The Surprising Meaning Behind These "Grown-ish" Fashion Looks
Emmy-nominated costume designer Michelle Cole, who styled all the looks on ABC's "Black-ish" and Freeform's "Grown-ish," wants to make one thing clear: Yara Shahidi and Zoey Johnson are two very different people. Shahidi, who's played the charming oldest Johnson child on "Black-ish" since 2014, reprises her role as Zoey - now a college student at Cal U - in the spinoff series. "Grown-ish" finds Johnson coming into her own as an adult with a budding career as a stylist.
"It's always a question of who does [Zoey Johnson] want to be that day? It's mismatch, but it's so darn cute."
In real life, Shahidi is an actor, activist, and red carpet fashion fixture. Styled by Jason Bolden, she's known for sophisticated yet wearable looks, from the trench cape she wore to the Dior fall 2022 show to the electric-green midi dress she wore to the 2021 Emmys.
Zoey's "Grown-ish" wardrobe differs in one major way: it's eccentric. "Zoey has been the center of the show for the last four seasons, which allows me to have a lot of range with her character," Cole tells POPSUGAR. "When I'm styling for Zoey, she doesn't have a defined look; she loves to play with clothes, since her character is working towards being in the fashion world. I get to do the plaids and the wacky prints. It's always a question of who does she want to be that day? It's mismatch, but it's so darn cute."
Cole has been working with Shahidi since the latter was 13, and they've developed a rapport that enhances the collaboration process. "She's always had input, but now that she's developed into this powerful, professional young woman, she has even more input, so she never wears anything that she doesn't like," Cole says of her working relationship with Shahidi. "But there isn't an 'Oh, I have to wear this' attitude. The decisions are more so driven by what the character would wear and her specific style."
Image Source: Paul HebertAbove: "Grown-ish" costume designer Michelle Cole poses with some favorite Zoey Johnson outfits.
Cole also collaborates with other creatives on set and praises the beauty artists in particular for helping to bring each outfit to life. "In terms of what makes certain looks more memorable, I must give props to the hair and makeup teams on the show," she says. "They are so thoughtful and intentional with every single look. It's more than just the outfit - they really tie everything together. It's the complete package that makes the looks so special."
Together, they work on more than 100 outfits for the show, with Johnson alone wearing seven to 10 per episode and roughly 18 episodes in a season. Cole also dresses the full group of college friends - including Nomi Segal (Emily Arlook), Ana Torres (Francia Raisa), Luca Hall (Luka Sabbat), Sky and Jazz Forster (Halle and Chloe Bailey), Vivek Shah (Jordan Buhat), Doug Frederick (Diggy Simmons), and Aaron Jackson (Trevor Jackson) - all of whom have their own rotation of signature brands.
While it's arduous, Cole finds the work rewarding. She's even open to reviewing DMs from emerging designers who'd like to be featured on the series.
Ahead, get a rundown of each "Grown-ish" character's style, then check out the best fashion moments from the Emmy-nominated series so far, according to Cole.
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