Crystal Duck
goes well with a romper | season one, episode twenty four
This is The One With The Fashion, a newsletter exploring the fashion + culture of Friends, episode by episode. Thanks for reading & supporting this project <3 If you enjoy this content, consider buying me a coffee.
Hiii, hello! Well, we’ve made it to the season one finale, can you believe? I’ve already maxed out my sentimental cards so I won’t blab on about how grateful I am that we’ve made it this far, but if it were to come up naturally…
Okay so we’ve established that it’s the season one finale- it’s Rachel’s birthday, Ross has to go to China, and Chandler tells Rachel that Ross is in love with her!
The Skirt Of It All
Does this skirt has top bid for favorite Rachel look this episode? Possibly. Maybe. It’s up there. Commonly seen in bridal wear, the detachable skirt is a garment that I, for one, think we should wear more of. Rachel wears it over a plain black dress, contrasting with the grey tone of the skirt. I also love her silver necklace and earrings, leaving a little stand-out detail.
She tells Monica the skirt is what she exchanged her Christmas present for, and honestly, I can’t even blame her.
Birthday Suit Romper
So listen. I love this look in theory, but in practice? Girlie. Trying to go to the bathroom in a romper is difficult enough, but add in tights to the mix? WOOF. So while not super practical, it is well- put together, and the color is a few shades darker than her famous dress in TOW No One’s Ready.1
The addition of the green jacket turns it into a whole new outfit. I especially love the bottom button flap as it makes it even more versatile.
Sweater, Nothing Better (this is literally the worst title but I had nothing else)
MONICA SLAYED THIS LOOK. Like I want to recreate it like, now. The pieces are so cohesive, from the colors to the cut. Even the contrast in fabrics (knit and what looks to be more satin-y) looks good. Pairing her teardrop necklace is such a good contrast to the collar, as well.
Florals & Rings
Phoebe does a vest so well, and she always has a fun pattern to go with it. Florals are as much a Phoebe staple as her rings at this point, and I like that her skirt is a different pattern of floral than the vest.
Other Thoughts
In the opening scene, we see not only Monica in her signature red, but Joey and Chandler as well. I noticed Chandler right off the bat because of the (once again) accidental matching with Mon. And then coordinating with Joey’s red as well, linking two of his most important people.
Or, something.
Little anecdote that Chandler’s vest reminded me of- my friends & I went to dinner recently and saw a man in a full Chandler vest look, so safe to say the vibe will be brought into yet another year.
Favorite Quote
“That’s good, just keep rubbing your head, that’ll turn back time.” -Joey
And here is where I leave you today, at the end of season one and still in a post-holiday fog. Can we go back to the lawless week between Christmas and New Years?
Anyway, season two is coming soon, plus possibly maybe a bonus season one post. As always, thank you so much for reading!
until next time,
xoxo, kaeleen
I honestly cannot wait to cover this episode. I may just have to do a little something for it before then because season three is sooo far away :(
I stumbled upon your Substack and am *loving* reading along as I do a rewatch (from Australia, if you’re wondering about your geographical reach!). It’s making me watch for the fashion in a totally different way and it’s so fun! Thanks for putting this out there!
Oh, and I’m sure Monica’s skirt is rayon, as it experienced a huge boom with those a-line floral skirts at that time. You don’t see them in thrift stores at all because they were not washable and got ruined as soon as they were wet. I worked in a clothing store back, then and we had so many annoyed customers.