A 90s Melrose Place Flashback Friday

Still the Place with Laura Layton, Courtney thorn Smith.

And Daphne's Aniga and iHeartRadio podcast.

For the audience, Welcome to Still the Place. We're so excited we can't stop talking long enough to introduce the show. We have Denise Bay costume answer a lot of questions like why did you let me wear so many shoulder pads? A lot of very important questions.

Did you hear her? She's constant, it's so voluminous.

I know because I wouldn't because I just kept thinking the same thing. I'm like, why are the shoulder pads so big?

You need to be that big?

Well, maybe you put on a pair, And then when she went to her trailer she added them. She loved her, I.

Honestly think psychologically because with the heather, with the really short sirs, I think we were trying to make Allison look powerful and professional, and I think she wanted to hold her own. So that's the only thing I can think besides the fact that.

Linebacker, yeah, maybe she's a linebacker, you won't be as threatened.

Also that it was the sign of the times.

It was the sign of the times. It was the style. Things were oversized, things were a little bigger because it was like early nineties, so we were still suffering from the shoulder pads of the eighties.

Yeah.

Well, you you told us that you just watched the first season, as we have too because we've been doing this for our recaps. But you said that you prepared to come here by watching the first season. You must have had like a like crazy.

I was expecting to hate more outfits than I did, right, but I saw some things and I was like, I don't remember that at all, but it's cute.

Who did that?

Oh? I did?

And you also came in mid season right like you at fifteen you weren't.

Yeah. No, I started prepping on episode thirteen because Amy Locane still was still on, and then my first official episode I did on my own was fourteen, and I think that's when you came on right at the same time, right fifteen.

Yeah, because I remember Denise that I always bonded because we came the first time, and we almost got fired that first because you had me in an Upper East Side like beautiful floral satin or made looking blouse because we were like Joe, she's from New York City, she comes from money. Makes sense to me. And then I think Aaron saw it was like, what do they have her in? We're going black? Where's the black, where's the where's the leather, where's the Yeah, so we switched it,

Have blocked that out.

One.

So I think because we were coming into a not I don't know if it was a well oiled machine, but because everybody knew each other and we were the newbies, we bonded very quickly about our place.

Was It takes a little bit to get your grounding, you know, to get your like, oh, you're feeling everyone out and feeling the wardrobout and then we're both like, is this okay?

I don't know, let's try it.

And also to try to figure out the characters and the characters I think they wanted to change it up, which is why they, you know, brought us in, and so it was kind of interesting to feel like what worked, what didn't work, and who the characters were, and the characters changed over time too, you know obviously, Yeah, but I.

Feel like watching it, don't you guys feel like when you started things start to change your ward there, all of our wardrobe got interesting. There was a I don't know, a punch up about it for sure, more I don't know, unique or something.

Yeah.

I was surprised at how much red I used because I never use red now I really hate using red. And I was like, wow, I'm using.

A lot of It must have been the color of the moment.

Maybe it was a lot. It felt very bright to me. The whole world felt very bright. But again like it was the time time, and some of the stuff has come back around, maybe not the shoulder. It doesn't look so crazy.

It doesn't look so crazy as it would have like if we've done it five years ago, because so many of the styles are back in.

I agree. I think had I seen this, I haven't seen the show in over thirty years, so had I looked at it fifteen years ago, I would have been aw But now it's like, okay, yeah, I believe that I buy it. That looks cute.

It wasn't that interesting, Yeah, yeah.

It was so many people to manage, Like you think about you know, costume fittings are so intense for all of us because it's vulnerable. It's your body. You're there and you're broad and underwear and you're working through it. How was it to sort of deal with that many characters because you had eight main characters or nine with Heather and then guest stars. How did that feel every week when you would have to break down that script.

Well, I think if you look back, and this might be hard for people who aren't doesn't don't understand costuming. For me, back then, I was one person. I didn't have a shopper. I did it.

I didn't have a shopper, didn't have a shopper.

It was me John Casey are custom super John K. And there was no internet so I couldn't order stuff online. And we were in Valencia and Nordstrom hadn't even opened yet. It was Target was the only thing out there.

Wow, and have to come in town.

I have would I'd come in at four thirty in the morning. We didn't have cel year in the field going. I have a size, so we'd have a pager. It would be nine one one if somebody didn't like what they were wearing, because it is that important.

Yes, so I need hilarious Kathleen.

So I think what we would do is we would do like a big fitting, like you and I would do a fitting and we would just build a closet so we'd try a bunch of stuff on say like like like like don't like and buy a claw, you know. But we were doing these every seven days, so it was really difficult. And then when we were doing double ups for people who don't know what that is, we were doing two episodes at the same time with two separate units. And I still didn't have extra you I

Unbelievable.

