Zooey Deschanel bought a lot of the clothes she tried on for New Girl

Zooey Deschanel ended up buying a lot of the clothes she tried on for her lead role in New Girl.

The Elf actress, who played quirky teacher Jessica Day on the TV sitcom between 2011 and 2018, went shopping with the show’s costume designer Debra McGuire before the pilot to find clothes and ended up adding pieces to her personal closet.

“For me, part of my process is really collaborating with the designer for film and television,” she told E! News. “Like Jess, I went shopping with Debra McGuire, our costume designer, before the pilot. We spent many days shopping together to create the character through clothes, and there were tons of vintage pieces and things that I tried on Jess. , that I ended up buying myself.”

The 500 Days of Summer star noted that one of the perks of being an actor is exposure to new clothes and brands.

“Inevitably, one of the things that’s kind of fun about being an actor is that you try on so many clothes, and if you like clothes and fashion, you end up being introduced to things that you might not have been introduced to just because you I’m just constantly trying things,” the 44-year-old continued.

For example, Zooey had many vintage bags from the brand Vera Bradley while in character of Jess. Although the show ended six years ago, she took her relationship with the company to the next level earlier this year when she was announced as a brand ambassador.