When The OC made its first splash onto the small screen in the early 2000s, it was instantly the breakout hit the era. It was so popular, that it spawned copy cats like Laguna Beach and The Hills – reality shows that attempted to captures some of the magic of the original.
Following the lives of those living in the wealthy, beach-side community of Orange County, California, The OC was a reimagining of the classic soap opera – one where fashion and beauty took centre stage. It was hard not to fall head-over-heels for whimsy and damaged beauty found in Marissa Cooper. Beachy, bronzed and always clad in the perfect combination of denim, lace and a generous helping of CHANEL accessories. Marissa was undeniably one of the blazing style stars of the whole show. So much so, that it catapulted actress Mischa Barton (who played Marissa) into instant fame and planted her in the front rows of fashion week shows everywhere.
What made Marissa's style so revered? Perhaps because it was a formula quite unlike anything else at the time. Her clothes were a boho-esque pastiche that never quite matched. Marissa could wear a blue, silk cap-sleeved shirt with a fluorescent yellow hobo bag one day, and throw a brown tweed vest over a 70s lace top the next. Her aesthetic was a unique mix of original Y2K seamlessly blended with luxury pieces from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Ferragamo and Calvin Klein to name a few.
Both accessible and aspirational, these looks – splashed all through teen magazines at the time – birthed a new generation fashion obsessed who'd cut her pictures from the pages to moodboard and lust over. All her looks were special, but certainly some stood out more than others. Could any Zillennial forget the white CHANEL prom dress with the camellia emblem? Or the lurex Missoni during the fateful episode on Caleb's boat?
In a nostalgic celebration of the bohemian style of a character that inspired a generation, we're looking back on our most treasured looks. These are favourite Marissa Cooper style moments from The OC.
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