Rachel's Best And Worst Outfits On Friends
"Friends" isn't usually a series many people associate with fashion. However, when '90s style made a huge resurgence in popularity, many fans of the show suddenly realized that Rachel Green is something of a fashion icon. As the show's costume designer Debra McGuire told Vogue India, "Fashion is cyclical ... I don't think Rachel's fan base ever waned." In fact, McGuire said, Millennials tend to love Rachel's look. "High-waisted jeans are vintage, so are crop tops and oversized jackets," she explained. "'90s pieces fly out of second-hand stores."
It's kind of true — Rachel's fashion is still super relevant today. So, we've taken a look at some of the character's best and worst outfits over the years. You'll be amazing by just how modern and chic Rachel sometimes looked — and also, how many of her looks have aged horribly. Here are the seven best and seven worst outfits of Rachel Green from "Friends."
Best: Rachel's runaway bride look in The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate was gorgeous
In Rachel's very first appearance on "Friends," she appeared in the famous Central Perk coffee shop in a soaking wet wedding dress. This iconic look, while not suitable for every day, has to be one of her best outfits from the show. As Marie Claire noted, "This 'Runaway Bride' look should be on display in a fashion exhibition." While the ensemble is hilarious given the circumstance, on second glance, it's completely gorgeous. With detailed embroidery and a delicate, feminine headpiece, Rachel looks like a total dream as a bride.
As costume designer Debra McGuire explained to Racked, "That wedding dress came from Warner Bros. Stock from the costume department!" Additionally, McGuire came across the dress by chance. "I knew it'd fit her," she continued. McGuire went on to explain that she didn't have the budget or time for the pilot episode to design a dress from scratch, so finding this gorgeous gown really was fate.
Worst: That cheerleader outfit in The One With the Fake Party was embarrassing
Usually, Rachel looked put together and chic in "Friends." After all, she worked in the fashion industry! However, every now and then, she made an embarrassing mistake with her fashion choices. In Season 4, for example, Rachel decided to pull out her old cheerleader outfit from high school in order to impress her crush Joshua. "My lucky dress wasn't working out too well for me, but for four years, this baby never missed," she manically told Monica.
While this outfit may have looked great on Rachel in high school, it couldn't have been more embarrassing on her about a decade later. Even though Rachel still fit into her high school cheerleading outfit, she no longer looked like a cute teenager — she looked more like a sad 30-something. Things got even worse when she banged her lip and started lisping. Not a good look, Rach. Still, while this may have been a low fashion moment for Rachel, it was certainly pretty hilarious for us viewers!
Best: Rachel's yellow embroidered dress in The One With All The Kissing is a fan favorite
One of Rachel's best ever outfits has to be her yellow embroidered mini dress that she wore in "The One With All The Kissing." You may remember it from the "Friends" scene when Rachel sends a hot date away in order to comfort Ross.
As costume designer Debra McGuire said in an interview, "I think we probably got more comments from the public on that dress than of anything in all the seasons of 'Friends.'" Apparently, fans still email her to ask about the dress all the time! And as McGuire told The Telegraph, the fan favorite dress was actually from a British boutique called Idol, which she visited while the cast was shooting in London.
It turns out, Jennifer Aniston loved the dress, too. At an Aveeno event, she said it was her favorite outfit the character ever wore (via The Zoe Report). We can't say we blame her — that yellow dress was completely stunning!
Worst: Rachel's blue maxi skirt suit in The One With The Tiny T-Shirt is super dated
While "Friends" has plenty of looks that show off the best of vintage '90s fashion, there were also some outfits that haven't aged quite so well. In "The One With The Tiny T-Shirt," Rachel wore one of these very, very dated looks. You may remember her all blue maxi skirt suit with the matching jacket? She wore it in the scene when she gave Ross his stuff back after their break up.
Digital Spy agreed that the outfit was shockingly ugly, writing, "We'll never get over this horrendous coordinated not-quite-maxi skirt and jacket combination. Rach was clearly feeling like dressing like a dull, rigid old lady from the 1920s that morning." It's true — everything from the color to the cut of this ensemble was way off. Yikes, seems like this outfit was one where Rachel really misfired!
