Annotations: Should We All Love LA?
- Nikita David
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
'Should I k*** myself on Instagram live or TikTok live', has been the vocal stim playing in my head since the first few episodes of the new HBO series, ‘I Love L.A’ dropped at the start of November. The show revolves around the heroine Maia, played by its creator, Rachel Sennott, who is a talent manager who decided to take on her former best friend and influencer Tallulah (Odessa A’zion) as her new client. The show is described by HBO as an exploration of life in LA by an aspiring, 20-something friendship group, akin to that of Friends, Girls and Sex in the City. However, as NPR puts it, the show is really a “self-aware comedy for the chronically online”. Sennott takes on LA as a character itself, one comprised of transplants and influencers that are navigating what it means to succeed in the current cultural zeitgeist. As one Reddit user puts it, “these are the kind of people that make living in LA insufferable”. This insufferability is the crux of the show. ‘I Love LA’ satirises influencer culture, following its characters as they succeed in a city that rewards visibility while quietly collecting the cost.
The friendship circle seems to embody common LA stereotypes; it includes Maia, Alani (True Whitaker), the coasting nepo baby, Charlie (Jordan Firstman), the fame-hungry stylist and Tallulah, the ‘crash-out’ influencer. The only exception would be Maia's boyfriend, Dylan (Josh Hutcherson), the voice of reason amongst the chaotic cast. The show also includes iconic cameos from Ayo Edebiri, Quenlin Blackwell and Elijah Wood.
A growing online discourse argues that main characters are becoming increasingly forgettable, a claim that appears to hold in Maia’s case. Maia moves through the show with the Zillennial urgency of someone who knows she’s late to an idea and early to its fallout. She’s studiously observant, clocking the rise and collapse of the girl-boss myth even as she slips into its uniform, mimicking her boss Alyssa with a half-ironic sincerity that never fully settles. Her ambition isn’t aspirational so much as compulsive, as the show watches her oscillate between devotion and dissent. This is reflected in her wardrobe.
Maia’s costume design in ‘I Love LA’ is a curated mix of vintage designer pieces and contemporary ‘cool girl’ staples. Costume designer Christina Flannery purposefully grounds Maia’s choices in her life as a 27-year-old assistant trying to make it in LA by blending feminine, frenzied and Gen Z aesthetics. Maia's style is initially defined by a "sexy babygirl air" and is described as cute and feminine yet sexy, exemplified by her shrunken Powerpuff Girls tank top worn without a bra in the opening scene. Her wardrobe blends nostalgia with current trends, taking cues from numerous eras and icons. Flannery intentionally dresses Maya in “sweet, feminine silhouettes and lighter palettes inspired by 90s icons like Claire Danes and Reese Witherspoon in Cruel Intentions” This look later transitioned to “more of an early Sex and the City Carrie Bradshaw vibe” as she attempts to keep pace with her influencer friend Tallulah. Whilst Maia is dressed in brands such as Oresund Iris, Vivienne Westwood and Betsey Johnson, Tallulah embodies the complete LA ‘it girl’. She’s sexually fluid, morally ambiguous and dressed in Rick Owens, Fanci Club, whilst clutching a Balenciaga City Bag. Maia does have some standout moments: The Dilara Findikoglu dress, the vintage Dolce and Gabbana corset paired with the Sandy Liang necklace, and the vintage Pucci top.
Some highlights of other characters:
• Tallulah (Odessa A’zion): Described by Flannery as "punk as fuck". Her inspirations are defined by punk bands like Amyl and the Sniffers and Bikini Kill, as well as the "quintessential cool rock and roll chick," Jesse Jo Stark. Her wardrobe focuses on extreme proportions (oversized vintage tees, teeny-tiny shorts) and includes pieces by Rick Owens and RUI.
• Alani (True Whitaker): Slightly airheaded nepo baby. Her wardrobe is guided by her prep-school background and features plenty of pleated plaid mini skirts and layered polos. Her designer list includes archival Dolce & Gabbana, vintage Dsquared2, Jean Paul Gaultier, Prada, Attico, and YSL.
• Charlie (Jordan Firstman): Pop star stylist who heavily relies on custom pieces. His style is characterised by custom screen-printed slogan hats and shirts, paired with high-end designer pieces from Martine Rose, Magliano, YSL, Diesel, and ERL.
A significant element of Maia’s style lies in the chaotic way she handles her valuable belongings, reinforcing the idea that she is not a fashion archivist. Clothing, instead, is situated as an emotional marker, often reflecting her disordered personal life. This is perfectly illustrated by the vintage Pucci top she wears on a night out to Tenants of the Trees in episode one. Flannery describes the moment when Maia wakes up the next day "tangled up in the Pucci sweater," thinking it was "so fucking stupid and classic". Although the vintage Pucci top was “like her prized possession," her lack of care, waking up in it after a drunken night out, suggests her real priorities. At that moment, she needed some Gatorade more than the Pucci. This detail successfully captures the Gen Z experience, where personal survival and immediate gratification eventually supersede careful maintenance.
Ultimately, Maia's style is a visual representation of her life stage: a blend of aspirational fashion moments and the messy reality of a young woman who uses fashion to project a certain image while struggling to maintain internal order. Maia's disordered, yet stylish, wardrobe therefore functions as a visual manifestation of her personality: a 20 something who utilizes every tool at her disposal, be it a vintage designer corset or a deeply questionable lie (pretending to be a Jewish victim of a Hasidic bus crash to get faster treatment for the knife than fell into her foot) in her frantic attempt to make it in Los Angeles.
Edited by Arielle Sam-Alalo, Co-fashion Editor
