that she ended up losing count. (“Let’s just say it was a lot.”) This fabulous dress cost less than $1,000 and ended up being one of their biggest savings.
Throughout the ten-episode series, Mann has brought in high-profile designers for the most important moments. “I was aware that if something was very expensive or super fabulous, I wanted to use it for a bigger scene,” she says, citing Alexander McQueen, Prada and the vampire’s wife as some of Bootyis bigger becomes. That’s why Mann almost didn’t bring the Theia dress to her fitting with Rudolph, fearing it wouldn’t be big enough for such a star moment. “That was one of the big surprises where Maya put it and I was like, Oh my god it’s the dresssaid Mann. “Maya isn’t conscious of labels. She only cares about her looks and is so willing to help up-and-coming young designers.”
Photo: Apple TV/Courtesy of Apple
In episode nine, Molly gets hit with a cream pie (for reasons we won’t reveal here) while wearing a blue Alexander McQueen puff sleeve dress. The thought of staining the fabulous mini zip-up flaw was almost too much for Mann to bear. “Believe me, I wanted to cry,” she says of ruining even a $2,250 version of the dress. To be sure, Mann has tracked down ten versions of the dress, not an easy task during the pandemic. “It wasn’t like you could just go to Bloomingdale’s and buy ten dresses,” she says. His team had to scour Net-a-Porter and other consignment websites to find multiples of the same size for Rudolph and his stuntman. But thanks to Alan Yang, Booty‘s co-creator and director of this particular episode, they didn’t need so many McQueens. “Some directors would have you throwing ten pies and staining ten dresses, but Alan made sure we didn’t have to throw that many,” she says, estimating they pulled it off in two or three takes. “He’s so fashionable himself that he had his eye on our dresses. But we were ready to be literally criticized.
