In a world where TikTok is constantly touting the next item of clothing we need to buy, and influencers telling us how to craft the perfect capsule wardrobe with the same 10 pieces, it can feel intimidating to take risks with your personal style—to have fun, to make mistakes, to stand out unabashedly in a crowd. But that’s exactly the mindset costume designer Arielle Cooper-Lethem, opens in new tab is promoting through the wardrobe she created for Meg Stalter’s character Jessica Salmon in the Netflix summer hit "Too Much." Because while the show is about two people falling in love, it’s also about falling back in love with oneself. Jess’s over-the-top outfit choices are just one of the ways she does this, with Cooper-Lethem reminding us all how getting dressed every day can bring so much joy. 

In "Too Much," Jess flees Brooklyn to London after a brutal breakup with her live-in boyfriend Zev (Michael Zegen). The show takes us through both the chaos of a transcontinental move and the trauma of putting yourself back together after a toxic relationship. Jess does this through a variety of ways, from talking to Zev’s new fiancé via a fake social media account (cringe) to an unlikely romance with bar singer Felix (played by Will Sharpe … swoon), and, according to Cooper-Lethem, dressing however she pleases. “In the flashback scenes when she’s still in New York with Zev, she has slightly less confidence to be accessorizing,” says Cooper-Lethem. “In the later scenes [in London] she’s more Jess; she’s like, this is who I am and I don’t care if anyone likes it or not.” 

No outfit captures this more than the sailor dress she wears from Foundry Mews. “I swear you dress as a fuck you to people sometimes, Jess … You don’t want them to know that you’re beautiful or even me to know that you’re beautiful,” Zev tells her in episode seven as she’s wearing the dress. Flash forward and we see her wearing it her first night in London—the night she meets Felix at a pub in episode one. In this case, it’s a fuck you to Zev, and both a sentimental and sartorial sign she’s finding it in herself to leave the past behind. 

Once in London, we see Jess—an Anglophile who describes her star sign as “Wuthering Heights” [sun], “Prime Suspect” [rising]”—embark on her British adventure. This includes understanding the difference between an American estate and a British one, navigating new coworkers and cultural differences, and leaning into her style regardless of what the people around her think (and they have thoughts).

Jess gives up jeans (the only rule for her wardrobe was that she didn’t wear them in the contemporary scenes, says Cooper-Lethem—perhaps because she finally realizes they don't bring her joy). She puts on too many accessories (often from Australian-brand Millie Savage), and she pairs pieces together that might not necessarily make sense to most people, like a toile-print dress from Shop Cider with a cardigan, fanny pack (bum bag for our Brits), and wellies for a festival at a pig farm in Hackney. She goes to work in a nightgown and dinner in a Barbie-pink herringbone skirt suit. And for the wedding scene in episode eight, she breaks out an ‘80s-style metallic blue dress—a nod to Josie Grossie from “Never Been Kissed”—with a shaggy faux fur coat from Hippie Shake and hoop earrings. “There's not really rhyme or reason to it, there's just passion and feelings—that’s how she’s getting dressed,” says Cooper-Lethem. “She’s like, “How do I feel today? Who am I?” It’s Jess’s world, and we’re just living in it—or rather watching it unfold on our screens. 

Much of what Cooper-Lethem wanted to do through the costumes was to help the viewer see the world through Jess’s charismatic eyes—the ones that ultimately win over the broody Felix and her clicky coworkers. But it was also important for Jess to stand out in the world she just arrived in off the plane from JFK. The gritty pub scene Felix is a part of; the buttoned-up-yet-eccentric posh circle of her boss and Felix’s former classmates; the gray, drab weather of London—Jess needed to act as a counterpoint to all of this. 

Cooper-Lethem helped make this distinction through color palette and texture, a feeling of whimsy and a whole lot of accessorizing. Jess’s world is one of pastels and ruffles. She loves a piece of jewelry, a frilly nightgown (often from British brand If Only If or vintage), a lot of chunky, embroidered knits. She lives in her beat-up ballet flats from French Sole and loud coats from Hippie Shake. “She definitely doesn’t listen to the rule of taking one thing off before leaving the house,” laughs Cooper-Lethem, who sourced a lot of vintage but also looked to Fashion Brand Company, Rosette NYC, By Bambi, Shop Cider, and Celia B for bold, statement pieces that Jess could have fun with. “Fashion Brand Company was really supportive and just so good at making these pieces that had the sort of  “what the fuck?” quality to them.” Like Jess’s “soup” tank top and a pair of blue basketball shorts she’s wearing when she breaks into Zev’s apartment after their breakup. 

In the very last scene, Jess—now healed, happy, and done second-guessing herself—gets her fairytale ending. Her wedding ensemble consists of the unpredictable combination of a cropped t-shirt (made specifically for the show), an oversized hairbow and tiered tutu (by Chicago-based bridal designer Veronica Scheaffer), lacy knee-high stocking, and white mary janes. It’s everything we loved about Jess’s character all season but in white. It’s bold and unapologetic, feminine and fantasy, sentimental and stylish. It’s a way of saying “I’m not afraid” with your fashion choices.

“This is what creates Jess’s charm,” reflects Cooper-Lethem. “She’s quirky but she’s cool and there's a lot of confidence in her character. Even though you watch her struggle with things, she makes these choices in the story that feel very courageous and decisive, so I wanted her clothes to speak to that—that she does have a strong perspective and she does take risks.” It’s also a reminder for us watching at home how clothes can be so much more than a way we cover ourselves up or try to fit in. They’re a way to showcase ourselves to the world, and the utter joy and confidence that can come with that regardless of whether it feels too much … or just right.