Best: Rachel wears an iconic schoolgirl outfit in The One Where The Monkey Gets Away
In Season 1 of "Friends," Rachel always looked pretty amazing; it was the season where she got to wear some of her most iconic vintage looks — think overalls, slip dresses, and oversized jackets. However, one outfit definitely stands out. This outfit appeared came in the episode "The One Where The Monkey Gets Away." Her white turtleneck paired with a tartan miniskirt and knee-high white socks that she wore while looking for Marcel the monkey was nothing short of amazing.
While the episode was pretty hilarious, viewers with an eye for fashion were certainly distracted by this killer outfit. As Racked noted, "While there are tons of memorable Rachel style moments worth shouting out ... nothing really compares to the rolled-neck sweater, plaid mini kilt, and striped knee socks." Apparently, this '90s schoolgirl look aired before "Clueless" and Britney Spears made this look famous. It's pretty clear that Rachel was a total trendsetter.
Worst: The belted sweater Rachel wore in The One Where Estelle Dies should stay in the past
In the final season of "Friends," Rachel's style became a little more modern. Usually, she sported relatively normal outfits — think jeans, sweaters, and t-shirts. However, every now and then, Rachel donned a more adventurous look; her getup in "The One Where Estelle Dies" is a pretty good example. Rachel wore a truly bizarre turtleneck sweater with a cutout on the chest and a buckled strap over the middle of her chest. As we said — truly bizarre!
Additionally, this outfit isn't just weird, it's actually pretty confusing. Why on earth would a designer decide to cut out a hole in the upper neck of a fuzzy jumper and then sew on a black strap across the center of the hole? It almost looks like Rachel has a purse strap or belt dangling down the middle of her neck! We know that fashion is sometimes about taking risks, but this is one risk that did not pay off. It's safe to say that this sweater will go down in history as one of the worst looks on "Friends" ever.
Best: Rachel's black dress in The One With Rachel's Crush is super trendy
A lot of Rachel's best looks on "Friends" came during her period of dating Joshua. She had just started working at Ralph Lauren as a personal shopper, so it's hardly a surprise that her fashion game was top notch. In "The One With Rachel's Crush," Rachel wears a sheer black long sleeve dress with embroidered colorful jewels while dressing Joshua. With its pops of color, this was a twist on a little black dress that we could totally get behind. At one point, Rachel poses next to him imagining them as a couple — and with Rachel in this dress, they certainly do look like a dashing pair.
While dark black tights may not be the height of fashion anymore, with this little black dress, they totally work. This look is glamorous, chic, understated, and seriously stylish — it's got to be one of Rachel's best ever outfits on the show.
Worst: Rachel's outfit in The One With Monica's Thunder is why 2000s fashion gets a bad rep
While some of Rachel's outfits are the perfect inspiration for vintage '90s style on "Friends," some of her looks should never be repeated. Notably, in "The One With Monica's Thunder," Rachel wore a colorful tank and capri outfit that screams ugly early 2000s fashion. Of course, Rachel did pull off the outfit even if it was pretty ugly. As costume designer Debra McGuire explained to Vogue India, "This was a girl who knew how to rock high-waisted jeans and cargo pants — which Jen can still pull off at 50 in real life today! She always looked comfortable in whatever she wore." This outfit with the cargo capris was no exception.
One fan managed to recreate this outfit for Cosmopolitan. As she wrote, "Apparently, yellow tank tops are ancient artifacts because I searched so many places before finding this at Goodwill, and it was the only one they had." We can't say we're surprised — both the pants and the top should never make a comeback in modern fashion.
Best: Rachel's pink coat in The One That Could Have Been is so bold
In the "Friends" episode "The One That Could Have Been," we got to see all of the pals in an alternate reality where Rachel had married Barry. Naturally, her fashion in this episode was a little more over-the-top and pulled together. One of Rachel's outfits from the episode featured a seriously amazing hot pink teddy bear coat that would have fit right into the wardrobe of "Sex and the City." As Cosmopolitan noted, "This fur coat ... looks like it was stolen from Samantha Jones's closet." While not many people could pull this look off, on Rachel, it looked nothing short of amazing.
Apparently, this stunning coat came from the personal wardrobe of Debra McGuire, the show's costume designer. As she told Vogue India, "My style is definitely a lot more avant-garde than any of the show's characters." Luckily, her avant-garde fashion sense came in handy for this episode.
