‘Gilmore Girls’: The ‘No Skin’ Rule and 2 Other Strict Wardrobe Rules the Cast Had to Follow
Gilmore Girls fans, have you ever noticed that Logan Huntzberger never wore jeans? Or that Richard Gilmore almost always had a pocket square in his suit? There are reasons for that. During Gilmore Girls’ seven-season run, key set costumer Valerie Campbell had the very important job of making sure the cast members followed strict wardrobe rules. Of course, there were always exceptions, but the cast often had to check off the rules before going in front of the camera.
Campbell recently took to social media to share some of the wardrobe rules.
The ‘Gilmore Girls’ cast members could never show their midriff
Perhaps the strictest rule on the Gilmore Girls set was that midriff-bearing tops and low-cut pants were not allowed. In a TikTok video, Campbell explained that in the early 2000s, low-rise jeans and crop tops became a major fashion trend. However, because Gilmore Girls took place in Connecticut, those styles wouldn’t make sense.
“They’re in a state that is freezing!” Campbell said.
The costumer added that Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino wasn’t a fan of the style in general. So it became a rule that the cast members, especially Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore), had to make sure their shirts were pulled down and in the right place. That’s why whenever they bent down on camera, they gently tugged on their shirts.
Meanwhile, it was Campbell’s job to watch the monitors and call out any moments where the actors showed skin. That way, they could cut and reshoot without having to perform the entire scene over again.
Certain cast members could never wear jeans
Gilmore Girls viewers never saw more than a few people wearing jeans at once in the same scene. That’s because, according to Campbell’s video, the cast had a “jeans quota” of sorts.
Many of the main cast members — including Graham, Bledel, Scott Patterson (Luke Danes), Milo Ventimiglia (Jess Mariano), and Keiko Agena (Lane Kim) — wore jeans on camera. However, those in the background, such as Sean Gunn (Kirk Gleason), usually wore other pants like khakis or corduroys.
“If we allowed everyone to wear jeans, then there would only be jeans. It would be the jeans show. So the background could never wear jeans,” Campbell said.
Campbell clarified that some cast members occasionally got away with wearing jeans but not often.
In addition to maintaining a balance in the costumes, it just didn’t make sense for some characters to wear jeans. Campbell said in another video that Liz Torres’ character, Miss Patty, would have probably never worn jeans. The same went for Emily Gilmore (played by Kelly Bishop) and Logan Huntzberger (played by Matt Czuchry).
The ‘Gilmore Girls’ cast even had accessory rules
Finally, Campbell said the Gilmore Girls cast usually had to wear specific accessories for their characters. For example, after a few episodes of seeing Richard with and without a pocket square, Campbell and her colleagues decided that he should always have one. From that point on, Richard usually had a pocket square in every suit.
Another example would be Lorelai’s and Rory’s earrings. Campbell explained that Lorelai most often wore “diamond studs” while Rory stuck with “something little, cute, dainty, and dangly.”
With these rules in mind, you might find yourself noticing all the little costume details during your next rewatch. All episodes of Gilmore Girls are now streaming on Netflix.
