With the 1990s hit series, The Nanny, Fran Drescher proved she was more than just a sitcom star—she was also the ultimate 90s fashion icon. Both created and produced by Drescher herself, The Nanny follows the story of the quick-witted Fran Fine, a cosmetics sales girl from Flushing, Queens who becomes the nanny to a wealthy British Broadway producer’s family after a chance encounter. Along with her quirky nature and infectious humor, Fran brought to the screen some serious style, which was made possible by the show’s costume designer, Brenda Cooper. Throughout the seasons, the two traversed Beverly Hills each week, picking up everything from Marc Jacobs, Chanel, and Thierry Mugler to Dolce and Gabbana, Moschino, and Versace, transforming it all into their own. Even decades later, Ms. Fine’s coveted wardrobe still serves as an inspiration to celebrities and designers alike.
In honor of the forever fashion icon, here are just some of the flashy girl from Flushing’s most memorable style moments:
Wearing Fendi with Bette Midler
Fran wore a purple Fendi co-ord from the fashion house’s spring/summer 1997 collection when she acted alongside Bette Midler in the Season 4 episode, “You Bette Your Life.” In this episode, Fran works alongside the songstress and Maxwell Sheffield while putting together a charity event. Besides Midler, countless stars have made appearances on the popular sitcom, including household names such as Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor, Ray Charles, Pamela Anderson, and Patti LaBelle. Fran’s idol, Barbra Streisand, even appeared during the show’s final season.
Bold Moschino Prints
Brenda Cooper, The Nanny’s costume designer, helped bring Drescher’s character to life through her eclectic style choices and even won an Emmy along the way. A number of pieces Cooper dressed Fran in were made by the Italian luxury brand, Moschino, and helped cement the star’s signature look. Short checkered skirts, rainbow vests, mini heart purses, and flame-printed suits by the label were always on heavy rotation in the actor’s wardrobe. Fran was even shown wearing a black and white polka dot Moschino tank dress covered in colorful cut-outs of watermelons, cherries, and lemons — proving to us that she was actually decades ahead of the fruit fashion trend we have been seeing a lot of lately.
Wearing Todd Oldham
Throughout the show’s six season run, Fran wore a number of iconic Todd Oldham looks. There was the little red dress, the tie-dye ensemble, the embroidered skirt suit, and who could forget the rainbow-striped sequined gown? However, Oldham’s designs were not the only ones who appeared on-screen—the designer himself made a cameo as Fran’s couture-creating cousin in the 1993 episode, “Fashion Show.”
The Bob Mackie Sequined Gown
Not only did the legendary Bob Mackie outfit names such as Cher, Elton John, RuPaul, and Diana Ross, but his pieces were also worn by the inimitable Fran Fine. In one episode, Fran can be seen wearing a floor-length Bob Mackie gown complete with matching gloves and diamond choker. If the dress looks particularly familiar it is because it was also worn by Madonna to the 1991 Academy Awards. In addition to incorporating Mackie’s signature gowns into the cast’s wardrobe, Cooper also drew inspiration from the designer when putting together some of Fran’s mother, Sylvia Fine’s, most memorable ensembles.
Designer Animal Prints
Animal prints made up just one of the pillars of Fran’s bold style. Throughout the seasons she has worn animal prints of all kinds, including leopard, zebra, snakeskin, and even cow, by countless designers such as Dolce and Gabbana, Betsey Johnson, Moschino, Nicole Miller, Versace, Lillie Rubin and more. Her penchant for these powerful prints have proven to transcend time —
some of Cardi B’s outfit choices
are reminiscent of the stylish nanny’s. The rapper’s head to toe leopard look by Dolce & Gabbana during last season’s fashion week is one we can easily imagine Ms. Fine in.
Versus Versace Minidress
One of Fran’s most iconic pieces was the mini dress (matched with a blazer, of course). Orange mod dresses by Morgan De Toi, floral minis by Christian Lacroix, camouflage Thierry Mugler, and dressed-down Helmut Lang—you name it, she wore it. One of her most memorable, however, may just be the purple holographic Versus Versace choice she paired with an uncharacteristically sporty backwards cap. In fact, the holographic trend has reappeared on the runway in recent years, popping up in collections by Maison Margiela, Sies Marjan, Lanvin, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh, to name a few.
Oversized Faux Fur Coats
Throughout the seasons Fran has worn oversized faux fur coats from Neiman Marcus, Anna Sui, Diesel, and more, in shades ranging from off-white to neon orange. A definite scene stealer though was the white faux fur coat she styled with a white cropped top and white denim cutoffs in Season 3’s “That’s Life.” The zinger? In true Fran fashion she wore this just to go play tennis on the Upper East Side.