A look back at the extremely iconic fashion from the Big Comfy Couch.
The fashion from The Big Comfy Couch is more than iconic. The show, which aired from 1992 to 2006, was all about about a curious clown named Loonette (Alyson Court) and her doll Molly, who each spend most of their time on their supremely oversized, comfy couch. I remember watching it as a child, but the only thing I actually recall is Loonette laying on the floor and her outfits.
In one recurring scene, she laid on the floor and did an entire stretching routine on top of a massive clock. The clock was apparently hand-painted onto cement. It was surreal. It was art. It was a fever dream. No, it was the biggest fashion statement of children’s daytime television in the 1990s.
It’s impossible to ignore that structured purple hat spilling out with pigtails. But the striped socks were also worthy of coveting. Long before the clowncore aesthetic was heralded, we had Loonette. She always carried her her doll Molly around with her. Sometimes for certain scenes, she layered different things over her outfits: like a chunky pink tulle tutu dress, for example, or wildly oversized glasses for reading.
Loonette wore a uniform of oversized pale red overalls with a drop crotch (very Comme des Garçons) and big pockets, a thick royal purple topper that almost looked like a pirate hat and a printed pale pink long sleeve shirt printed with yellow moons. Of course, those memorable black and white striped stockings defined the entire look. It was a fantasy mashup that resembled a childlike vision, mixed with an aesthetic that could have pulled from Vivienne Westwood and avant-garde fashion of the 1980s. And, the show was actually really funny and insightful as far as children’s shows go.
The rest of the fashion from the Big Comfy Couch was equally interesting. The rotating cast of characters wore a collection of dreamy, bizarre colorful tartan blazers, big horizontal stripes, purple top hats and bow ties. The prior influence of ‘80s eccentric maximalists like Klaus Nomi, Leigh Bowery and so many club kids is so visible and undeniable. Very clown oriented yes, but also incredibly inspiring. Millennial maximalists will remember her forever.
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