No, I look back now and I'm like, you just and I had I think I think Trey was my pa. It was like doing returns at the time or something.

Wow, when what was John doing? He was?

He ended up he ended up starting to do the men like he because I noticed this because I kept seeing Billy and all of John's vintage Hawaiian Sure.

Where those came from?

Yeah, But so I look back now and it was amazing because now you can order so much online and I would be able to order stuff online, and I was trying to I was trying to find new designers. I was trying to be really cutting edge, and and that's why I go into l A and then come back to Valencay at the day, like, yeah.

Is it possible.

I feel like I have this memory of meeting you at the mall when I first when my character first came on, and like I did a shopping trip with you at the mall. I met you, and like it is a much more efficient way to do it then you know, you bring a whole closet to the set and trying it on there. It was like meet me at the mall and we had like a studio services room and like just like yeah, I was in heaven, like this is yeah, that sounds so does that seem for reasonable?

I mean, and then that would never happen now, right, I mean you'd never.

Lead at the mall. Had it happened now.

Somebody can see what's out there.

Yeah.

But I do have to say I saw one episode and because I would come up with these cute ideas, and then it was a leopard cape. It was it was a cape.

It was a.

Poncho and we made it into a skirt. You saw two inches of it on, yeah, and as you swoop and I was like, well that.

Was a wasted.

We remember that.

We commented on that and yeah, and I was like, that looks like a Christmas tree skirt a little bit, but it wasn't that far.

It was a cave.

Yeah, I guess it was.

But you amazing, But you haven't even gotten to like season two three or VI where I don't know if you remember things got pretty wacky.

Is I'll just speak for myself with.

My character, we were having so much fun and you were amazing, like you were let's try this, let's do that.

And do you remember that part of.

It, like as the show evolved, that you got to be creative and that you got to really like lean into like how the characters were changing and stuff, because personally I had a great experience of that.

Do you remember?

Yeah?

And I think for me the fact that they trusted me after a certain point because the show was getting a lot of notoriety for the costumes and and I think that they just let me have fun. And I mean I have to say, like the suits at D and D is so boring. I mean, that's like anything.

I could do.

I mean, it just is.

It's like a workplace that explains that lime green one with the Bodice ties up.

To that, but it just you know, you want to do something that's like fun and different and creative, and I think that Sydney was like the perfect character to do that also got to do with Josie. And even though I know you guys didn't like the funeral outfit because.

Chaplin was like, what are we talking about it?

We did not like it. We said it was cool, but it was like, what that's a little oversight. It was like a thirties thing that I don't know. It was like she was wearing.

Well, we did comment on our bucket hats. You have these her and these hats. Maybe also I think you went with what we liked. So maybe that was Josie's preference, you like these little hats with the roses. I don't know, but I know with me, I'm sure you did. What ever, I don't know about Alison and D and D, but you know, to say to me, Daphney playing Joe, like what do you think of this? What do you think I think we could have like a leeway. I don't

D because you spent you ended up spending so much time in D and D. Yeah, except for when but I did. We did love a legging.

We did love a legging, like you remember. I remember you saying to me you gotten a note from spelling shorter, brighter, tighter on Allison. Do you remember that.

I'm sure that that was said.

Shorter, brighter, But what I see when I look at it is me because I was so self conscious that I wanted these voluminous shirts, which I think probably in real life looked good like Annie Hall sort of voluminous shirts and baggy pants, which on camera are terrible. So I wondered if you were thinking, look at Heather, who's wearing fitted clothes, and then why are you insisting on

I remember specifically you being very self conscious about your body and me thinking, she's out of her mind. She looks amazing, like she looks great, But you know, it's hard. It's hard to if you're not in the body, like, yeah, it's what you feel comfortable in, and that's you know, I know, if somebody put me in a short skirt, I would feel.

Horrible, right even if they said, but your legs are gorgeous, it's your That's true.

The problem with actresses in Hollywood throughout time, I mean comfort versus what the you know, decision makers want because what cells has always been at odds. It's not very comfortable what cells and what they want. I mean, otherwise we'd all be in sweats and like fancy leisure wear, you know, and it would be so comfortable. The shoes alone, we're doing the most common everyday things they want you in, like heels which have ruined the feet, by the way, so be careful youngsters.

It's true, but I often say this whenever I start a job. I always say to an actor, now, like I will never put you any in anything that you feel uncomfortable in or it's going to affect your performance. Like if you don't feel like you're the character, you don't feel comfortable. The last thing you want to be worried.

