Max’s ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Wardrobe Would Make Portia from ‘The White Lotus’ Proud

When we look back at 2022’s chaotic TV fashion icons, Portia from The White Lotus undoubtedly reigned supreme. In the new year, a new wild wardrobe queen will be inevitably be crowned, which is why I’d like to submit Ginny & Georgia’s Maxine Baker for early consideration.

In Netflix’s dramedy about a mother named Georgia (Brianne Howey) who tries to outrun her criminal past and build a safe, stable life for her kids Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and Austin (Diesel La Torraca), 16-year-old Maxine Baker (Sara Waisglass) is one of Ginny’s best friends and the twin sister of Ginny’s crush, Marcus Baker (Felix Mallard). As a bubbly, passionate, openly lesbian character, Max infuses Ginny & Georgia with much-needed lightness and personality — all while wearing fun, fearless fits that would make our girl Portia proud.

On The White Lotus Season 2, Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) is an assistant who accompanies her wealthy, needy boss Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) on vacation to Sicily. Throughout the seven-episode run, the Gen-Z character’s clothes — inspired by TikTok and thrift shopping — were scrutinized for being “tacky,” “messy,” “eclectic,” “tasteless,” and “heinous.” Portia relentlessly paired clashing patterns without a second thought, wore large thick-rimmed sunglasses and white shoes galore, and showed no shame in donning a crochet bucket hat or a jumbled airport ensemble labeled early 2000s Lizzie McGuire chic. The show’s costume designer, Alex Bovaird, outdid herself with the character’s wardrobe. But Haley Lu Richardson bravely revealed that she wore some of her own clothes while filming, which leads me to believe that both the White Lotus character and actor would commend Max’s chaotic Ginny & Georgia closet.

Waisglass’ wardrobe on Ginny & Georgia is as bold, dramatic, expressive, and amusing as her character. And in Season 2, which Netflix released on January 5, Max proudly sports chunky jewelry, sparkly tights, busy patterns, and statement crop tops like they’re going out of style. But sometimes she does so in such a way that you’ll question how on earth they were ever in style to begin with. The show’s costume designer, Bernadette Croft, created a series of diverse looks for Max to flex throughout the season, featuring a variety of color blocks, spunky jeans, and adventurous accessories. Like Portia, Max isn’t afraid to mix and match fabrics, rock a crop top, or say to hell with classic trends and aesthetics to follow her heart.

Some of Max’s most eye-catching ensembles from Season 2 include the following:

• Her mom jeans and green parrot crop top she wears to make a TikTok in Episode 1. (Portia would totally wear that parrot shirt, btw.)
• The green checked fuzzy crop sweater, colorful peace sign necklace, big rings, chunky sneakers, white lace socks, and rhinestone sheer tights she wears when talking to her ex in Episode 2
• The busy patterned cropped sweater, butterfly clips, high-waisted ripped jeans, and pink suspenders (!!!) she flaunts in Episode 3
• Her argyle sweater vest, black skirt/books combo, purple checkered tights, and long sleeve plum shirt from Episode 3
• Her fabulously bold birthday fit from Episode 4, consisting of a blue and white polar bear patterned turtleneck, a yellow pleather skirt, shimmery black tights, and extremely extra birthday tiara
• An orange and pink color block crop top paired with patchwork high-waisted jeans and platform boots in Episode 5
• The combination of shirts she wears in Episode 8, one of which features large, puffy floral printed (?) sleeves

Though Max and Portia both like to live on the edge fashion-wise, it’s worth noting that Max does wear some genuinely stylish looks in Season 2, including her throwback bachelorette party look (compete with a floral tied top, big hoop earrings, and flared jeans), her Elle Woods-worthy pink sweater with orange fur (shown above), and her sophisticated wedding fit from the finale. Max and Portia each have their own personalized styles, but they share the same chaotic energy and would surely have delightful mixing and matching sprees in each other’s closets.

At one point during The White Lotus, Tanya told Portia, “You’re going to need to bring some cute things. Do you have any cute things?” And in Ginny & Georgia Season 2, Max’s friend calls out her confusing amalgamation of shirts, saying, “LOOK AT HER! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?” Max explains she found the piece at a thrift store and “thought it was kind of ugly-cute,” and you know what? Ugly-cute is the perfect way to describe these polarizing Gen-Z fashion icons. They may have wildly different personalities and be on separate shows, but their clothes are essentially cut from the same unconventional, thrifted cloth.

Season 2 of Ginny & Georgia is currently streaming on Netflix.