Taking a compliment is harder than many people might think. Old Navy has played up this age-old problem for its new campaign titled “Thanks, It’s Old Navy,” starring Emmy-nominated actress Natasha Lyonne, who models the brand’s Pixie Pant and Taylor Pant.
In one commercial for the brand’s Pixie Pant, Lyonne struts onto the set wearing a pair of red pixie pants with a matching ribbed tank top and black pointy-toe pumps. A set worker stops to compliment her and says, “Cool pants.” Lyonne turns and strikes a fierce pose, but then verbally expresses her inner monologue saying, “Love to hear it, hard to own it.”
In the second commercial for the Taylor Pant, Lyonne is walking down the street by a movie theater wearing a plaid-check pants and blazer combination with a black undershirt when a woman standing in line for a movie tells her “Love the pants.” Lyonne responds, “Compliments are tough, but you just gotta own it,” before she turns back to the woman in line and says, “Thanks, it’s Old Navy.”
The Pixie Pant and Taylor Pant are considered two of Old Navy’s hero styles and are some of the brand’s bestsellers. Both pants are priced under $60.
“I’ve watched my other actor friends, like Amy Poehler shoot [commercials] over the years, and I was hoping I’d get my turn,” she said. “The phone call from Old Navy came out of nowhere, and I’ve always been drawn to the brand, so it was an easy partnership.”
The actress said one of the things she loves about Old Navy is how they are offering women clothes to feel good and they are at an accessible price point, which is important in the current economic landscape given inflation and rising cost of living.
“Old Navy is what I call ‘anti-gate keeping’; everyone should have a shot at having great personal style,” Lyonne said.
When it comes to developing her own style, Lyonne said, “I like a uniform. I want a look that is reliable that will reduce the amount of time it takes me to get dressed, because I consider getting dressed fast an achievement. I own a lot of T-shirts, and I’m a big sneaker fan.”
For those working on developing their fashion sense, Lyonne recommended looking to music artists and movies for style inspiration. “Growing up, I would look at album covers, and that’s how I would figure out fashion and style. I loved looking at old movies to understand different eras of fashion. Looking at music artists known for their fashion, like David Bowie and Erykah Badhu, is also a great way to get style inspiration. Whatever you do with fashion, just find what speaks to you.”
In terms of her approach to acting for TV commercials versus her film and scripted TV series roles, Lyonne says she treats it like, “Playing myself to the extent someone like Mae West was playing herself. We have these ideas of who we are that aren’t always true. When it comes to acting in commercials, there’s an easiness and naturalness that comes to it. I loved the hair, makeup and outfits Old Navy put me in.”
After she finished filming the commercial, Lyonne revealed that she did take the red cardigan that went with her all-red ensemble for one of the commercials. “I loved my pants and my tailored suit, but I couldn’t let that red cardigan go.”
The Old Navy TV commercial spots featuring Lyonne will run in rotation from Aug. 13 to Oct. 7.
In addition to her work with Old Navy, Lyonne is also nominated this year for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Peacock’s “Poker Face.” The 75th Primetime Emmys are being rescheduled due to the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes. A new date hasn’t been determined.