About is like, yeah, you look, or how you feel for you And you would have those battles like I remembered them saying we want Courtney in this, and you would say, I'll just tell them that I wanted you in this. I do really stand up for us.

Yeah, I do remember them like I'm saying, and I'm like, I'm not going to push something.

Yeah, No, I remember that too. I remember. I just remember us having creative. I don't remember any issues from the from the guys in are in Joe's situation. I remember us having a blast, and like I would also look forward to what I would come into, you know, and to add to my closet clothes were really cute.

I would still wear them. But I do have to say, you know, obviously this is thirty years ago, so times have changed. But I don't feel certainly now that there's as much pressure about being thin as there was back then. It seemed like a different time, Like it was there was sort of a type that everybody wanted to be, like thin, Yeah, and it's not like that anymore. There's so many different shapes and it's sort of celebrated, and I just feel like thirty years ago it wasn't.

It wasn't at all.

And that was also we overlapped with friends and they were getting smaller and smaller and smaller. So the idea ideal went from four to two to zero. It was like it was so it was crazy.

So well we yeah, I don't know what we were. I remember that for sure. I remember like and there was a double zero in there, so I was like, oh, I'm only a zero.

Like the department stores they would have, it would be a cat fight to get the zeros of the like that. You would have to like tell me when theory is getting new stuff in, and it was like a cat because they'd be gone like that. And only in La would that happened.

And there's no online, No, that wasn't online. Yeah, so you would have to carry all the returns back.

I did have a PA to do that, right, Yeah.

So Denise you you I don't know if it was like there were some looks that you really brought to Meloe's place that stood out, like those chunky belts that we saw, you know, and chokers and I know, I mean I remember being in a shopper somewhere when I know that chokers and the necklaces that you brought to Melos place became such a fat I mean everyone wanted them, you know, and people were reaching out. I remember being somewhere and people saying, oh my god, I love those

One of the drop down I need a little larrier.

Designers comeing to you and like wanting to stuff, and like, yeah.

A jewelry was easy jewelry because people would and I still work with the same people. I mean, there's this designer, April Star Davis. She makes made this. You know, I still use her thirty years later. But you know, people like that, and this designer Lori Lori and this vintage designer. They would send me boxes because that's easy. You could send a box of jewelry and then I would just keep what I wanted and send the rest back and to send them a check. So the jewelry was something

Oh that was you. I know, you like started treads. It wasn't just like you were following a trend. You know, like those were art. I don't know other shows that really had that choker look or the known for the necklace.

But I'm in watching I thought it was really cute.

When did they notice? When did the budgets shift? Because I'm guessing the first year the budget was probably pretty tight. Yeah, as we became sort of a fashion show, when did that shift?

I don't remember. I don't remember there being a shift. I just look back now and thought, I think to myself, we didn't have any money.

To do that.

I was, but I don't remember every being hassled. But I also remember being very conscientious about what we spent. And I think we had something called like an amort fund, which we would just build the closet over the But who does thirty two episodes?

No, it's insane, and to do too it once for the customer especially, you just can't imagine a hustle that like it seemed like an impossible task and somehow you managed it.

And yeah, and also it's not like we had like in this closet things that we'd rewar except if it were a pair of jeans, you know, blue jeans or black jeans, or some shoes that were comfortable that worked with things boots, but like I never wore the same top twice. I don't think did anyone else.

You wear the same jacks and down jacket that had like these Hawaiian I wore them twice, You were twice, and Billy wore a couple of things twice.

On Melrose.

Well, my memory of Andrews, he didn't care, like you put in his trailer. He'd put it on like he was like, so, why was he wearing this? Like he never he didn't care. Andrew, Oh, he didn't didn't care. Link yeah, like you want to fit you go, I don't care, just put it in my room. He didn't care.

But he and Grant they look great and everything looked great.

Did they really wear a shirt?

And there was a scene recently which I couldn't keep talking about where Andrews in in jeans and no shirt. I was like, that's the outfit. He should wear the Hawaiian shirts shirt out of the equation. Why was he ever wearing.

I saw that. It was before you guys got together, and.

Yes, you see Alison walk and I'm like, yes, me too, Allison. We're on the same page.

I mean that reminds me, like this show is more male sex scene, you know, topless kind of like outfits, like they were topless more a lot. And I'm just wondering if if you had from the boys, like, can we just pop a couple of shirts in my thing just in case I want not want to be half nude? Do you know what I mean? Like would Grant or or Andrew or anyone. Thomas didn't do it as much, but like give me some T shirts and care and just in care.

