As one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever, Seinfeld remains a favorite among fans, even though it's been off the air for years now. Even cast member Julia Louis-Dreyfus -- who portrayed Elaine Benes on the show -- still enjoys reflecting on the beloved sitcom. However, that doesn’t mean she enjoys every aspect of the series. The successful Saturday Night Live alum recently got real about Elaine’s style, and she’s very apologetic.
Louis-Dreyfus appeared on Amy Poehler's Good Hang Podcast, during which she reflected on her time with the Seinfeld cast and portraying Elaine Benes. Elaine’s style choices also came up. Not only did the character have a “slutty/sexy phase” that included some pretty tight clothes, but Louis-Dreyfus recalled wearing those ensembles while welcoming two babies during the show's run.
As a result, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' belly had to be hidden, which is a common practice for some actresses. To remedy that, Louis-Dreyfus had to wear “huge picnic table cloths.” Poehler joked that that style and other fits from the ‘90s are back, but Louis-Dreyfus humorously issued a plea:
- Julia: Listen, if anybody in America is listening to this, please don't do the '90s again.
- Amy: You and Jen Aniston, when you look at pictures of Rachel and Elaine, everybody's dressing like that now.
- Julia: I don't know what to say. I'm just so fucking sorry, I really, really am.
Poehler disagreed with Louis-Dreyfus and said that some of the styles were jackpot, which is why she brought up Rachel from Friends as well. That being said, a lot of throwback fashion styles are making a comeback these days. Still, Louis-Dreyfus just doesn’t want anyone to copy Elaine, because she believes those looks are better left in the past, regardless of the reason she wore them in the first place.
Between her hairstyle and some of her more trendy outfits, Elaine Benes certainly made her mark on ‘90s fashion, even if Julia Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t see it that way. That decade was indeed a very different time, and there were some pretty bold choices made back then. So it’s not surprising that the Emmy winner would have some regrets. And, considering that the Jerry Seinfeld-created show remains in circulation (as its streamable with a Netflix subscription and syndicated on TV), it's likely those outfits will continue to be seen for years to come.
While Louis-Dreyfus may not have liked Elaine’s style at times, that doesn’t mean that the ‘90s were all bad fashion-wise. There are many iconic outfits from ‘90s movies and shows and, even though a lot of them wouldn’t be able to make a comeback today given the changes in sensibilities, they're still pretty great. I'd even includes some of Elaine’s style choices in that batch. (Just maybe not the picnic table cloths that were clearly used to hide JLD's pregnancy.)
There have been talks of a Seinfeld revival and, if that were to happen, I'd be eager to see what kind of outfits Elaine would wear today. Needless to say, I'd expect her clothes be a tad more conservative and very different from the outfits of that "slutty/sexy phase."
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