Over the last 24 years, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” has been a gift to Jews. It’s given us incredible hijinks from the perpetually old Ashkenazi Jewish man Larry David and Jewy plotlines from a Passover seder gone wrong to a bat mitzvah which, surprise surprise, also goes wrong. “Curb” has also given us a character all in her own league: Susie Greene (Susie Essman). Susie is the wife of Larry’s manager Jeff (Jeff Garlin), but more importantly she is a Jewish rage icon and over-the-top fashionista. (So much so that there’s an Instagram account dedicated to documenting every outfit she’s ever worn.) Some might call her shrill and overbearing — I say she is bold and as unafraid to call out Larry and Jeff’s hair-brained schemes as she is to wear an extravagant hat or pair neon and zebra print.
“It almost makes it a little funnier whenever she’s wearing [something] very sparkly, but she’s calling someone a motherfucker or like, you know, a fat fuck or something because she herself looks so ridiculous while she’s saying all of it,” costume designer Leslie Schilling, who joined “Curb” during season nine, told Vanity Fair in 2021. “It’s like a part of her personality that’s like a security blanket because she’s like, ‘No one’s going to mess with me if this is how I look and I can mess with everyone else.’”
Schilling is right and has undoubtedly shaped Susie Greene’s gaudy looks and the overall Jewish fashion on “Curb” over the past three seasons. But make no mistake: The character Susie’s unique over-the-top style originated from Susie Essman herself. As she explained to Vanity Fair, “Larry and I, over the past 21 years and 11 seasons, have never had a discussion about the character. Not about anything, about our relationship, about the character, about what she looks like, about what she dresses like. That was all on me.”
In honor of its 12th and final season, here’s a style guide of Susie Greene’s more iconic looks and where to find them (or dupes) for yourself.
The Amy Sherman-Palladino / The Willy Wonka / The Gonzo
Season 10, Episode 1
“Ladies and Gentleman, the 16th of these United States, Abraham Lincoln!” Larry mocks Susie when he sees her at a party wearing this outfit. Personally, I find this look to be more reminiscent of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s look at the 70th Emmy Awards, Willy Wonka’s uniform in all three film adaptions or Gonzo’s costume in “The Muppets Christmas Carol.” Still, I think Susie slays it, especially as she tells Larry that he doesn’t “know shit” about fashion and that she’s very displeased with his recent behavior at the gym where he yelled at her friend Randi. In the episode, “Happy New Year,” it appears that Susie is wearing a black layer underneath her velvet purple dress/jacket. But for our purposes, the hat and earrings paired with a blazer dress is all you need to channel Susie.
1. Top Hat with Purple Feathers / 2. Red Velvet Blazer Dress / 3. Silpada Crescent Drop Earrings
Rock and Roll Hall of Femme
Season 10, Episode 2
Try as I might, I simply could not find the over-the-shoulder top Susie is wearing in this episode! It’s my greatest failing and for that I apologize. You’ll have to settle for the custom t-shirt option I suggested above or this Fashion Brand Company tank which doesn’t read “Femme” but does read “The Bitch Lived,” which is still very Susie Greene in my humble opinion. The rest of the ensemble appears to be leggings (I made the executive decision to find a velour pair) and sneakers with faux fur, which can easily be recreated with the fuzzy leg warmers and platform sneakers I sourced.
Personally, this is my second favorite outfit she’s ever worn (topped only by the last look on this list), which is heightened by Susie wearing it while Larry gives her a portrait of herself for her birthday. “It’s magnificent, it’s a work of art. It’s not just cause it’s me. All is forgiven! Everything you’ve ever done, every horrible thing you’ve done to me is forgiven for this,” she stammers. She then proceeds to go yell at a contractor for staining her deck the wrong color.
1. Custom Bling Rhinestone Black Tee / 2. Black Velour Leggings / 3. Fuzzy Leg Warmers / 4. Le TIGRE Midtown Platform Sneaker
Susie Angels
Season 11, Episode 4
“The Watermelon” opens with Larry and Jeff plotting to get Woody Harrelson to play a character in Larry’s show “Young Larry.” As they discuss, Susie enters and shows off a Tree of Life tapestry she’s making for her synagogue. “It’s a banner for our temple football team,” Jeff hilariously explains. “We’re playing Beth Hillel and their defense is ridiculous.” Despite the fact that I’ve never heard of a temple football team, let alone a league of temple football teams, the tapestry is gorgeous featuring an expertly embroidered tree, flowers and birds on a royal blue background. Ironically, Susie’s top completely upstages the banner. She wears a yellow, black and white sweatshirt with jaguar print and angels, which appears to come from Susie Essman’s own closet, paired with large hoops and a headband. Though the rest of her outfit is covered by the Tree of Life, the look is completed with what appear to be animal-patterned pants and wedge sneakers.