I don't think so. I don't think they cared.

They didn't care.

They just went.

They just went.

They were so easy shirtless again.

Yeah, I Doug like Doug. I mean we were trying to like make him look a little fashioning and a little bright, but without being stereotypical. And he was a good sport.

Now what about those T shirts?

Those T shirts were a thing sort of.

Like socially conscious like sort of shirts, and yeah, he had cool I don't.

Know if those were just picked because they were around these like about aids and.

Yeah, we were just trying to make have him make some sort of political statement because he was, you know, he was a socially conscious Yeah, he was like and we I think that's what we wanted to portray more than the fact that he was gay, that he was socially conscious. Yeah, yeah, and that made sense, So wear a billboard board on your T shirt.

A costomer and an actor.

It's such an intimate relationship, like Courtney was saying, like, you're really you have to you have to trust your customers so much that you're going to be like I'm in this fitting and I'm you know, last week, I whatever, like when people's weight fluctuates in all those things. It's like such an intimate relationship.

And then you're the one.

I don't know if you guys, when if we're in a love scene or something and we're in a state of you know, undress at some point, it's a really really vulnerable thing, and who do we want there?

But like I want the customer.

To be there to like look out for me and to tape our books and yeah, like just make sure nothing's falling out or like whatever, and it's just in the real it was like such an intimate relationship to have, and I think it probably is all you know, always on every project, but for something that we did for.

You, Calfing is always on set and you were always like I would come in there and be like an like an armor of nude pieces, anything everything you could possibly want to feel safe.

But also makeup too was really important. You need a team, I mean yeah again, especially thirty years ago, you just want to have your team and the people you trust. And you know, I've always been.

Really so, did any do you have any recollection? Did anybody ask you to do anything weird? Like, Okay, that was a weird request, or oh, this is a strange job that I have. I've just just asked to do this bizarre thing, like do you ours?

So I have a good story, but I'm not gonna say.

Let me tell you.

Just tell the story.

Okay.

So I remember.

One actress on our show who wasn't on that long. She was you know, bodysuits were really big, and you know they snapped at the crotch, and she put it on. She goes, can you.

Snap my bodysuit?

And I was like, no, but you can snap it first and step into it because that's usually the way it works.

Yeah, I don't know.

I remember she's walking around. We used to have used to have my body.

Yeah, does she go to anyone after you is that what I was saying? Well, my body just like that's the way you just rang about. I think I remember you saying that.

I remember you saying like that.

She but that's a good answer.

Look, I noticed you were a lot of bodies were like the guitards and they had like a little laced things on them and they can't but actually they made sense, but they just stopped.

They were huge. They're back there, they're back not with me, I walk right, Yeah we did that.

But the highwaisted jeans, the you know, the nineties jeans are back.

Yes, those are cute and they're all baggy of pair and you sink it with the belt.

Yeah. So when you were watching the first season, did anything stand out for you, Like did you like an outfit where you went? There was one before you, before you were a costumer. I had this huge striped jacket. I looked like a Carnival Barker, And I was like, how did that get by anybody?

Like?

Why wasn't I stopped at the door to the set saying, hold on, was there anything again? You didn't do anything that was like for good or bad that you went all nailed it or oh what happened? There.

I think that there were certain things that I looked at and I'm like, I would have done that different. I mean, there was a couple I think you were in some lime green suit or something.

That's the dress that Dafty keeps talking about it just like what it was.

And I'm thinking every wardrobe by the way, I'm going what I'm thinking, but this is Denise, And then I thought, you know, she didn't have a shopper.

No, as you're doing so much.

I was saying, it's like Lucy and Ethel and the chocolate factory, and I was just like cranking him out.

And also you're coordinating. So if you have four or five people, so probably someone else got to wear blue, someone else got to wear brown, We're like, well, Courtney and lime green, Like it's not right. You're coordinating so many.

Because that is one of the things, like you can't have three people in the same color in the same scene, so you have to.

But that also was a nineties. It also was a nineties. There was corsets. This is the time of like you know a lot of that kind of rocker sexy stuff, like you know, we look at it now and it's easy to go, oh, what But then I have to go, Okay, nineteen ninety three, Yeah, nineteen ninety three, this was probably all the.

Rage, but I think it was oversized.

Yeah, yeah, everything was oversized. But I in one of the last episodes, and I think it was because Amanda was pregnant and had just bundle the hospital. But I had her in like this beige T shirt and it was so ugly and it made her skin look so ugly, and I'm like, maybe I did it on purpose so she would look like sad and tale, but it was like such an ugly outfit.

