Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer Are More Alike Than They Realize in ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’

At first glance in the Apple TV limited series, based on Rufi Thorpe’s novel, aspiring writer Margo Millet (Elle Fanning) and her former Hooters waitress mother Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer) couldn’t be more different, from their paths in life to their divergent senses of style. But the story—and their wardrobe evolution, by costume designer Mirren Gordon-Crozier—gradually reveals just how closely their identities mirror one another.

“We really wanted the wardrobe to narrate that Margo knows that her mother will always be there,” says Gordon-Crozier, who previously worked with Fanning on “The Girl From Plainville” and the indie film, “Teen Spirit.”

Margo begins her journey on the path Shyanne envisioned for her: a student at Cal State Fullerton, in a vibrant mix of collegiate, ’90s-inspired oversized separates. “She is playing a part throughout this whole show, whether it's subconscious or conscious,” says Gordon-Crozier, explaining that Margo, as the first person in the family to go to college, would emulate how her classmates and professors dressed. “But in her own way. Like I found a 1950s sweater vest and then I put red lace underneath it.”

Whereas Shyanne, now working at Bloomingdale’s, confidently holds onto her best outfits—full of sparkle, tactile faux fur and leather, body-con silhouettes, and a wild mix of animal prints—from decades past. “She’s a bit flashy,” says Gordon-Crozier. “She likes mixing prints and patterns, and Margo gets that from her.”

‘There Are No Victims in Bloomingdales’

Margo, very pregnant after an affair with her feckless married professor, Mark (Michael Anganaro), calls on mom—and her Bloomies employee discount—for an aspirationally-priced, much-needed stroller. Dressed in their most defining styles for the occasion, the duo quickly descends into a dynamic reminiscent of Margo’s younger years.

Attempting to convince her mother to make the pricey purchase, Margo—in a colorfully striped Staud maxi-dress, her favorite vintage cowboy boots, and a beat-up denim jacket—throws herself down on the department store floor. A mortified Shyanne—outfitted in a form-fitting, swirl-patterned Macy’s blouse, Ramy Brook dark flares, and Nine West metallic platforms—ultimately caves to her daughter’s childlike meltdown.

“I really based Shyanne on ‘Real Housewives of Orange County.’ Not the modern version—like 15 or 20 years ago, but less of the logomania. I don't think she can afford things with Fendi or Gucci logos,” says Gordon-Crozier, who did, however, accessorize Shyanne with a Michael Kors belt and Tory Burch sunglasses with recognizable branding that jumps off the screen.

An ‘Audacious’ Animal Print Connection

After Margo gives birth to her adorable son, Shyanne—in a black leather croc-embossed Naked Wardrobe jacket—drops her daughter and grandson off at home with words of encouragement and barely concealed concern. As a single mom, Shyanne knows this path all too well, and their close bond is also reflected through aligning animal prints. Margo tentatively carries baby Bodhi up to her shared apartment in a Topshop leopard print zip-up jacket over her comfy separates: a Dandy del Mar “Hawaii 24” jersey and Urban Outfitters track pants. 

“I liked the audacity of wearing a leopard jacket while sleeping in the hospital—like nobody else would even think to wear that—and her innocence in a way,” says Gordon-Crozier, who also imagines that Margo would “shop” her mom’s closet. “Tying them together was important, especially for that scene, because Shyanne was all she had in the world at that moment.”

Cleavage at Applebee’s

“I have to say, boobs were a big part of the show,” says Gordon-Crozier. The story becomes almost a study of the body parts—first as aesthetic appeal, then evolving into function: both as sustenance for Bodhi and as a source of income once Margo channels her innate ingenuity and creative writing skills into OnlyFans. Boobs also become a prominent, unpredictable guest star within the costume design—especially when Margo meets Shyanne’s soon-to-be fiancé, Kenny (Greg Kinnear), a conservative church youth ministry director, over dinner at Applebee’s.

