Jennifer Coolidge championing the caftan wearing Camilla in The White Lotus.Credit:Mario Perez/HBO
From playing the original statuesque “MILF” in theAmerican Pie franchise,Coolidge has evolved into a zaftig FILF (Fashion Influencing Legendary Female),wearing oversized Longchamp sunglasses,towering wedges and countless kaftans as Tanya McQuoid,a woman with plenty of money and even more neuroses,in the series.
In a moment timed perfectly with COVID-19 fatigue,Coolidge has given permission for women of all ages to transition from sweatpants to voluminous sequinned silk kaftans,driving sales and earning social media support from the likes of designer Isaac Mizrahi and supermodel Martha Hunt,and spawning countless memes.
“Sales of our keepsake kaftans have gained momentum,and we’ve heard a chorus of her fans desperate to know what prints and pieces she’s wearing,” said Australian designer Camilla Franks,whose voluminous,embellished designs feature prominently in the six-part HBO series,streaming locally on Foxtel.
Screenshot of Jennifer Coolidge wearing Camilla in the HBO/Foxtel series The White Lotus.Credit:Screenshot
Searches for kaftans increased by 61 per cent on the Camilla website following Coolidge’s scenes in the series. The Boheme caftan from Camilla’s Paris collection has sold out,along with a faux fur kimono worn in the series from US label Jennafer Grace.
“Camilla does something incredibly special and the pieces imbue Tanya with so much of what I wanted to say – glamour,old-world charm,luxury,beauty,femininity,romance,fun and a kind of sweet girlishness,” said Alex Bovaird,costume designer forThe White Lotus. “I bought a one of a kind dress from Camilla for Jennifer that I got at their boutique in Costa Mesa and it was so sumptuous and flattering on her that it just tipped us both into wanting more.”
Before the series Bovaird was not familiar with Camilla,discovering the brand while searching for the type of outfits you would find folded carefully (by others) in luxury logo-covered luggage.
“I romped and scavenged through the high-end stores of Southern California and was inspired by the women who live in tropical locations in South America and Australia,” Bovaird said. “Tanya is an adventurer and I imagined she picked up many of her pieces on her travels.”