I was like, that was a bit anything being really ugly.

As we started to get guest stars, it got more and more crazy, and there were more and more guest stars, and I remember Lonnie Anderson like maybe at Neman's right, it would be yeah, there's Alayah, and you know it just wasn't my well, I mean it wasn't your budget.

No, it wasn't my budgets for the entire Yeah.

One dress, wellyah, well, I was looking at like, especially looking at Heather, I would think, oh, there's someone who knows what works with their body as a costumer. It must be great because she comes in and says, these are the brands. I like, this is what fits me out, this out works. And I felt like I had no idea, like I was trying to figure it out on camera. Like I think by the end, I remember, by the end, things got more fitted and you were able to sort

Well, I feel like she had sort of a uniform. And do you remember our seamstress Saran. Yeah, yeah, so Saran sadly passed away, but she was great and she had she had mannequins which were the size for everyone. So I would end up and knowing that there were certain brands like Bbe that back in the day for Heather, and so I would buy and we'd have it fitted and it wasn't I didn't even need to do fittings

That was that was really cute. That was a cute look.

Yeah, and I saw some of those Flora with the sweaters, like knitted sweaters. I saw Josie actually a couple of episodes ago with a big with the pink knitted crochet. Yeah.

Yeah, Well, Josie's another one who really knew what looked good on her body, Like she really could. She modeled sense of herself.

Yeah, she was pretty. She was pretty easy as well. And again because she was doing the fashion thing, it was easier to get a little more creative. But and but then there were outfits I looked, oh, that looks so cute on it, and then there's other ones that are like, yeah, we could have done better, or we should have or maybe I wouldn't do that again. And you do that with everything, like even if you just look at yourself on like red Carpets past and you can look at yourself.

And which is what I do most days, it's very sad. It's dark and very sad.

You well, that was the era that was that year. It was very bin Yeah.

What I'm trying to remember when they when you came back, because.

It was so I come in season two to stay.

At the beginning of season two, yes, okay, yeah.

And so what I don't remember, and we'll have to get there in our recaps is which season it turned into sort of Sydney trying on different ways of dressing like to match sort of what she was going through, Like that's how I feel like, and we started doing that together and it was just like I just remember that being a blast.

It was loads of fun.

There was when she was being a housewife and then I was in like a lot of sixties like shift dresses, and then my hair was slipped and stuff like that, and it was just like we just went with that. Do you ever remember like getting pushback on that because it was so not what the rest of the show was doing, Like we were kind of, I feel like, pushing boundaries that weren't really typical spelling characters or whatever.

No, Because I think the audience loved Sydney, and I think that they thought she was just like cock cuckoo yeah for Coco Pops, and they just loved everything. I think that the more and then but also the show started to jump the sharks.

Yeah yeah, yeah, then they're like.

Everything was nuts.

Yeah, it just ramped up into this kind of crazy world of what's going to happen next? So I think that to see what's going to happen next and what is Sydney wearing?

Is Yeah.

Well I think you must have been shopping vintage too. Yeah, I mean that was crazy.

So where are some of your favorite places in La? Now you've been doing it all these years since and you've been working so much NonStop, it seems on great films and stuff like in La vintage or shops. Where do you like to shop?

I have to say that I still like, even from back then, I still have a real love a vintage, not only just for the carbon footprint of recycling and reusing. So every job I do, I try to use vintage. Yeah, except when you need multiples and stuff. I really I I just find it.

Did that come in handy? Did you do that for Daisy Joe?

Yes? I did it for Daiy Jones almost.

Yeah, thank for that.

Yeah. So that was a lot of it. That's easy to do vintage because it was like a Yeah, I.

Built a lot of stuff and did a lot of vintage, And I have to say now that thing you can find things online, Like if I was doing melrose Place now, it would just be I would just have such a blast because you can buy stuff from all over the world and you can find really interesting designers that you know, young designers that are working in Europe or and I

I did have a kimono, I think.

Yes, and then I thought some really cool stuff for Josie. But then so then that was kind of the beginning of the wah wah. I was like, Okay, that sucks.

They want you to they want it to look like you're making it look but from Target and Valencia.

And I was really trying hard. I was trying hard to find new designers, trying hard to make it look different, trying hard to find so many outfits for thirty two episodes, and it was, you know, it became it became a bit of a grind out, like on the fifth season, like it just and I think it. I don't know how it is for an actor, but if you're doing the same thing over and over, it felt a little

That's yeah, especially with the double ups.

And did you leave after season five?