1. Fiorucci Angels Sweatshirt* / 2. The Curbside High Rise Cargo Ankle Jeans in Hoofin It / 3. INC International Concepts Debby Wedge Sneakers / 4. Twine and Love Black Gold Confetti Knot Headband / 5. Gold Tone 4-Inch Hoop Earrings
*The original item is a Fiorucci Angels Wildlife Print Sweatshirt
Overall Sparkles
Season 12, Episode 2
A lot happens in “The Lawn Jockey.” Larry is arrested in Atlanta, then the Airbnb he’s staying at with Jeff and Susie has a lawn jockey and finally it’s Susie’s birthday. But despite all hell breaking loose, Susie manages to look extra fabulous as she gets extra angry. For her birthday outfit this year, she wears a denim dungaree crop top — that’s right, a top that is just the top half of a pair of overalls — with jeans and a sparkly and feathery secondary top layer, champagne flute earrings, a scarf headband and a pair of sunglasses that Jeff gets her as a gift. (“As many women from Long Island would say, ‘To die for,'” Larry says, complimenting the sunglasses.) Later, as she confronts and yells at Jeff and Larry for numerous shenanigans surrounding her gifts and the jockey, she glimmers and shines in the sun. Her look is only further elevated when Jeff nervously sweats off his hair dye Rudy Giuliani-style.
1. FarFetch Denim Dungaree Crop Top / 2. Dita Eyewear Narcissus Sunglasses / 3. Baublebar Champagne Flute Earrings / 4. Windsor Angelic Babe Mesh Feather Top / 5. Ted & Jack White Sequinned Scarf / 6. PacSun Two-Tone Denim Jeans
Pink Susan Alexandra Moment
Season 12, Episode 3
It’s no secret that we here at Hey Alma love Jewish designer Susan Alexandra, so it was thrilling that Susie Greene wore Susan Alexandra during this season of “Curb.” (Especially when paired with another one of our favorite Jewish designer, Rachel Antonoff!) In “Vertical Drop, Horizontal Tug,” Larry gets Susie a Theragun as a late birthday present which is supremely overshadowed by the puppy Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) and Ted (Ted Danson) get her. Later, in classic Larry David fashion, he injures his groin while golfing and heads over to Susie’s to use the massager he got for her on himself. Enter Susie’s pink Susan Alexandra moment. When Larry arrives at Susie’s, she’s covered head to toe in her pink, fruit-themed ensemble and looking fabulous. Susie continues to play with Frankie the dog with Cheryl and Ted, who are also there, and Larry starts using the massager on his inner thigh. “Shut the fuck up, will ya?” Larry yells at Frankie, who started barking due to the combined noise of Larry moaning and the massager vibrating. That leads Susie to retort, perfectly, “Don’t you talk to my dog that way!”
1. Susan Alexandra Doria Headband** / 2. Susan Alexandria Fruit Earrings / 3. Susan Alexandra Fruit Compote Collar / 4. LoveShackFancy Keoni Cardigan / 5. Elina Crystal Bow Pointed Toe Ballet Flat in Pink Houndstooth / 6. Rachel Antonoff Birdie Pants
**The original piece is Susan Alexandra’s fruit salad headband
Bonus Larry Look
“Vertical Drop, Horizontal Tug” also features Larry and Leon (J.B. Smoove) accidentally flashing people in the Sandler basketball shorts by Old Jewish Men.
Final Thoughts
Susie Greene’s style is best embodied by the Iris Apfel (of blessed memory) school of thought, “More is more and less is a bore.” In wearing any of her “Curb” outfits or even just creating looks inspired by Susie, the most important things you can do are 1) Go maximalist and 2) Channel her “I don’t give a fuck what you think” attitude. If your outfit makes you feel like you could easily scream “Get the fuck out of my house, Larry!” — mazel, you’re dressing like Susie Greene.
