Maya Rudolph is known for portraying a lot of famous women with over-the-top style during her tenure on Saturday Night Live (Beyoncé, Donatella Versace, Jodi from Bronx Beat — kidding on the last one), and she appreciates high fashion IRL too. In a new editorial for Yahoo Style, Rudolph’s sharing where her love of fashion stems from and how having a thing for wigs landed her a spot on SNL!
Holly Andres
The comedian explains that after playing a character who relieves herself in the middle of the street (you know the famous scene on Bridesmaids), people don’t often “ask you about couture.” But she’s actually a total fashion fan and the whole love affair began by rummaging through her mom’s closet as a kid.
“My mom was badass in terms of the clothing department,” Rudolph says about her mom, soul singer Minnie Riperton. “She had these cool dresses from the ’40s.” She adds that her favorite one was a pink dress with keyhole cut-outs covered in a print written with ‘I love you.’
Holly Andres
RELATED VIDEO: How to Get a Fuller Lash Line in Less Than 30 Seconds
And like any good style-setter in the ’80s, she tested a ton of fashion trends.
“My high school didn’t have a dress code. And I basically never wore the same thing twice,” she shared. “I was experimenting. If I found a sailor hat in the theater, the next day I was wearing it to school. Pretty in Pink did a number on me.”
RELATED PHOTOS: People Beauty Awards: The Best Hair Products
Holly Andres
Luckily, her experimental period paid off big time. During her SNL audition creator Lorne Michaels asked her why she wanted a job on the show and she nervously blurted out, “I really like wearing wigs.” While we know how the rest turned out (just view the sketches below) it also helped her establish a hilarious movie career. She’s reuniting with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in the new film Sisters (out Dec. 18) by playing a wannabe friend trying to score an invite to their blowout bash. And just by the scene we spot in the trailer (she’s wearing an oversize gold belt buckle and Fey quips, “Congrats on your wrestling championship”) her fashion and comedy won’t disappoint.
What is your favorite Rudolph impersonation? Loving her editorial spread? Share with us in the comments below.
–Colleen Kratofil