Is that I can't remember, like when yeah, it was either going into season five, I think, yeah, it might have been. I can't I have to watch them and see. But what I realized is I haven't really watched I don't think I really watched the shows.

It just wasn't enough time. We work all the time. Yea, yeah, who's going to go home and watch it?

And I don't even remember because I wasn't on set, So it's kind of exciting, like it's exciting to watch them, and all this time later.

We're finding it like, as someone else mentioned to us, it's like we're like being fans of the show because we're sitting relaxed. It's thirty five years later and we're just watching it as the audience saw it, and I'm getting to see, like how why they loved it so much. I mean, I'm really loving the show as we watch it, which back then you're just in the trenches, you know, fitting yourself into outfits and you know, learning all these lines and working, and.

People had these Melrose Place watching parties, and I just I think I was dis exhausted all the time.

I don't.

Yeah, And it wasn't like you could binge them or stream them or I guess you could record them, but.

Could videotape ITV.

And sometimes said the time would work.

I didn't even have TiVo back then. Yeah, it came later.

We didn't have cell phone. No, all of the photos I took were like polaroids and I would have to send for Aaron's spilling.

To approve one hour, you have to message I picture you, like in sacks, getting a nine one one having to find a phone, Like that's what I see. Yeah, one of us suddenly doesn't like our top. Oh my god.

I can't remember when cell phones, you know, came.

It was late. It was late.

They were car phones. For a while, it was just a car phone.

I think I did her phone, remember those They were big, like hello, Roger, I don't want Roger, but it was still, yeah, just.

Car phone.

It was the car phone was first, and that was like a real luxury and the other.

Thing people don't understand that. I remember like sometimes I would see outfit and I'd be like, oh, I'm not a fan of it, and I'd wear it for like five scenes because normally have the conversation, which is there's a shirt you don't really like, and you'd be like, are you willing to wear it for one scene? Like we have this quick in and out and I'd be like, did you trick me into wearing that for five scenes?

Right?

Like if a script day went on the.

Back again, Well, I had these voluminous pants that I must have loved. They're big, huge pleated pants, which also I think were in style, but I think they must have. It's that idea of if you feel like you want to look thinner, like you feel thinner in big pants. You don't look thinner, but you feel it. You look all this, so it's they're voluminous, so I must be like somewhere in this I must look dying. And then Andrew had them on too. I'm like, are we sharing pants?

Like?

Are we pleated pants? It was this thought it was, and it's back and it's back. Pleated jeans are back, like I said, I'm like, oh my god, pleated jeans. Can you imagine we pleated?

Bit we sort of pleated, but not like not like the big baggy pants, but I do. And the other pant is. The other thing is you couldn't get mail,

They couldn't look it up online.

Now you couldn't Google image.

Did you get it?

I don't remember. We were.

I think we were all like envious of that bathroob too, because it was like, oh my god, that is so cute and it's like so cozy.

But there are some pieces that were iconic. That was definitely one of them.

I have a polaroid of Sydney's bathrobe, so that you know, you take a polaroid of every outfit so you have a record of it in your book of polaroids whatever. But I have one of those polaroids still, and it must have been my bathrobe for something, because it was like my imitation, like, you know, as close as I could get to to what Alison's it was.

You know what, I realized somewhere in a drawer, I probably have polaroids. I should. I wish I would have, Like I just got back, but I would wish I would have kind of gone through them to see. It would have been interesting to see.

What isn't that funny? It's like it's the only copy of something.

Yeah, so you just got back from we said you were in Prague.

I was in Hungry, Hungry, Budapeste, Morocco and the Sahara Desert.

And what were you shooting there? What movie?

I was doing a movie called Matchbox or Skydance, Mattel and Apple And it's like, yeah, a big back to the movie like cars.

Yeah, So what was that like shooting those different What is I guess because we're talking about you know, what it's like to actually do what you have to do? What is it like when you're in all these different countries?

It's difficult. I had a big crew, it wasn't just me.

Yeah, yeah, you had a big, big budget.

But you know the irony of I really like features because I like or or or just movies like they don't have to be big. I like small movies. I like doing independ movies. I like a beginning of middle and an end. It's very tidy. You get to do the character and then it's over and you can go home with your life. And I hadn't done a series until I did Daisy Jones in the six and that

Wow.

Yeah, because it was. I was on it for so long.

So as much as you won an Emmy for it, did it also confirm like Nope, I like movies, you know.

But everybody's doing these limited series now, which is.

What everything works.

That's what they're doing, and you know, I find it. I find it interesting, but it's it was like doing a ten hour movie. It was long, but nothing like nobody does thirty two episodes, nothing like that.