Feigning that she abstains from alcohol, Shyanne sips fountain soda. through a straw, in her penitent best: a bold red Guess sweater, with a high-neck and illusion paneling lightly covering her low-plunge neckline, paired with a matching leather Macy’s skirt. “In the fitting, Michelle and I really wanted to establish that there are two versions of Shyanne: when she's with Kenny and when she's not,” says Gordon-Crozier. “We always thought Kenny likes the cleavage, obviously, but she wants to hide it a little. So there’s always a veil over it.”

Shyanne, who hasn’t mentioned Bodhi’s existence to Kenny, wants Margo to dress the part, too—which she does in her signature way: a strawberry-print tank top with a sweetheart bodice from the LA-based Nooworks, a blue satin vintage Moschino jacket, and her favorite cowboy boots. “So really an eclectic mix of things,” says Gordon-Crozier. “She was quite busty in that scene, from what I remember. I gave her a nice padded bra.” To authentically depict pregnancy and Margo’s postpartum stage as a nursing mother, Fanning wore prosthetics, along with various sizes of cutlets and padding. “She goes back and forth,” adds Gordon-Crozier. “So recreating that and making sure we got it right was important.”

Shyanne’s Dream Wedding—and the Dresses

Shyanne, of course, asks Margo to be her maid of honor and picks out a dress that completes her vision for her Vegas nuptials. Margo doesn’t quite look like herself, but still glows in a peach-hued vintage gown fully embellished with rhinestones, beading, and sequins. “There's an adolescence to Margo, too, and she never went to prom,” says Gordon-Crozier, emphasizing that Margo does, in fact, appreciate her mother’s selection of a bridesmaid dress. “Even though it's a bit tacky. She's a bit of a magpie, so [likes] the sparkliness of it.”

Similar to her Applebee’s proposal look, Shyanne compromises between her two personas in a high-neck, long-sleeve, and sheer lace-embroidered Self Portrait dress, glittering with delicate sequins, and with a miniskirt lining that reveals some leg.“[Pfeiffer and I] just loved once how it had the messy veil, but is also sexy,” says Gordon-Crozier. “Kenny is really obsessed with Elvis and they get married in the Elvis chapel. There is something a little Elvis-y about the silhouette, with the accentuated shoulders, as well. It’s a perfect Shyanne dress.”

Mother-Daughter Dressing, For Better or Worse

After chaste, virgin piña coladas at dinner with Kenny, Shyanne sneaks out of her bridal suite and strong-arms Margo into “a real deal bachelorette party” before next morning’s wedding. For her last night of freedom, Shyanne celebrates in an explosion of animal motifs: a vintage Roberto Cavalli zebra-and-python print dress with a keyhole-neckline and glittering leopard-print Betsey Johnson knee-high boots. She tosses her snakeskin Isabel Marant trench to Margo for transporting an underage Bodhi. “Just wear my coat and hide the little dump lump in it!” says Shyanne, raring to go.

“This is an outfit that she maybe wouldn't wear in front of Kenny,” says Gordon-Crozier, who then outfitted Margo in the same silhouette, from cut-out bodices to sparkly boots, as Shyanne’s counterpart. “They have a very unique way of dressing, but Margo takes it in a different direction.”

Margo—in a pink Poster Girl bodysuit, with abstract nature prints and cut-outs down the bodice, a vintage red lace skirt, and pink sequin cowboy boots from Free People—both clashes with and mirrors her mother. The body-con looks also function as a metaphor for their relationship, as Margo confesses to what turns out to be her mother’s worst nightmare. Fearing that Margo is repeating her past instead of pursuing the better future she envisioned, Shyanne lashes out at her daughter. The two butt heads over their perceived differences, when in reality they want the same things—like their outfits, which echo each other. “There's a little bit of our parents in all of us,” says Mirren Gordon-Crozier. “It’s just so deeply saturated in Margo, especially in her aesthetic.”