In ‘Office Romance,’ Jennifer Lopez’s Wardrobe Means Business
Fashion
Costume designer Caroline Duncan took inspiration from Katharine Hepburn’s Old Hollywood pantsuits for JLo's impeccably composed—and dressed—airline CEO character.
In Jennifer Lopez’s latest rom-com, “Office Romance,” the high-end designer-filled power wardrobe of her airline CEO character, Jackie Cruz, boldly flips the “women-be-shopping” trope on its head. “These are very, very well-paid, hard-working women, who may not have a luminous personal life—at the beginning of the movie—but know how to take care of themselves and are adept at spending their hard-earned money on pieces that make them feel powerful and beautiful,” says costume designer Caroline Duncan, also referring to fiercely loyal second-in-command, and consummate workaholic, Sydney (Betty Gilpin).
In discussions with Lopez, Duncan drew inspiration from Katharine Hepburn's pioneering ’30s and ’40s smoking jacket and trouser ensembles and Audrey Hepburn’s fearlessly romantic “Roman Holiday” silhouettes to create a captivating and commanding heroine. She’s a formidable executive who’s constantly contending with pushback and condescension from her all-male board—with little time for a personal life. “I wanted her suiting to feel like an updated modern, but classic women's silhouette,” says Duncan. “We wanted to meet her in pants. That was important to both of us.”
Brett Goldstein and Jennifer Lopez in "Office Romance."
Netflix
The JLo ‘Glow’ Pantsuit
Before AirCruz deputy counsel and Brit transplant Daniel Blanchflower (co-writer Brett Goldstein) heads to the corner office for his first meeting with Jackie, his team advises him not to breathe too loudly or compliment her stellar footwear. Still, the ace litigator is rendered awestruck, as Jackie slow-mo turns from her floor-to-ceiling window—luminous in a streamlined, gleaming white vest-pantsuit by Gabriella Hearst. “You’re very … impressive,” stammers Daniel. “You… glow. Wow.” (Despite the warnings, he can’t help but praise her Elie Saab platforms.)
“It’s like a ’40s women’s suit and such a beautiful way to update a strong female silhouette,” says Duncan of the elevator look, as well as Jackie’s grand entrance into AirCruz HQ. The dark, corporate-clad employees scatter as she strides through the bullpen in her white power-shouldered Another Tomorrow trench, on-theme aviator sunglasses, and oversize black Dior shoulder bag. “The seas are parting, and she's just has this incredibly bold, white, sharp look,” says Duncan. “It's an untouchable kind of silhouette and palette.”
Jackie’s Not-All-Business Three-Piece Suits
Amidst a lawsuit from a competing airline, Daniel accompanies Jackie to a board meeting full of detractors. Her father and the former CEO, “Captain Jack” Cruz (Edward James Olmos), also joins and continuously refers to his daughter as “Gordita”—undermining her authority. Jackie’s dressed for battle in a three-piece dark gray suit layered over a delicately pleated, sheer champagne tuxedo shirt—all Tom Ford—and wielding her 1940s Katharine Hepburn-inspired signature style as armor. “A three-piece suit is a highly bespoke garment,” says Duncan, who custom-designed a black suit with a sheer, structured white shirt and tie for a later pivotal scene. “It's also the most expensive kind of suit that you can buy or have built.”
The versatile, modular suit also allows Jackie to challenge herself and venture into new territory with Daniel. “It also gives her something to play with. She could feel austere and commanding with the jacket on, and then softer, with the jacket off,” says Duncan. Jackie chooses Daniel to accompany her to a deposition, conveniently taking place in the Dominican Republic. She packs a tropical paradise-appropriate Isaia three-piece suit and blouse in a vibrant marigold. “She quickly rips off the blazer as a gesture of flirtation and intimacy,” says Duncan, of the moment Jackie asks an eager Daniel to a post-meeting dinner.
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein in "Office Romance."
Netflix
Jackie’s Steamy, Tropical Color Palette
“In the Dominican Republic, obviously, things heat up—literally,” says Duncan. Jackie and Daniel's romance becomes official—but clandestine—and reawakens a part of her that’s long been dormant. “We push her palette; introducing the marigold [leading to] the green.”
At dinner, Jackie relaxes her c-suite persona by ordering a piña colada (or two) and donning an emerald green Victoria Beckham dress, with a discreet cut-out below the low-plunge neckline, delicate straps forming a T on the low-plunge back, and subtle draping made for dancing bachata with an awkward Daniel. Duncan imagined that, after a montage of in-office knowing smiles and longing glances—and a post-handshake HR violation on Daniel’s part—Jackie packed the slinky dress with intention.
“It was all about finding something that really showed up her back and her shoulder, and was incredibly romantic and sexy, but also not overly showy. She's still a bit guarded. She knows where this is going, finally,” says Duncan. “The green, of course, is symbolic of the spring of their romance, and she's finally about to have this moment that she hasn't had in a long time with someone—and a new beginning.”
The evocative hue continues in the brisk New Jersey climate, with a slouchy olive-green turtleneck and exaggerated sleeve sweater and flowing silk-satin skirt, both by Sally LaPointe, back at the office. “We tried to deepen and enrich her palette, and she starts to wear a lot more knits,” says Duncan. “We were trying to bring out a little bit of playfulness and sensuality, while still keeping Jackie feeling like the CEO of a company.”
At the height of their secret office romance, and right before the second act (nod toward Lopez’s 2018 rom-com, intended), Jackie and Daniel sneak off to a secluded beach. She reveals more of herself in a crimson Eres string bikini and coordinating floral-embroidered Zimmerman dress —while Daniel holds back. “That's the only time we used red in the movie with intention. We were building up to that moment on the beach,” says Duncan. “Of course, red is the emblem of romance, love, and blossoming. It's also the last moment before she botches it, temporarily.”
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein in "Office Romance."
Netflix
Jackie’s OOO Outfits
Jackie does have her relaxed outfit moments, but the exacting CEO is still on point. For a working Saturday, she reveals a bit of her personality in a New York Giants cap, jeans, and a Saint Laurent bomber jacket to honor her family legacy and piloting skills. “There's less gloss when she's in her life outside of work,” says Duncan. “But she still looks immaculate.”
Even Jackie’s at-home denim holds distinction, like Piral wrap-front jeans, with a cropped v-neck sweater, when Daniel discovers her affinity for British culture at her New Jersey penthouse. “Those moments are really grounded,” says Duncan. “But, of course, the jeans are a little stylized and really good.”
Happily-Ever-After Vintage Dior
At a press conference, with the board and her father in attendance, Jackie prepares to concede her dream job to save AirCruz, as Daniel fights harrowing Holland Tunnel rush hour traffic to stop her. She looks resplendent in all-white that circles back to the beginning, but with a new silhouette: a ’40s-referential nipped-waist and body-skimming 2005 Dior skirt-suit.
“This is the first pencil skirt she wears and it's shorter than the other almost-pilgrim length-skirts in the film,” says Duncan, referring to earlier bell-shaped, midi-skirts by Khaite and Aritzia. “Thematically, we had to push the silhouette to feel quite different from the beginning. The affair has really changed her, and she's about to enter a new phase.”
The contoured lines on the jacket bodice dramatically frame Jackie as she stands at the podium to address the expectant crowd. “The curvature, seaming, and architecture of the suit almost feel freer to me, in that the lines on her body have such a beautiful flow,” says Duncan, contrasting it with the “more armored” opening white pantsuit that begins Jackie’s professional and romantic arc. “In this suit, she feels open, a little bit vulnerable, but strong.”
