Moira Rose: Lexical Styling & Wig Icon
Supernatural eccentric ladies
Design Sense and Sustainability’ brings insights, essays, and guidance about design and designers from me, a freelance designer, writer, and researcher. Stay up to date and subscribe to this weekly newsletter. If you become a paid subscriber you will have access to all weekly newsletters and shortly, online courses…
Every month I write about a beloved supernatural eccentric lady who defined or changed our culture as we know it and why. You might be wondering why a fictional character like Moira Rose is allowed to make it to this hall of fame. Well a) I’m a huge fan and I’m in charge and b) her character is an exacting commentary on how curated people are in the public eye. Moira Rose, played by Catherine O’Hara, is the matriarch of the befallen Rose family of Schitts Creek. She is an ex-soap star, socialite and for many on the other side of the screen, a style icon. Moira might be one of the greatest characters ever to grace our laptop screens and belongs here on DSAS.
As a blend of character writing and exceptional acting, Moira Rose has an unparalleled personality. Even in the world of fiction, Moira is a mystery and a mass of contradictions. On the one hand, she is the most singular person but she is lost without her family. She is unemployed living in a rundown motel but wears haut couture daily. She’s self-assured about almost everything except performing (her favourite thing) where she feels vulnerable instead. She adjusts to her new living arrangement in Schitts Creek but never forgets that it is not her home. She is the mother of two but can barely remember how long she carried Alexa… What a complex and captivating character.
Once you get past her narcissistic tendencies - you know, the occasional screaming, her continual shame about living in Schitts Creek, and her varying ability to see beyond herself - Moira Rose is quite charming. I mean it, and so does she,
“Oh, I could so effortlessly conjure up the perfect words to bedazzle your spirits. That's one of my gifts.”
Moira’s lexical styling, elevated appearance, and “worry is but undernourished enthusiasm” attitude defines her character onscreen.
When we meet Moira however, she is at her lowest point. Quite often beloved people have ascended from modest living but in Moira’s case, it was the reverse. She was a very wealthy woman and is now destitute living in a ‘Podunk’ hotel in rural America with her family. She starts the series rage-filled and bitter about her impoverished circumstances and her behaviour renders her character quite unlikeable. It’s only when Moira starts using her talent in ‘bedazzling spirits’ that she shows her true strength and character.
Sartorial strength
Moira as a power dresser always, even while sleeping, dressed in haut couture. In her first social move, Moira runs for council and because her “go-to is formal”, she’s dressed like this on campaign day in the local diner:
In this scene, she demonstrates that she knows how to stand out from a crowd and this is how she will play the campaign. Roland jokes about her looking like Elvis but as her campaign rival Jocelyn says, “Everyone is talking about that dress Moira”. Moira’s character draws a lot from her previous life as a social climber and is keenly attuned to how she is perceived even before she’s said a word. While I think Daniel Levy would argue that design is the impactful quality in Moira’s fashion choices, I would also say that ‘wealth coding’ is too. Moira isn’t wealthy but dresses like she is and that’s all that counts. She is so sartorially consistent too AND I don’t know where she is keeping all her clothes in that tiny hotel wardrobe.
For reference, Moira’s dress aesthetic is based on Daphne Guinness, the heir to the Guinness beer company and socialite. The strongly structured and contrasting haut couture, black and white colouring, theatrical makeup and heavy jewellery is classic Guinness.
Moira’s indistinguishable accent
Gosh, we haven’t even talked about her accent. Moira has so many arrows in her stylish quiver that I can barely believe it. Only Moira/O’Hara could transform something as banal as vowel sounds and deliver it instead with style. Catherine O’Hara developed that impossible intonation by combining a British, Canadian, and mid-Atlantic accent giving her an ‘international’ sheen. Then according to ScreenRant, O’Hara ‘made it her own by enunciating certain vowels or syllables and incorporating old-fashioned vocabulary’.
“You keep everything inside like a BASHFUL CLAM!”
The wigs
Her wigs or ‘her girls’ I should say, consume one and a half whole walls of the motel where the Roses live. Moira apparently keeps a spreadsheet. ‘Magdalena’ has been with her for twenty years.
Embracing embarrassment
The last thread worth mentioning rarely discussed over the 9000 forums and BuzzFeed articles, is Moira’s lack of shame. Apart from appearing poor (a hard line never to be crossed), Moira will do things many people won’t do. Moira will dress up like any character, get on stage and perform. I mean this in both literal and figurative sense. Would you do this?
I worked in soaps. They had me play my own father, who then became pregnant despite the vasectomy. I still hold the record for the longest -running demonic possession on daytime television.
With an attitude of “worry is but undernourished enthusiasm” Moira gets a lot done and takes on her challenges with style. The writers of Schitts Creek wrote Moira with a sense of self-awareness of this fact too,
"You, I'm not worried about. What the hell is your secret Stevie? You just stand your solid ground refusing to be anything but you. I never thought I'd say this about anyone in this town but, you, you're very, very cool. And whether you set sail or stay put that's not going to change. Now, why don't we take our Sally by the hand and we'll go out there and show those people everything she could be if she were only more like you."
I think of this quote as more of a projection of Moira herself describing how she walks through the world. The way Moira handles issues like not feeling seen or heard is what people remember about her. And I think at this point success begets success. You can hang out with whomever you like but wouldn’t you rather do it with style? I would.
Just so you know…
Washington DC: American Places: Featuring Selections from the Corcoran Collection, Ongoing from November 3, 2023 National Gallery of Art
New York: Sleeping Beauty Reawakening Fashion, now until 2nd September, The MET
LA: Luis Emilio Romero: Fortress of Light / Fortaleza de Luz June 23 – August 18, 2024
Auckland: The Walters Prize 2024 Auckland Art Gallery, Sat 6 Jul — Sun 20 Oct 2024
Wellington: Rivers of Wind at The Grid Art Space in Wellington Tuesdays - Sundays, 5 - 28 July.
I don't know Moira but she sounds a fascinating character!