It's possible, it just wouldn't. Yeah, I forget who it was. It may have been David Mammutt who started who did Theater, obviously wrote theater and then he I think he said it about TV. He said, no, it was about doing a movie. Is like running a marathon. Doing TV is like running a marathon until you're dead. And that's true. You just I mean, I just feel like bleary eyed and we would get the script to go. It's kind of what I did last week, but a different guy.

A trail like you were just on the trail.

We didn't do it at this age, Like, no, in my twenties, I could do it. And I remember Deborah Dare saying one morning, she goes, yeah, you can get up at six am in your twenties. It's like what oh no, oh yeah, Now I'm like, oh, I get what she means. Yeah, I understood what I couldn't do a week of fourteen hour days at this point.

I remember driving up there in the dark, driving up to Santa right up.

In the dark, and drive home in the dark. Yeah, you would drive up before.

I remember the first Starbucks that opened up there. Remember on that there was like two exits before ECCE and I was like, damn, I'm here before six. It was it was so furious.

Yeah, but it's just it's the it's the non stop. It was just like never ending. But again, now I look back, and I did have a great time. Like it was really I was you know, I got that show.

I was twenty six years ol when we were young. That's the time you would actually when you're young, right, that was the time.

So lucky.

Yeah. So and to start because you started, we weren't a hit yet. So to sort of ride that ride and have this thing become something, it's so rare and it was so exciting. Yeah, it was really fun.

I had Fox News following me around a shopping on a shopping spree, wunch, I was in Harper's Bizarre, I was in all these things. I had all these people doing articles which I completely took for granted. And by the way, no social media, like none of that. And I just I look back now, I was like, what a gift.

Yeah, like what.

A gift to me? And to work with such great people, and like really, you know, and to see you guys so many years later and just to see how well everyone's doing it just fills me with.

Such Ye did you find it different? So you're at the mall and you're working on this little show. Nobody's watching myro's place, And then as it changed, did they treat you differently at the mall. Yes, with blooming Dale's happier to see you.

Yeah, because I was like a good customer.

Yea, every week you.

Had long And then that's when I think people started to reach out to me more and people. There was a woman who had a shop in Beverly Hills, Jamie Lynn, and she she would bring a van and come out to and so people started making appointments. And then when they would bring me stuff, that's amazing. So that that was cool. That then it would made my job a lot of.

You You're like, I'm sorry, where are you?

We were a little bit out of the regular and.

Nothing was there back then. Now at least there's.

Like no, I don't know.

We had movie calendars yep, and Magic Mountain Magic basically what we had. Don't forget it was Targetarget.

But it wasn't the good Target. It was like the old like Walmart Target back then.

Yeah, if you need it underwork, could you.

Kind of make you know what I went to Target with I forget who. I don't know if it's anyone in this room. It could have been with Tony. I remember I went to Target to get earthquake. Years you went with Heather with Heather, I remember to get to get earthquake like goods because after the earthquake, so it's like we were finally when we started going back to work. We went there to get like the I don't know wherever you get the I remember a sleeping bag. I

People don't remember that?

The freeway the ninety four earthquake.

Yeah, in ninety four, the freeway collapsed.

Were you working that morning?

I was working that morning, me too. I was on my way me too.

Did you make it to the set?

No? Did you?

Yes?

But in the most roundabout because the route through was right on this route where the freeway had collapsed. One freeway had collapsed on top of another and everything just went down. It was this pile of rubble.

How did you begin to see it? I thought, you know what I was.

I was just shy of it, south of it when it must have happened, right, So I saw the earthquake happening because there was this giant power surge in the darkness. It was four thirty in the morning, right, yeah, striving to work. Yeah, And it was nice. I was the

Down just sits there.

So so I came up to that point on the freeway and it was like just rubble cloud like it was.

You couldn't see.

And at that point, people were driving south on the northbound five. So I was driving slow, slowly, and I was on the phone with my mom. By then, I must have had a car phone, and I was on the phone going, this is so weird. There's cars coming at me on the and then our phone died. Terrible

Her name is?

It's okay, Ruth?

What's her name?

Anyway, we saw each other on the five freeway. We were both stepped out of our cars and we're like and we were we vowed to like try to get to work together. We knew we could back up a little ways and get off on this exit and like take side streets to get there, like near the fourteen, so we both decided to do that. Well, as we went down this exit ramp, the visibility got so bad because we were just engulfed and you couldn't I couldn't

And I was trying to remember, like, oh, were.

You trying to get home?

Yeah, it was crazy.

