Fran Drescher in “The Nanny”, season 3 episode 13, “An Offer She Can’t Refuse” (1995)
Fran Drescher in “The Nanny”, season 3 episode 13, “An Offer She Can’t Refuse.” CBS
Editor’s Note: Delving into the archives of pop culture history, “Remember When?” is a CNN Style series offering a nostalgic look at the celebrity outfits that defined their eras.
(CNN) — The 1990s gave birth to many fictional style icons whose wardrobes inspire generation after generation. There’s “Clueless” fashion plates Cher Horowitz and Dionne Davenport, “Sex and the City”‘s Carrie Bradshaw, and “Friends”’s Rachel Green, to name a few. Still, not many have had the cultural impact of “The Nanny” herself, Fran Fine.
With her leopard print mini dresses, neon skirt suits and rainbow vests, Fran (played by the incomparable Fran Drescher) was a colorful and feminine respite from the muted grunge fashions popular at the time the sitcom premiered in November 1993.
During its six-season run, the flashy girl from Flushing won viewers’ hearts worldwide; 30 years later, her fanbase has only grown. Over the years, fan accounts like What Fran Wore and the Fran Fine Fashion Database have documented all of the character’s roughly 700 outfits. TikTok fashion lovers — many of whom had not been born when the show aired — frequently recreate her most iconic looks today, resulting in the hashtag #franfinefashion reaching over 35 million views. In other words, Fran Fine is quintessentially retro and always of the moment.
LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 1: The Nanny, a CBS television situation comedy. Premiere episode aired November 3, 1993. Pictured is from left is Fran Drescher (as Fran Fine), Charles Shaughnessy (as Maxwell Sheffield); Daniel Davis (as Niles); Lauren Lane (as C.C. Babcock). Seated in front from left is Madeline Zima (as Grace Sheffield); Benjamin Salisbury (as Brighton Sheffield); and Nicholle Tom (as Margaret ‘Maggie’ Sheffield). Image dated January 1, 1993. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Drescher in character as Fran Fine in a promotional photo for “The Nanny”, pictured with the show’s other principcal cast members. From left: Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy (as Maxwell Sheffield), Daniel Davis (as Niles) and Lauren Lane (as C.C. Babcock). Seated in front. from left. are Madeline Zima (as Grace Sheffield), Benjamin Salisbury (as Brighton Sheffield) and Nicholle Tom (as Maggie Sheffield). CBS/Getty Images
As the show’s inaugural costume designer, Brenda Cooper was largely responsible for Fran’s signature style. She worked on “The Nanny” for the first four seasons, and in 1995 won an Emmy for her work on the show. (Costume designers Shawn Holly Cookson and Terry Gordon later took over after she left to have children.)
Cooper dressed Drescher in designer wares from Versace, Todd Oldham, Dolce and Gabbana, Bob Mackie, and Anna Sui, among others.But it was the Italian label Moschino that provided many of Fran’s most kitschy and whimsical looks, such as her watermelon polka dot jacket (from the premiere episode), a pink newsprint pantsuit (season 1, episode 17), and dress whose skirt resembled piano keys (season 4, episode 23). “The thing that we loved about Moschino that seemed so perfect for this series is that it had pizzazz, but it also had humor,” recalled Drescher in a 2020 video for Vogue. “That was Brenda Cooper’s genius. We created a look that… was something that people responded to very favorably.”
Among all of Fran’s most memorable looks, one specific piece by Moschino stands out: a red heart-shaped purse. Featured in an episode from the show’s third season, in which Fran goes on a date with a mobster, the bag was paired with a black Hervé Leger mini dress, an outfit that might be considered plain compared to her typical, more colorful looks. It may have only appeared the one time, but the bag has been seared into the memories of Fran fans ever since.
Remember Princess Diana’s revenge dress? It’s coming back
“I was always looking for something that had style, something that had wit, and something that had a sense of humor,” Cooper told CNN. “I was walking through Neiman Marcus to the second floor, and I looked to my right and was like, O-M-G, that is perfect. She’s on a date, and she’s holding a heart purse — again, there’s the wit.”
Moschino first released the bag in 1995, for about “$300 or $400,” Cooper recalled. The same bag can NOW be found on reseller sites for upwards of $6,000. (Cooper still has the original used in the scene.) Jennie Walker, an LA-based stylist and luxury vintage reseller who owns an extensive vintage Moschino collection, said the bag’s inflated price is in large part due to its cameo on the show. “There is such a frenzy around ‘The Nanny,’ and people who are fans of the show,” Walker told CNN. “All those (people) are specifically looking for that bag.”