Worst: Rachel's dress over jeans in The One With Rachel's Dream is a fashion faux-pax
Remember in "Friends" when Rachel decided to wear a dress over her jeans? Modern viewers would find it hard to miss this strange outfit from "The One With Rachel's Dream." Not only did Rachel wear this strange outfit out in public, she actually wore it to Joey's film set. That is definitely not the look we would have chosen if we were trying to impress our favorite soap opera star!
While wearing a dress over pants looks pretty dumb to most of us these days, it was actually a trend back in the 2000s when this episode was filmed. As InStyle pointed out, everyone from Miley Cyrus to Ashley Tisdale was trying this odd look back in the day. And it turns out, longer shirts may be coming back in style. If you want to try a modern take on Rachel's look today, InStyle suggests, "skip all the playful accessories and don't overdo it. Keep the pieces simple and structured."
Best: Rachel's bridesmaid dress in The One With Monica and Chandler's Wedding is beautiful
"Friends" certainly had plenty of wedding scenes. To that end, at Monica and Chandler's wedding everything looked pretty perfect, right down to the bridesmaid dresses that Rachel and Phoebe wore. The beige, cream, floral gowns with the scoop necks and fluttery hemlines were totally stunning — in fact, we wouldn't even mind wearing them today.
As costume designer Debra McGuire told Racked, these dresses became a fan favorite. "Those bridesmaid dresses got the most calls and inquiries of anything on the whole show," she said. "We bought them at Newman Marcus, and they were so beautiful." Apparently, McGuire still receives questions from fans about these dresses, too. As she went on to explain, the dresses weren't designed by a "big name," so anyone at the time could have gotten their hands on one. "If those [designers] didn't make a zillion dollars as a result of it," she joked.
Worst: Rachel's tie over her bare neck in The One Where Rachel Goes Back to Work is too daring
After Rachel returns to work after maternity leave, she finds her replacement, Gavin, is not only threatening to steal her job but is also pretty cute. In the scene, Rachel tries to reassert herself as the rightful owner of the office — unfortunately, she's wearing one of her most bizarre outfits at the time. Let us jog your memory — she's wearing an off-the-shoulder striped blouse with a black tie over her bare neck. This is one of those experimental noughties looks that should definitely stay in the past.
Nevertheless, costume designer Debra McGuire told Vogue India that this look was actually one of her favorites — apparently, everyone has their own sense of style! Of course, this look wouldn't have been quite so strange at the time. We all remember how Avril Lavigne used to wear a tie over her tank tops and t-shirts (via Bustle) — but this doesn't mean it's something Rachel should have tried to replicate for the office!
Best: Rachel's mint green gown in The One Where No One's Ready is to die for
One "Friends" episode was all about Rachel choosing a dress to wear to a work event for Ross as Ross got more and more angry and how long she was taking. Eventually, Rachel becomes annoyed by Ross's persistence and she announces she won't be going to the event, and she appears in sweats. Finally, she is convinced to get dressed — and when Rachel finally settles on a dress with moments to spare, it is worth the wait. This maxi mint green gown with the side slit is something we'd happily wear to an event today. We only wish the gown had gotten a little more screen time. With its thick spaghetti straps, it's slender silhouette, and its soft, pastel color, there's nothing not to love about this gown.
The dress ended up going down in "Friends" history, with Cosmopolitan even calling it her "most iconic dress." Apparently, they even found an amazing dupe of the dress at the British brand Whistles. This is one example where Rachel's fashion sense has not gone out of style even after all these years.
Worst: Rachel's bridesmaid dress in The One With Barry and Mindy's Wedding is hilariously ugly
Some of Rachel's best fashion moments on "Friends" came when she attended weddings. However, one of her wedding outfits was truly horrendous. Namely, in "The One With Barry and Mindy's Wedding," Rachel was forced to show up looking like a bright pink cloud in a magenta Little Bo Peep dress and a large floppy pink hat.
As costume designer Debra McGuire told Racked, "Okay, that dress was my favorite thing ever. I was like, 'What would be the most hellacious outfit we could possibly put together?'" Everything from the color to the shape was awful. McGuire explained that her team made the dress from scratch so that everything about it would be off. "The taffeta was bad, the color was bad, the puffy sleeves were bad. It's exactly what I wanted," she continued.
Funnily enough, some "Friends" viewers didn't really get the joke. Apparently, lots of fans contacted McGuire to ask where they could get a dress like this for their own bridesmaids. "We thought there was no way that anyone would ever want to wear that dress and that hat," she added. "Seriously, it blew our minds."