No, I couldn't get because my my garage, my gate was electric. So I was trying to get out. I was trying to I couldn't get out, but I was on my way to work. And then they called and said, don't don't.

Come in, and I was like, already on my way.

I'm like gott to get to it, like stupid, Like I just didn't realize the scope.

Of ever, you know, and I just kept driving.

Yeah, And we were down quite some time.

Yeah, it was like a couple of weeks while they had to repair the stages.

And all that. When they started and for some reason, I wasn't working that week. But before the freeway, you must remember it. The route took like an hour and a ho.

Yeah, it was forever to get to work and home after Yeah, while they were working.

Fourteen probably yeah, to come around.

I mean that morning, I have no idea what I did. I just I was just like driving just it was surreal. There was like that was on fire over there, and that was on fire over there, and there was like there was a rubble across the run.

Yeah. I remember being thrown out of bed. I was in Laurel Canyon and I work that day, or maybe I was supposed to work later, but I just you know, didn't go anywhere. I know, I didn't work first up.

No, I think it was Thomas and I had a scene and so we were the only ones showing up that early.

You know, have you guys had thomasin we have? It was so easy to hate on that show.

So fun. That's the other thing. I'm getting so invested. I'm like, I.

Can't believe this show. I can't believe she's doing that to her.

You know, like the whole Kimberly and Michael thing is driving me crazy and hasn't even gotten started. We're just getting started, and I don't know if I can handle it.

Well, you'll have to come back when when we're in season two and three.

So yeah, like crazy clothes.

I love listening to Jack Wagner too.

Yeah, he was so fun.

That so much fun. You know, what we would love you to do is recap with us, Like if we could somehow do show scenes on you can just see you because it's been worst outfit, but it would be like to do a freeze frame and go, Denise answer for that. What were you thinking? That was Jack two hours on his hair? Because I would have piped.

In about that Josie funeral of it, but because I had listened to it, I'm like, what was that there?

And then you saw it was a bad kind of fashioning.

Yeah.

The thumbs up thumbs down of the episode.

Well, clearly everything you did was right because not only did it launch the show into like doing so great, but then your career never stopped. Really you just know, to do these big movies and stuff.

It was it was, it was definitely choice. It would have been it would have been easy to stay, but it was it was it was the right time. Like you know sometimes yeah, sure you want to leave at the height of the wedding. You don't want to be the drunk ant like what to do?

Like, I feel really lucky that we got you in the beginning of your career, that we got to have that experience. I feel like it were like you were taking off. Yeah, it was.

Really yeah, And I think the first feature I did, one of the first it was Cruel Intentions right after that, so that was a real that was real fun.

And when you came onto this were you what else had you done before Melrose and they that they found you that they asked you to come in for.

I had been an assistant for a long time and I had done I did a TV series called Shannon Steel. But I don't know if you guys know that Aaron Spelling used to have a costume house and it was called Spelling Wardrobe and it was all the clothes from Dynasty and Dallas and like all not slanding a gown and so this woman named Eilish ran it and she was like a long time Spelling she did all the costumes for all those shows, and she was just this woman with impeccable taste. But I would go in there

I don't know.

She's got some really good taste and some good energy, and I think you should be there, and they hired me on the spot. Always be nice to people because you never.

Know, yeah, indeed you know yeah, and you're just that's such a great lesson. The path goes like this twisty tur you never know what wardrobe clause are you're going to be and showing your passion and your.

And you never know what madrid you're going to cross back again. Especially being in the business for so long, you know, sometimes you think those are old and dead and then they come around again.

Got to hang in there, well, Denise, that's amazing, amazing.

I hope you come back, and I think we could give you a whole segment of your own, just like what would Denise say this episode?

I'm willing to watch every episode. I now I am willing to say what was it was? The what was I thinking?

Oh, you're welcome, You're welcome. You had on a little.

Like the shirt with little buttons all up and down and it was by a company called Plane Suit.

Oh yeah that.

Was And I'm like, that was really cute. I remember it were cute.

Yeah, Maxfield, we should text you like before we do the thing. So this is what Denise said to say about this outfit.

Exactly, and especially when your stuff comes back around.

It's coming.

There's so many Denise things coming in with those great vests and the belt buckles, and it's just you just always. I just yeah, Now, I just hope that imagine.

I just hope those shoes just get better.

Yeah, those shoes get better.

You wore heads a lot.

I love the kids.

The kids were cute kids with little like leggings. That's what's cute.

And oversized and Doc Martin keep going. I think this fade out the Bible.

But thank you so much for coming to.

Thank you guys for having me.

Love to have you back.

Thank you, thanks coming to sell the place.

Yeah,