‘The Nanny’ Is a Masterclass on How to Be the Coolest Girl in New York City (Or Anywhere)
by Kristin Merrilees
Girls don’t want boyfriends, girls want Fran Fine’s entire wardrobe.
No, but seriously, when the treasured sitcom began streaming on April 1st 2021, we all ran (or rather, scrolled) to HBO Max in delight. Featuring Fran Fine, who goes from working at a bridal shop in Flushing, Queens to becoming “the nanny” for a wealthy British family living in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the show, which originally aired in 1993, has lessons about fashion, confidence, city living, and everything in between.
To put in simply, Fran is quite the character. She has a nasally voice and wears flashy, color-coordinated sweater and miniskirt sets. Her working-class, Jewish background stands in contrast to the rich and WASP-y Sheffields.
I binge-watched The Nanny this summer, back home from a (sort-of) semester away in New York City for college. Of course, like everyone else who has seen or is even just familiar with the show, I was instantly awestruck by Fran’s impeccable outfits and sense of fashion.
In each episode, Fran has the perfect ensemble of mini skirts, statement coats, sweaters, turtlenecks, tights, high-heeled boots, and more. The official “The Nanny” YouTube channel compiles her best summer, winter, sparkly, and vacation outfits. Almost nothing is off-limits to Fran — she rocks stripes, solids, patterns, fluffy textures, prints, bright neons and muted neutrals. Another channel, called “The Wardrobe Files,” archives every outfit she wore from Seasons 1-6 (there’s 664 in total!).
A few of her outfits have gained a cult-like remembrance similar to that of the show itself. Her donning of a form-fitting Herve Leger dress with a Moschino heart bag is an iconic LBD (little black dress) moment. Her all-white turtleneck crop top and high-waisted shorts ensemble, complete with a fluffy white jacket and black oval-shaped sunglasses was a popular Halloween costume this past year. And we couldn’t forget the multicolored Moschino striped vest, which Fran Fine paired with a white blouse and black mini skirt and tights, and even made a reappearance on Fran Drescher’s Instagram.
Of course, to any suburban-Midwestern teenage girl looking for inspiration for a New York-worthy wardrobe, Fran’s closet is a gold mine. But it’s not just the clothes, it’s the way she wears them, of course. She is the type of person who could take the most “basic” pieces ever and style them to pure perfection.
One struggle that a lot of young women have dealt with when it comes to fashion is having the confidence to wear what we want, especially when our tastes are different from the “trends” of the moment. I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve planned a cool outfit, but then, when it comes to actually wearing it out, whether to school or a ~function~, I decide to go with something “safe” instead.
above: Fran in Moschino, @whatfranwore on Instagram
But Fran teaches us to simply just not care about “sticking out” from the crowd in pursuit of our own likes and tastes. As the theme song states, “she’s the lady in red when everybody else is wearing tan.” Her boldness and individuality extend beyond fashion into every aspect of her life. This is apparent in even the very first episode. In her short stint as a door-to-door cosmetics saleswoman, she makes an impromptu resume out of lipstick, ultimately persuading Maxwell Sheffield to hire her as the family’s new nanny.
Although Fran is clearly quite out of place in the posh Sheffield residence on the Upper East Side, she often talks about her experiences growing up in Flushing, which give her the kind of witty wisdom that others lack. Her “street smarts” frequently come in handy and make her the perfect navigator of the New York City scene as she doles out advice on anything from shopping to dating.
As a young woman watching the show, another thing I admired about Fran is her powerful embrace of femininity. Many of Fran’s interests, like shopping and the social scene, might be seen as “girly” and therefore demonized in popular culture. But Fran knows her value and isn’t afraid to show it. When Maggie Sheffield has her first kiss in the first episode, Maxwell says to Fran, blaming her for the occurrence, “She’s not your child.” Fran candidly retorts, “That’s right she’s not, if she were she wouldn’t be upstairs crying right now on what should be a very memorable and exciting evening.” Throughout the seasons, we also see what a big heart Fran has and how she is a beacon of light to both her friends and family.
Her understanding of fashion is almost an art form, and she is able to take inspiration from the places and people around her, ultimately curating a wardrobe that is infused with boldness, creativity, and color. Some of her more eccentric outfit moments include her Dolce & Gabbana blazers (red and white houndstooth, colorful patchwork, tartan), her many rainbow-colored Moschino pieces (a flower-embroidered sweater, red and white polka dot patch jacket, cloud print pants, pink patch jacket, animal print jeans), her Todd Oldham collection (tie dye rainbow blazer, aliens & spaceship suit, blue velvet tie dye loungewear), and of course, all those fuzzy chenille bathrobes. Fran’s outfits reflect her joyfulness, curiosity, confidence, and unique aesthetic perspective.
In fact, you could even say that a lot of the current eclectic and maximalist fashion trends are things she might wear. A quick browse through Urban Outfitters brings up bold patterns, miniskirts, and lots of color — sound familiar? Current influencers, whether that’s Emily In Paris or Victoria Paris, one of New York’s TikTok “it-girls,” are reminiscent of Fran’s looks through their bold use of patterns, prints, and textures.
Luckily, if you want to add Fran’s cow print sweater or wavy light green knit set to your “outfits” Pinterest board, there’s an Instagram account to help. @whatfranwore, curated by Shan Brown, and with 359k followers at the time of writing, posts images of Fran’s outfits along with captions identifying designers.
above: Fran in Todd Oldham, @whatfranwore on Instagram
As the timelessness of her looks and personality demonstrates, Fran has a unique charisma to her. She has the confidence I wish I could bottle and take to New York City for my own adventures. Ultimately, she shows us all just how powerful it is to be a woman who goes after her ambitions and ideas, with style, flair, and unrelenting compassion. To put it simply, she’s just really freakin’ cool.
Thumbnail image source: The Nanny on YouTube