Everything old is new again—and that goes for nostalgic fashion trends as well. We’ve seen the return of ‘70s flare jeans and ‘80s high-rise pants. As far as the ‘90s go, Gen Z has gone to channeling some of our favorite, most iconic ‘90s T.V. characters: take Rachel Green from Friends, Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City and—one of our personal favorites—Fran Fine from The Nanny. Not only are the ‘90s trends and, more specifically, Fran Fine fashion inspiration taking over our Pinterest boards and TikTok feeds, but the character’s aesthetic is also infiltrating the red carpet. Here, we get into how Fran Fine’s outfits have become one of the biggest sources of style inspiration today, as well as her best looks from the series to recreate.
About Fran Fine on ‘The Nanny’
The Nanny was a ’90s sitcom that aired for six seasons from 1993 to 1999. The series starred actress Fran Drescher as the show’s protagonist, Fran Fine. Alongside Drescher starred Charles Shaughnessy and Lauren Lane, among others.
The Nanny follows the story of how recently dumped cosmetics saleswoman Fran Fine unexpectedly ends up on the doorstep of the wealthy Max Sheffield, a widower and highly successful Broadway producer. Their meeting leads to Max hiring Fran as a nanny for his three children. The audience watches Fran navigates her new career with humor and sharpness—and, of course, an incredible sense of style—while also falling in love with Max.
Fran Fine’s fashion on ‘The Nanny’
Fran Fine’s style can be described as sassy, feminine and chic. You could also describe her style as part “mob wife” aesthetic, as it may be called today by Gen Z. She wore lots of faux fur, animal print, funky patterns, two-piece skirt sets and bold accessories like berets, colorful bags and more.
Now looking back, along with the rise of Gen Z fans watching the show 30 years after it premiered, it’s clear that Fran Fine’s style has influenced both the red carpet and street style alike. One of the most famous celebrities who has drawn inspiration from the character recently is Sabrina Carpenter, one of the biggest global pop stars at the moment. She’s recreated some of Fran Fine’s most iconic looks like the black skirt set with the cheetah print faux fur collar that premiered in the first episode.
Fran Fine’s 10 best outfits from ‘The Nanny’
Keep reading for some of our favorite looks Fran Fine sported throughout The Nanny.
Fran Fine outfits: Iconic cheetah print set
As mentioned previously, the pilot episode of the series showed Fran in a black skirt set with a fabulous faux fur cheetah print collar and matching cuffs. Paired with black tights and red lipstick, the look sets the tone for Fran’s character and her sense of style.
Fran Fine outfits: Daring in red
Fran Fine loved to wear red, and this is one of our favorite red outfits of hers. The sweetheart neckline contrasts so chicly against the black long-sleeve undershirt. Plus, the black “X” stitching down the front of the red dress is such a cool and unique added detail.
Fran Fine outfits: Making headlines
This two-piece was one of her most fun and unique looks in our opinion, thanks to the bold newspaper headlines scattered throughout and the adorable pink and black colorway.
Fran Fine outfits: Bold stripes
In this episode, Fran shares a pizza with one of the children wearing a black and white striped mini-skirt over black tights with a black tank over a red turtleneck. One thing we noted is that the stripes of the skirt seem to match the stripes of the boy’s sleeves.
Fran Fine outfits: Luxe and lounging
Even Fran’s loungewear was top notch. Her light purple robe here is full of pretty flowers and multi-textured fabrics.
Fran Fine outfits: Mix-matched colors and patterns Fran wasn’t afraid to play around with color, and it made her outfits so much more lively and bold. Here, she’s wearing a satin orange button-down under a floral vest with a red sequin skirt.
Fran Fine outfits: Chic in ginghamThe square neckline we see on this orange gingham top is a super trendy style we’re seeing today.
Fran Fine outfits: Monochromatic setsYou can never go wrong with monochrome! This mini skirt and blazer set looks so chic, cute and cohesive with a matching turtleneck.
Fran Fine outfits: Polka dot accents Polka dots have never truly gone out of style, but they’re having a major comeback recently. However, let this episode remind us they’ve always been fashionable. Fran is wearing a color-block dress with polka dot accents. This episode also starred Pamela Anderson, who’s wearing a ’90s-style floral dress here.
