Since Girls premiered on HBO in the pre-#MeToo landscape of 2012, creator Lena Dunham has often been overshadowed by the media narratives surrounding her. But as nostalgia culture and the rewatch era have introduced the acclaimed series to Gen Z and beyond, Dunham is no longer simply the ‘‘voice of a generation”. She’s become the voice of generations and, finally, a fashion girl in her own right. Together with stylist Talia Cassell, she has quietly shaken up fashion throughout the press tour for her powerful new memoir, Famesick, which explores pain, loss, and everything fame can take from a person.
Dunham writes in her memoir, ‘‘It feels as if I was born with the endless souls of generations of tipsy, provocative women inside me’’, and Cassell took it word for word, dressing the author in everything from sharp lady suits to ethereal bouffant sleeves, ultimately transforming her into one of fashion’s most compelling protagonists.
Ahead, in a conversation with the author’s stylist, she shares everything about dressing the author-slash–voice of generations: how the looks came together, what their collaboration is like behind the scenes, and what it means to style someone whose public image has long existed outside conventional fashion narratives.
Ana Beatriz Reitz (ABR): Can you tell me a bit about you, how you see your profession and your background?
Talia Cassel (TC): I grew up in California and lived in LA for 5 years before moving to New York. Moving to New York was the best decision I’ve ever made and it keeps getting better. I always knew I wanted to work in fashion. But growing up in Long Beach there weren’t many fashion forward jobs so I didn’t know my options.
Most creative fields centered around music because Long Beach is a big music city. After moving to LA, I started waitressing at a cafe in Beverly Hills, Croft Alley and also picked up style assisting jobs on the side. I noticed Croft’s Instagram desperately needed help and ended up taking over the account while I was serving there. This led to my first proper job in fashion. I was hired as a social media and marketing coordinator at Miaou. It was a great introductory job in fashion, and I learned a lot, but it ultimately wasn’t what I wanted to do.
After a year at Miaou I returned to full-time styling. Seeing how my career has progressed in the last year has been really validating. I know I’m where I should be, especially because there isn’t really a rulebook for styling, and everyone’s experience is so unique and specific. I view my profession as a complete luxury. I feel so lucky to be able to support myself by doing something that I love.
ABR: When you first began working with Lena, what was the most important thing to understand about her relationship with fashion?
TC: The most important thing to understand about Lena’s relationship with fashion is that she wants to have fun with it. She enjoys the process just as much as she enjoys turning out a look. Lena doesn’t just want to wear a fab outfit once and then never see it again. She’s so passionate about fashion and archive pieces and investing in building a capsule of lifelong pieces that she can cherish forever. She created freedom for herself in an industry that often feels restrictive by taking back power and enjoying fashion as a hobby over anything else.
ABR: What was yours and Lena’s starting point for the visual direction the wardrobe of the Famesick tour would take?
TC: Lena said she wanted to embody classic author suiting vibes with a twist and I ran with it. I created a mood board to show her the designers I wanted to work with. Many of the references featured a gothic Victorian vibe, romantic medieval-inspired pieces, gothic lolita, romantic laces, and lots and lots of texture-forward pieces. Of course, we also had quite a few looks that felt more playful and lighthearted, but the starting point for inspiration for me grew from this mood board.
ABR: How involved was she in the styling process, and what kinds of ideas does she bring to the table?
TC: Lena was involved the perfect amount. We had so much fun working on each look together. Some nights we’d text for hours sending references, pieces we love, designers we want to work with – just gushing over all the fashion. She usually sends me a starting point or a reference or a specific piece and then I take off and run with it. Almost all of her starting inspiration stems from a fab vintage piece.
ABR: Can you walk me through how a typical look comes together between the two of you, from the initial conversation to the final fitting?
TC: For the Famesick tour, almost all of the looks we did were custom from independent designers. For customs I find designers that feel well-suited for the look we’re trying to achieve. After Lena’s approval, we get the ball rolling. I typically meet with the designers to discuss the look and then they send us sketches for approval.
