ADMISSION:
Admission is free. RSVP beginning Monday, March 2, 2026, at 10 a.m.

RSVP

The USC School of Dramatic Arts' production of Legally Blonde runs from April 2 - 11. For tickets please visit https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/legally-blonde/.

DESCRIPTION:
“Pink is my signature color.”—Elle Woods

In conjunction with the USC School of Dramatic Arts’ production of Legally Blonde, join us for an exploration of how costume design reflects and amplifies the beloved figure and feminist icon of cinema and musical theatre, Elle Woods. Costume designer and USC School of Dramatic Arts professor Ann Closs-Farley will lead a conversation with USC Roski School of Art and Design professor Jenny Lin, USC Gould School of Law professor Camille Gear Rich, TV host/producer Pink Lady (Pink Lady Presents), and Ellie Hermann, student designer for SDA's production of Legally Blonde. They will break down how fashion is used as a narrative device in Elle’s journey. Expressing herself through color, clothing, and hairstyles, she uplifts feminine aesthetics in male-dominated environments and demonstrates the power that comes from embracing one’s authentic self.

The illuminating panel discussion will be followed by a fashion show featuring original interpretations of Elle Woods’ looks designed by USC students, including Lauren Cyrus (School of Dramatic Arts, '27), Ava Lorelei Deakin (School of Cinematic Arts, School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, '27), Lauren Moreno (School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, '27), and more.
 

Bios:

Ann Closs-Farley is an assistant professor of costume design at the USC School of Dramatic Arts who designs costumes across the country and around the world for film, theater, television, opera, and print. Credits include The Pee-wee Herman Show (Broadway), Toy Story: The Musical (Disney), What About Dick? (Netflix), The Bourne Stuntacular (Universal Studios), Because of Charley (Renaissance Entertainment), St. Valentines Massacre (National Geographic), Pirates of the Caribbean: Eye of The Storm (Disneyland Shanghai), Sail Away (Carnival Cruise Line), TWA @ JFK (Connie Cocktail Bar), Twelfth Night (Guthrie Theater), Zoot Suit (Mark Taper Forum), Hopscotch: A Mobile Opera (The Industry), The Cunning Little Vixen (The Industry and Cleveland Orchestra), Around the World in 80 Days (Cleveland Playhouse), and many more. Closs-Farley is also a longtime member of The Actors’ Gang and evidEnce Room theater companies. In addition to winning the Sherwood Award for Emerging Artists, Closs-Farley has received Ovation Awards, L.A. Weekly Awards, Backstage Garlands, and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards.

Jenny Lin is Director of the MA Program in Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere and Associate Professor of Critical Studies in USC’s Roski School of Art and Design. As an art historian, writer, and curator, Professor Lin explores relations between modern and contemporary art and design and social phenomena such as urbanization and globalization. She is author of Above Sea: Contemporary Art, Urban Culture, and the Fashioning of Global Shanghai (Manchester University Press, 2019) and is writing a new book, Global Art/Fashion System: New Silk Roads Connecting China, Italy, and the United States, supported by the 2024-2025 Tsao Family Rome Prize. Professor Lin’s research and exhibitions have been supported by numerous additional fellowships and grants, including from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Pacific Rim Research Program, and UO Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. Her art criticism and essays have appeared widely in publications such as Art Margins, Shanghai Culture, Frieze, Flash Art, X-TRA, Konturen, ArtReview, Fandom as Methodology, Participatory Urbanisms, Urban Imaginaries, Cities of Light, and Aesthetics of Gentrification.

Camille Gear Rich joined the USC Gould School of Law faculty in the fall of 2007 following five years of private practice. Her research and teaching interests include constitutional law, feminist legal theory, family law, children and the law, and the First Amendment. She is the founder and director of PRYSM: The USC Initiative for the Study of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and the Law. She is also the founding director of Gould’s First Generation Legal Professionals program. Rich is widely known for her research on law, discrimination, and identity formation issues related to race, class, gender, and sexuality. 

The Dynamic Pink Lady, Jackie Goldberg, is in her 94th year, reinvented herself 21 years ago as a Motivational Speaker, creating seminars and workshops from her book, “Get Up, Get Out, & Get a Life!” to encourage those over 60 to follow new paths by staying vital, productive, creative, and energetic. Pink Lady founded Pink Lady Presents, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation to engage, inspire, and enrich those “of an age.” Pink Lady has produced 15 musicals, including “Rockin’ with the Ages”, “The Beat Goes On”, ”We Have a Dream”, and “We Are America”; and created an Intergenerational Variety Show, currently seen throughout the world on PinkLadyPresents.com. Pink Lady has appeared in stage plays and commercials, and an Award-Winning Music Video, “You Need to Calm Down,” with Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. Her most recent Feature Film, “Saving Buddy Charles,” was released in early 2026. 

Ellie Hermann is a senior at the University of Southern California, studying Costume Design. Pursuing a career in costume design has been a passion of hers for as long as she can remember. Ellie got her start in theatre at the age of eight with the Creative Kids Playhouse Children’s Theatre of Orange County. She then followed her passion throughout high school and into college. During her time at USC, she has developed a strong foundation in script analysis, visual storytelling, and collaborative design processes. She has designed for theatre, film, ballet, and concert bands.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC School of Dramatic Arts.