Bold, brash, and beautiful, Mickey Dobbs crash lands into the TV show Love, in a ’72 sedan no less. Outfitted in orange bathing suits, Adidas slides, and canvas overalls, Mickey’s eclectic California off duty model meets chic construction worker style is widely accepted as THE focal point of the show. Costume designer Jennifer Eve pulled from her own style to create Mickey’s wardrobe, and in her own words described Mickey as a “hungover Alexa Chung“. While Mickey does have a fairly good job and can dress the part (see leather mini skirts and collared button ups), it’s no secret that she’s a mess in love and life, known mostly for her exploits while on Ambien or peer pressuring sweet sidekick Gus into trying a new drug. Yet no matter where Mickey’s adventures take her, she always looks effortlessly put together and California cool.
Mickey in season 2, episode 5 “A Day”
In what is arguably my favorite episode of the series thus far, Gus and Mickey spend an entire day together after finally deciding to try to be a really couple. This one day takes Mickey from an AA meeting, to brunch, to a movie, to the beach, and back home again– all in the same outfit. While the outfit is just black jeans, a striped tank, a pair of black boots, and a vintage black Coach tote (not pictured) that I may or may not have tracked down and purchased…Mickey makes it look so dang cool. I think Mickey ultimately reminds us, it’s not what you wear– it’s how you wear it. Three girls can all be in the same outfit, but it’s the small details and personal touches that makes at least one of them a great outfit.
Love is one of those shows that has great music and beautiful set dressing, but never feels cultivated against the raw, rough and tumble storylines about modern love. It’s a world so beautiful, weird, and funny that you want to crawl right into it, but it’s also a familiar world of tumult, modernity, and killer style. The third season comes out on Netflix March 9th, which means if you haven’t watched it, there’s just enough time to squeeze in the first two seasons!
I started watching Love just because I needed a new show, but what I got was a visually luxurious and stylishly inspiring show. Mickey encouraged me to return to a long held style philosophy of mine: nothing looks better than jeans, a t-shirt, and a killer attitude…but maybe adding an orange bodysuit and Carhartt overalls can’t hurt either! ;)