'New Girl' finale: Details on Taylor Swift's guest-star style

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On the May 14 season finale of New Girl,Taylor Swift makes an appearance as Elaine, a guest at Cece (Hannah Simone) and Shivrang’s (Satya Bhabha) wedding.

What brings Elaine to the nuptials? That’s a closely guarded secret, but New Girl costume designer Deb McGuire did tell EW what Swift’s character wears to the wedding…and why.

Read on for details.

“I had this image of [Taylor’s character] standing up and being in white, because CeCe, the bride, is in red, because it’s an Indian wedding,” McGuire says of the color palette she picked for Swift. “It’s sort of a pun that she’s this white girl in this white, American [outfit]. She’s as wholesomely American as possible.”

The winning frock was a peach-tinged white lace vintage dress from L.A. costume and prop house Palace Costumes, which McGuire accessorized with vintage pearls and nude pumps from Diane von Furstenberg. “[Taylor and I] went through the racks together and picked out her favorites. This was the first [one she tried on] and the best,” says the designer.

The all-American girl character may not sound like much of a stretch for the singer, but New Girl star Jake Johnson says this isn’t just Swift playing Swift. “It’s not an easy scene,” Johnson told EW. “She had, like, a little monologue and delivered it perfectly. Liz [Meriwether, New Girl‘s showrunner] gave her alternative jokes and lines, she delivered them all perfectly. It was frustrating!”

As for Jess (Zooey Deschanel), she steps out of her comfort zone of quirky, retro threads and into a traditional Indian sari for the occasion. “It’s turquoise with pink trim,” McGuire says. “She stands out because nobody else at the wedding is wearing pastels.”

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