Dressing the Story
The Art of Costume Design — by Debra McGuire
A first-hand look at nearly fifty years of costume design, told through the films, television series, and collaborations that shaped a generation of on-screen storytelling.
On Tour
Upcoming Events
Readings, screenings, and signings for Dressing the Story. New dates are added regularly.
Praise
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"If it weren’t for Debra McGuire, The Forty Year-Old Virgin, Mclovin and Dewey Cox would be naked!!"
— Judd Apatow, writer/director/producer
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"It has been my great luck to have worked with Deb McGuire on multiple film and television projects. While she has incredible vision and style when it comes to designing costumes, she also has an immense artistic soul. She-is-a-BIG-talent."
— Jay Chandrasekhar, writer/director
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"In “Mayday,” as in our earlier film “Game Night,” the main characters wear one outfit for ninety percent of the movie. For a costume designer, this poses a major challenge. How do you make the wardrobe practical enough to work in any situation while still creating something appealing and iconic? Something that gets across who the characters are in a grounded but memorable way. This is Debra’s gift. Her ability to bridge the gap between the pragmatic and the aesthetic demands of a film. To instantly understand the tone and color palate we are after and then elevate everything with her eye for detail and style. Over the course of a half-dozen projects, we have come to rely on her instincts – Debra knows that the smallest aspect of a costume can tell us volumes about the character who wears it. More than that, her enthusiasm and passion for what she does is boundless. One of my favorite parts of prepping any movie is when she brings us into her department for a “show and tell” of proposed wardrobe. In Debra’s hands, it’s often the first time we feel our movie coming to life."
— Jonathan Goldstein, writer/director/producer
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"Deb’s book brings back the “you had to be there” of show business memories. In this magnificent dogs-dinner of a racket, one not only “had to be there” but, be there as part of the proceedings, else one (a visitor) could have no idea of what was going on. On a movie set, the producers are always ignorant fools and/or thieves; the hair and makeup trailer is the source of various information and slanders, the First Assistant Director, if any good, is coming down with ulcers, and the Costume Department is, comparatively, an oasis, if not of reason, then of intermittent reasonability. Yes, they have to deal with the anxiety (human and professional), narcissism (likewise), and lies (no actor ever reported his actual weight – all appear aghast at the incomprehensibly constrictive costumes). But the relationship between Designer and Director is straightforward, consisting of appreciation (on the canny director’s part); his sympathy for the designer’s fortitude in dealing with the actors, and her character in (generally) not sharing her trauma with the director. I loved working with Deb. She and her folks got the show into the frocks and the frocks onto the players. God bless her."
— Dave Mamet, writer/director
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"Debra is a force to be reckoned with. Having worked with her since I was a 13 year-old actor on Freaks and Geeks, I continue to be impressed by the impeccable visual eye she has for characters. She creates iconic looks but maintains a naturalism throughout which is no easy feat. Her exuberance and true enthusiasm for the work elevates everyone on set and I truly can’t wait to work with her again and again."
— John Francis Daley, writer/director/producer
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"After years of watching Debra take a script and transform it into a living breathing world through thread, silhouette and instinct, I’m so thrilled she’s now letting everyone into her process."
— Gail Berman, producer
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“Debra McGuire is a master craftsman who brings everything she is to her magnificent design work. She is a costume designer who brings a sense of breadth and scope to the moment in a scene. Her work with actors is a joy to behold as she helps to guide the actor to build a character thread by thread. Her sense of line, texture and color brings the movies to life in unforgettable creations that delight audiences and serve actors. I was lucky to have Debra and her team onboard in Appalachia as she brought the world of Big Stone Gap to life. Whether she is designing for Dolly Parton or the cast of Friends among many others, it’s the movies where Deb is a storyteller, creating worlds through costume design with truth, elegance and style. Anyone who loves movies, the process of creativity and team building must read this book. Debra McGuire is extraordinary and an inspiration for all of us, whether we are fans of film or fellow artists on the path to her brand of greatness.”
— Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author/director
About the Book
Dressing the Story: The Art of Costume Design by Debra McGuire
“If it weren’t for Debra McGuire, The Forty Year-Old Virgin, McLovin and Dewey Cox would be naked!” — Judd Apatow
Dressing the Story is a rare, inside-the-room account of how films are truly made—not just written and directed, but seen. In these vivid, candid conversations, celebrated costume designer Debra McGuire, whose film and TV credits include Friends, Freaks and Geeks, The Morning Show, Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Walk Hard, reveals how clothing becomes character, how fabric carries emotion, and how the smallest visual detail can shape an audience’s experience without them ever realizing it. Drawing on decades of work across film and television, she takes us from first script reading to final fitting, from instinct to execution, showing how costume design is not decoration but storytelling in its most immediate, visual form.
At once a practical guide, a memoir of creative life, and a love letter to collaboration, this book captures the exhilaration—and the sheer labor—behind the craft. McGuire writes with warmth, wit, and hard-won authority about working with actors, navigating directors and producers, building teams, solving problems under pressure, and trusting intuition when it matters most. Whether you’re a filmmaker, designer, or simply someone who loves cinema, Dressing the Story opens your eyes to an essential, often invisible art—and leaves you watching every film differently.
Presented as a series of conversations with independent producer Jim Stark, and enriched by contributions from Gavin McGuire and longtime collaborator Joe Mastrolia, this book offers a uniquely intimate portrait of the collaborative spirit at the heart of costume design.
About Debra McGuirE
Debra McGuire is an award-winning American costume designer best known for defining the look of the hit sitcom Friends over its ten-season run. Her work spans film, television, and theatre, with credits including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Superbad, Freaks and Geeks, and The Morning Show. Known for blending character psychology with contemporary fashion, McGuire has collaborated with filmmakers including David Mamet, Judd Apatow, and Jake Kasdan, and has become one of Hollywood’s most influential contemporary costume designers.