Joanna From Office Space DIY Costume Guide

What You’ll Need

Joanna’s Chotchkie’s uniform from Office Space captures late-nineties chain restaurant absurdity through everyday workwear. The outfit relies on real garments rather than costume fabric: a heavy striped rugby jersey, practical server apron, dark denim, and an overwhelming assortment of novelty pins pinned straight to the straps.

Because the pieces are standard apparel, the difference between an accurate depiction and a vague approximation comes down to proportions and button placement. Getting the look right means balancing the structured cotton shirt against functional service gear while deciding whether you want to hit the bare legal minimum of fifteen pins or go well beyond it.

The Rugby Jersey and Waist Apron

The core of the top half is a long-sleeve rugby shirt featuring broad green and white horizontal bands and a stiff white turnover collar. Traditional rugby jerseys use thick, heavyweight jersey cotton that holds its own shape, which keeps the white collar crisp underneath restaurant accessories. Joanna routinely wears the sleeves pushed up toward the elbows during her shifts, giving the shirt a lived-in, mid-shift posture.

Tied over the shirt is a three-pocket waist apron in deep hunter green. It rests squarely across the hips, tying around the back with the hem landing mid-thigh. The front pouches offer a sturdy anchor for additional buttons while giving your hands a natural place to rest when walking through convention halls or crowded parties.

Suspenders and Bootcut Denim

A pair of plain black adjustable suspenders clips directly to the waistband of the trousers. Rather than supporting loose pants, their primary job in this outfit is providing a dedicated runway for pins. Standard two-inch or one-and-a-half-inch elastic webbing gives plenty of surface area without bunching under the pin clasps. Clip them straight over each shoulder rather than crossed in front.

Underneath, black bootcut jeans ground the bright stripes above. The cut should reflect late-1990s styling: a mid-rise waist, fitted thighs, and a subtle flare that breaks over the shoes. Dark, solid black denim keeps the lower half clean and prevents the outfit from looking too cluttered below the apron ties.

Assembling and Distributing the Flair

The buttons define the character. Stan famously demands fifteen pieces of flair as the baseline requirement, though Joanna’s coworker Brian proudly sports thirty-seven. A convincing spread needs a chaotic variety of designs: round pinback buttons featuring cheesy jokes, smiley faces, pop culture emblems, retro slogans, and vintage campaign graphics. Mixing sizes between one-inch accents and larger two-and-a-quarter-inch statement badges gives the arrangement a genuine restaurant-collected feel.

Distribute the pins along both suspender straps from the collarbone down to the waist clips. Pinning through heavy elastic can stretch the straps unevenly if the weight clusters on one side, so distribute heavier metal badges across both shoulders. Extra pins can spill onto the apron pockets and the shirt chest. A custom rectangular name tag with white engraved lettering on a forest green background clips directly onto one suspender strap, establishing the Chotchkie’s employee identity immediately.

Hair and Footwear

Jennifer Aniston’s hairstyle in the film is clean, relaxed, and layered. The cut sits right at shoulder length with soft, face-framing angles blown out smooth and parted slightly off-center. If you are styling natural hair, a quick pass with a round brush creates the slight inward curve at the ends that matches her casual screen presence.

For footwear, stick to sensible restaurant choices. Black low-top sneakers or plain dark walking shoes blend into the bootcut hemline and keep you comfortable through long hours on your feet.