Debra McGuire is a very well-known 3-time Emmy award nominated costume designer and artist whose work spans film, television and theatre. She has impacted audiences all over the world.

You’ve likely seen her costumes on the cast of the TV show Friends for all 10 seasons and it’s still airing as reruns. And maybe you’ve seen her costumes in hits like Anchorman, he 40 year old Virgin, Knocked Up, Freaks and Geeks, New Girl, Walk Hard, Game Night and Year One.

The occasion for our conversation is the release of her new book “Dressing the Story, the Art of Costume Design.” This book is an absolute master class for the work that’s involved with all aspects of the industry. It’s written as a conversation, with a question and answer approach which is very effective and covers an enormous range of material.

Debra has designed for many of director Judd Apatow’s movies and Jake Kasdan’s projects and for Jennifer Aniston on The Morning Show. Her most recent film work includes the feature Mayday, starring Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds and Super Troopers 3. She’s currently working on a film starring Kevin Hart.

Initially working as a fine artist, Debra began as a painter in the Bay Area before expanding into jewelry, accessories, fashion and couture, including a decade running her eponymous boutique in Pacific Palisades where she sold her self-designed clothing. She has been a guest speaker at galleries, art institutions, and festivals around the world.

Debra has been so successful as a costume designer in part because she excels at using clothing to communicate personality, relationships, humor and character development. She understands that her work is not to make actors simply look fashionable, instead she uses clothing to support storytelling and help directors establish a film or tv show’s world. It’s all about visual storytelling.