In THE LOOK, OC friends drop by to try on our favorite new arrivals and tell us about their wardrobe preferences past and present. This week, OC's Lissy Trullie interviews her longtime friend, actress Natasha Lyonne.
The night I first met Natasha, we were engaged in a series of dangerous and illegal acts (NSFW), culminating with an unauthorized ride on the back of an open New York Post delivery truck. I was immediately attracted to her energy, struck by her wit and vitality, and wooed by her amorous sensitivity. Typical of a naïve young adult who is sure of many things, you can imagine my shock at the notion I didn’t know absolutely everything, but Natasha—she was light years ahead. So I stuck with her, and 15 years later, here we are.
Starting her acting career at the age of 6 on Pee-wee's Playhouse, Natasha, now 35, doesn’t take her current success for granted, which could easily be done considering she was recently nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of inmate Nicky Nichols on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black. In essence, she is someone who respects the present, since, she knows from experience that "what goes up, must come down."
LISSY TRULLIE: How would you describe your style?
NATASHA LYONNE: Consistent and uniform-based.
Any regretful or embarrassing fashion moments?
Yes, many. Thankfully, they've already happened. Let's not linger.
Any wardrobe favorites from past films?
Slums of Beverly Hills — 100 percent!
How about style icons; do you have any?
Day-to-day kicking around in my life is usually very "class of '77"-based, like your Lou Reeds, Richard Hells, Johnny Thunders, etc. It's almost become hackneyed, but I'm too old to change now. The other thing that I really get off on, but don't do often, is the era in Hollywood around the '30s—the ladies with unapologetic sex appeal like Barbara Stanwyck and Gene Harlow. There a specific image of Clara Bow in the movie Call Her Savage where she's completely undone in a gown that would show her nipples under thick silk, perfectly tailored, and she's just sitting there on the sofa with her legs open and a bottle of whiskey and her perfect curls have turned into a fiery-red mess—even though it's black and white you can tell—and there are cigarettes on the table... I just love that whole feeling.
It also goes without saying that Chloë [Sevigny] is a specific reference point. She's inevitably so far ahead of the pack that I just like to tail behind in the hopes that some of it catches by osmosis.
In an alternate universe, how would you introduce yourself?
Sheesh. Where would I be? Would I be talking to Martian people or foreigners?
Whatever you want.
I'd probably say, "Hey, how ya doing? I'm a person. I'm not a muppet. I'm a real person... I don't know if you guys know what muppets are or if you like 'em, but we should hang out." Maybe I'd ask them if they like potato chips or coffee.
People know you from Orange Is the New Black, but can you tell us a little more about the span of your career?
I've been doing this since I was a kid. Early on, there was a very funny special man named Pee-wee Herman, and I was on his television program, as a six-year-old, called Pee-wee's Playhouse. I was sort of a hippie. I still feel like that was one of my strongest looks and performances. Then I made a bunc
The night I first met Natasha, we were engaged in a series of dangerous and illegal acts (NSFW), culminating with an unauthorized ride on the back of an open New York Post delivery truck. I was immediately attracted to her energy, struck by her wit and vitality, and wooed by her amorous sensitivity. Typical of a naïve young adult who is sure of many things, you can imagine my shock at the notion I didn’t know absolutely everything, but Natasha—she was light years ahead. So I stuck with her, and 15 years later, here we are.
Starting her acting career at the age of 6 on Pee-wee's Playhouse, Natasha, now 35, doesn’t take her current success for granted, which could easily be done considering she was recently nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of inmate Nicky Nichols on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black. In essence, she is someone who respects the present, since, she knows from experience that "what goes up, must come down."
LISSY TRULLIE: How would you describe your style?
NATASHA LYONNE: Consistent and uniform-based.
Any regretful or embarrassing fashion moments?
Yes, many. Thankfully, they've already happened. Let's not linger.
Any wardrobe favorites from past films?
Slums of Beverly Hills — 100 percent!
How about style icons; do you have any?
Day-to-day kicking around in my life is usually very "class of '77"-based, like your Lou Reeds, Richard Hells, Johnny Thunders, etc. It's almost become hackneyed, but I'm too old to change now. The other thing that I really get off on, but don't do often, is the era in Hollywood around the '30s—the ladies with unapologetic sex appeal like Barbara Stanwyck and Gene Harlow. There a specific image of Clara Bow in the movie Call Her Savage where she's completely undone in a gown that would show her nipples under thick silk, perfectly tailored, and she's just sitting there on the sofa with her legs open and a bottle of whiskey and her perfect curls have turned into a fiery-red mess—even though it's black and white you can tell—and there are cigarettes on the table... I just love that whole feeling.
It also goes without saying that Chloë [Sevigny] is a specific reference point. She's inevitably so far ahead of the pack that I just like to tail behind in the hopes that some of it catches by osmosis.
In an alternate universe, how would you introduce yourself?
Sheesh. Where would I be? Would I be talking to Martian people or foreigners?
Whatever you want.
I'd probably say, "Hey, how ya doing? I'm a person. I'm not a muppet. I'm a real person... I don't know if you guys know what muppets are or if you like 'em, but we should hang out." Maybe I'd ask them if they like potato chips or coffee.
People know you from Orange Is the New Black, but can you tell us a little more about the span of your career?
I've been doing this since I was a kid. Early on, there was a very funny special man named Pee-wee Herman, and I was on his television program, as a six-year-old, called Pee-wee's Playhouse. I was sort of a hippie. I still feel like that was one of my strongest looks and performances. Then I made a bunc