Sophie de Rakoff On Reese Witherspoons 'Legally Blonde' Bunny Lingerie

Legally Blonde provided a plethora of pop culture moments that would be referenced for years to come (“bend and snap”), but one scene trumps the rest for most iconic — and it included a pair of pink satin bunny ears.

The look has been recreated every Halloween since like clockwork, but what viewers don’t know is that the famous ensemble first came to life in the stockroom of an intimates shop called Trashy Lingerie.

“This was our first movie, so we went and did the fitting at Trashy Lingerie on La Cienega in the back room with all the bras and the weird people wandering around,” costume designer Sophie de Rakoff tells Bustle of the now-iconic outfit.

It wasn’t the only memorable costume they came up with in that back room, either. “I was fitting her for another costume at the same time — it was the leather driving costume.” (A ’fit that would one day become Witherspoon’s favorite Elle Woods ensemble.)

Since their initial partnership, de Rakoff and Witherspoon have worked together time and again. After outfitting both Legally Blonde films, de Rakoff designed costumes for a slew of the actor’s subsequent projects, including Sweet Home Alabama, Just Like Heaven, and Witherspoon’s latest return to rom-com, Your Place or Mine.

Most recently, they teamed up for The Morning Show, Apple TV’s newsroom drama, which is currently in its third season. That said, any fans hoping for a crossover between Witherspoon’s news anchor persona Bradley Jackson and Elle will likely be disappointed.

“You’ve got a Beverly Hills trust fund baby on one hand, and then you’ve got a West Virginian field reporter on another,” de Rakoff says. “[Bradley’s] just not a pink person.”

Ahead, de Rakoff discusses Bradley’s best looks, her favorite Legally Blonde costumes, and working with Witherspoon for two decades.

You’re responsible for the legendary looks from Legally Blonde 1 and 2. What’s it like styling Reese Witherspoon 20-some years apart?

I think back to the first fittings on Legally Blonde at Universal Studios in this little tiny room with racks and racks of clothes, and the hours we would spend creating Elle Woods. We were both at very different points in our careers then.

20 years later, this is a completely different dynamic, show, and characters. But our shorthand from having worked together on and off for so long is very, very quick. The process has become much more efficient and streamlined, but the energy around it is the same. It’s more about [spending] time in the room together, because that’s when we get to catch up.

Which Legally Blonde outfit had the most surprising story?

The bunny costume. This was our first movie, so we went and did the fitting at Trashy Lingerie on La Cienega in the back room with all the bras and the weird people wandering around, because they built [the outfit] for me. I was fitting her for another costume at the same time. I think it was the leather driving costume.

We were just throwing it together all the time. When we camera-tested the Jackie O outfit for Legally Blonde 2. Reese was like, “I’m not sure about the hat. I think it may be too much.” And the minute she put it on, that character came completely together. The reason that costume is so iconic is because of the hat. If you didn’t have the Jackie O pillbox, it would not have the same impact.

I read that Reese kept her wardrobe from Legally Blonde 2. Is it the same case with The Morning Show?

She keeps the signature pieces. It’s different with The Morning Show because [it’s] an ongoing show, so the process is different. We build closets. We hold on to stuff. We may go back and revisit and do flashbacks.

When you finish a movie, she will go in and keep the costumes, whether it’s an emotional attachment or she thinks they’re iconic. But it’s a slightly different process with the show.

Who among The Morning Show cast was most involved in their wardrobe?

Everyone has a different process. Reese and Jennifer [Aniston] came in with very strong ideas and continue to be actively involved. Billy Crudup was the same. It’s always a collaboration.

[Reese will] send me a link to something she’s seen or she’ll text me. Because it’s a contemporary show and we shop so much for it, there’s always back and forth once we’ve clicked into the character. “I saw this,” or, “This would be great.”

What’s your favorite look you created in Season 3?

It’s interesting with the anchors, particularly the female ones, because there’s a couple of different dynamics going on. They live in a world [where] they’re on camera, which is performative. So you are existing in this anchor world and you’re wearing anchor wear, which is in some ways a character all of its own.

Across the board, we upgraded Bradley’s character, and she’s got a really specific anchor look, which worked out really well. It’s a custom-made suit from Lafayette 148; It’s a wide-legged pant; It’s monochromatic; It’s burgundy on burgundy on burgundy.

And there was a beautiful Loewe suit for Stella [Greta Lee] with her signature hoodie underneath it, but we did it in silk. Those three were my favorite standouts.

I noticed Bradley rarely ever wears pink. Do you avoid the color to keep Bradley completely separate from Elle Woods?

Yes. It’s always been a thing. I don’t do [pink] with Reese unless it’s something that we really want for the moment, which we did in Season 2.

There’s an episode where Bradley gets outed as gay. And the impetus for the costume — which was [a] Diane von Furstenberg pink and black print dress — was to go against everything that we’d done with Bradley before, as though she was overcompensating for what was happening and wanted to appear incredibly feminine.

So we specifically did that because it worked for the character in the moment.

So we likely won’t see another pink look from Bradley?

Bradley doesn’t wear pink, you know what I mean? She’s just not a pink person. It’s just not who she is. They’re apples and oranges. You’ve got a Beverly Hills trust fund baby on one hand, and then you’ve got a West Virginian field reporter on another.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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