Julia Louis-Dreyfus to Seinfeld Fans: Retire the Elaine Costume
Julia Louis-Dreyfus wants Elaine’s 90s wardrobe left in the past, joking on a recent podcast that she’s sorry for the boxy blazers and chunky shoes—and pleading with Seinfeld fans to stop dressing like her.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a message for anyone raiding thrift stores for an Elaine Benes reboot: please stop. The Seinfeld legend popped up on Amy Poehler's podcast and, in the most Julia way possible, apologized for basically inventing an entire era of awkward 90s office-core.
The plea, straight from Julia
On Tuesday's episode of Amy Poehler's 'Good Hang' podcast, Louis-Dreyfus leaned into the cringe of Elaine's wardrobe and begged fans not to resurrect it. She did not bury the lede:
'I don't know what to say. I'm just so f-ing sorry. I really, really am. Listen, if anybody in America is listening to this, please don't do the 90s again.'
She was laughing about it, but the regret is real. Julia said she would love a do-over on the look, and not just the clothes. Elaine, as she remembers it, was never meant to be 'sexy' so much as a 'girl who pushes people around' - which, if you recall all those 'Get out!' shoves, tracks.
What she wants to leave in the 90s
Louis-Dreyfus singled out the usual suspects from Elaine's closet, the stuff that's still haunting Instagram mood boards and Halloween parties:
- Floral dresses
- Oversized, boxy blazers
- Quirky, curly-styled hair
The Halloween problem, according to Amy
Poehler pushed back a bit, pointing out why Elaine refuses to die as a costume: it's the easiest kit ever. Grab a dress, a blazer, and a curly wig, and you can be out the door in five minutes. Julia gets it. She just wishes the Elaine cosplay came with less... polyester.
When Friends messed with her head
Julia, now 64, admitted the second-guessing kicked in mid-Seinfeld, after Friends hit and suddenly every woman on Thursday nights was extremely put together. As she put it, watching that cast made her think, 'Ah, f-, I should have been sexy.' By then, Elaine's vibe was locked: assertive, chaotic, and definitely not shopping at whatever boutique outfitted the Central Perk crowd.
A character bigger than the blazer
Poehler reminded her why people still love Elaine: she felt like someone you actually knew. Not a fantasy, a friend. And whatever Julia thinks of the clothes, the performance is untouchable. She won an Emmy for Elaine, with six total nominations across Seinfeld's run from 1989 to 1998. The wardrobe might make her wince, but the character still does laps around most sitcoms today.