Lena and I will approve the look together, and then the fun really starts. If designers are New York-based, we typically do 1-2 fittings with them in person. If not, we do a fitting with just the two of us and our amazing tailor. We rely heavily on The Real Real for accessories and shoes and building out the rest of the look. I love sourcing vintage with Lena for each look because it adds an extra layer to the storytelling. Lena also only buys repurposed or vintage leather due to ethical reasons so that’s another thing I always keep in mind.
ABR: What have you learned about styling someone who, like you, is also a storyteller – albeit through a different medium?
TC: Styling plays such a big part in conveying a message, as Lena recently wrote in one of her instagram posts, “Clothes aren’t just about looking hot and covering up your unmentionables. They’re a divine armor that reminds you of who you are and lets other people know who they’re fucking with. It took me four decades to locate the me I wanted to be when I was a grade schooler and dressed up as ‘a housewife’ and ‘a secretary’ on two consecutive halloweens. But now that I’ve found her, I’m not letting go”. I truly couldn’t have worded this better or encapsulated how dressing her has made me feel. Each look I created for her told its own story and watching Lena embody that as she wore them was the most fulfilling experience.
ABR: Which looks felt the most surprising or unexpected, either for Lena or for you?
TC: It’s hard to choose one. I’d say the overall range and versatility to each look was the most surprising and exciting for me. Seeing her tear it in a light pink babydoll dress to serving just as hard in a black gothic Napoleonic suit, showed how much range she has and how wide the scope of possibilities are for us.
ABR: Is there one look from this Famesick era that best encapsulates your collaboration? If yes, which one and why?
TC: Oooo that’s such a hard question!! Each look encapsulated something different for us. I’d say all of the custom Amber Doyle looks were such a major moment during the tour and you could really just feel the confidence exuding off her (in each look but specifically these). I also really loved her in the Laura Andraschko looks. You can just really tell when a designer cares deeply about the quality and fit and feel and that commitment carries through to the client wearing the pieces.
ABR: In times where the myth of thinness is back in full swing and right-wing politics want women to be obedient, how did you and Lena understand what her press looks could convey?
TC: If I’m being honest, we were less concerned about what the looks would convey to others and more considerate with how they’d make Lena feel wearing them. Because of this approach I feel the looks were received even better than I’d hoped. Our most recurring compliment was praising how it really seemed like Lena felt her best in the clothes, which meant the most to me! I think subconsciously, with this approach, we’re undeniably making a statement to these right-winged following people (mostly men) who have so much to say about a woman’s body; we don’t care and we’re not dressing for your gaze anyways.
ABR: Did working with someone who has been ostracised for her body (by the press and fashion spaces alike) create more freedom to explore different approaches? Or did it make you two more conscious of the “rules” that still guide fashion?
TC: I’d say rather than making us more conscious of the critics, it created more freedom to explore different approaches and was more of a reason to push through boundaries and have fun with it. People are always going to have something to say and have never held back with their criticisms in the past so that’s especially not a reason to stay inside a box or follow said rules.
ABR: How can Cold Magazine readers channel Lena’s fun and eclectic Famesick wardrobe?
TC: Hire me 😉
ABR: If your and Lena’s style philosophy could be described into a motto, what would it be?
TC: I won’t speak for Lena on this one but a close friend recently described my style to me in 4 ways and it resonated with me and has been circling in my mind while answering these questions because they definitely align with what I hoped to accomplish through my styling: finger on the pulse, sexy, ironic, and referential. I hope this always comes through with my work and the way I express myself through clothes.
ABR: After working on this Famesick tour, what do you think Lena’s style reputation says about the future of fashion and about who gets to be considered fashionable?
TC: I think the feedback on Lena’s looks shows that the fashion world is, and has been, evolving and is in a completely different place to where it was during the Girls era and during the time of Lena’s rise to fame. We have a really exciting year ahead with many more looks we hope to keep pushing boundaries with! Stay tuned…
