Shop similar styles: the Elizabeth sweater and Curie pants.
The Nancy Meyers Movie Inspired Outfits You Need to Try
Yes, turtlenecks are involved, but it’s more than that.
People love Nancy Meyers movies for one reason: The kitchens. Rivers of veined marble, giant, multi-functional islands, and the lack of random tomato sauce stains on the cabinets—it doesn’t get much better than that. Of course, those kitchens have to belong to someone, and that someone is usually a well-dressed woman on the brink of some kind of relationship, career, or identity breakthrough. And she’s extremely lovable, too.
Much like their kitchens, the women in Nancy Meyers’s movies tend to have wardrobes that project outer calm, even when the women themselves are anything but. There’s a lot of cream, linen, and cashmere. Cozy sweaters in every iteration are the ultimate wardrobe staple, though a “big reveal” dress must be ready and waiting in her closet at all times. And even though each character is different, none of them can say no to a turtleneck.
Below, outfits inspired by 5 of the most popular Nancy Meyers characters.
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Nancy Meyers Movie Inspired Outfits
Erica Barry (Diane Keaton), Something’s Gotta Give
I was tempted to save this quintessential Nancy Meyers character for last, but I decided to kick things off with Erica Barry from Something’s Gotta Give, because her style is so deeply seared into our brains, it hardly needs further explanation. In fact, you really only need one very specific piece in order to own this look, and that’s a luscious cream turtleneck, like our cashmere McKenzie sweater. Wide-legged pants (also in white) are classic Diane Keaton, and loafers and pearls complete the “successful playwright with a complicated love life” aesthetic.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
The McKenzie sweater, Milo jeans, Grace loafers, and pearl earrings similar to the Lillie.
The Tatum top, Vicky tank, Foster pants, and Zelda boots.
Jane Adler (Meryl Streep), It’s Complicated
Without a doubt, It’s Complicated is my go-to “if it’s on, I’m watching it” movie. And while Meryl Streep’s style isn’t quite as iconic as Diane Keaton’s, her character, Jane Adler, definitely has some knockout moments. I’m particularly fond of the slinky look she wears to the backyard party, which is easily replicated by wearing the silk charmeuse Tatum top open over the Vicky tank and a pair of sensible but chic boots, like the Zeldas (these are a must if you plan on being on your feet all night in the service of midnight croissants).
Photo: Universal Pictures
Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz), The Holiday
In The Holiday, Amanda Woods (played by Cameron Diaz) packs up her Hollywood lifestyle (and very chic LA wardrobe) to spend Christmas in Iris Simkin’s (Kate Winslet)’s bucolic cottage outside of London. Her clothes are a humorous juxtaposition to the rustic surroundings, but that doesn’t make them any less amazing. In fact, her sleek white turtlenecks, oversized but somehow also form-fitting sweaters, and skinny pants belong in the dictionary next to the phrase après-ski.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
The Snyder sweater, Axam turtleneck, Curie pants, and Nina boots.
The James dress (similar: the Priya dress), Lana boots, and Claressa earrings.
Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet), The Holiday
Of course, The Holiday also tells the story from Iris’s perspective. And unlike Amanda, Iris, a columnist with some relationship baggage, easily adapts to her new, luxurious surroundings. Throughout the film, she wears several lovely black dresses and looks increasingly gorgeous in each of them. The James dress, with its fitted bodice and flared skirt, is a dead ringer for Iris’s New Year’s Eve dress.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway), The Intern
In The Intern, Anne Hathaway plays Jules Ostin, a very typical startup CEO who’s ambitious, overworked, and somehow always well dressed. Her wardrobe is a tad more colorful than the other women in this story (pops of red! stripes!), and a little more casual, too. Channel Jules in the Choe top paired with the Smith pants in Shiraz. The Rowan flats in snakeskin add a bit of whimsy, and the pearl trench will remind everyone who the boss is.
Photo: Waverly Films
The Jensen trench, Mia top (similar: the Choe top), Mejia pants (similar: the Smith pants), and Rowan flats.
Written By
Caitlin Abber
Caitlin Abber is the Brand Editor at M.M. LaFleur, and an award-winning writer and content creator. Over the last decade she has held senior editorial positions at MTV, Women's Health, Public Radio International, and Bustle, and has bylines at InStyle and OprahMag.com.
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