Mindy Kaling Fully Embraces the College Look on This Week's The Mindy Project

By Jennifer Davis
Updated Jan 14, 2015 @ 4:30 pm
Credit: Courtesy

Oh Danny, where art thou? In New York City without Mindy! Separated by “100 miles,” as Mindy put it, the two are trying their best to stay in touch, but it’s clear they miss each other.

RELATED: Mindy Kaling Channels Elle Woods On This Week’s The Mindy Project

This cross-country longing is reflected in Mindy’s opening outfit. “Mindy was missing Danny, so I thought the penguin heart sweater was perfect for the scene,” costume designer Salvador Perez tells InStyle about the C by Bloomingdales sweater (below). “It was cozy and comfortable, and told the story of what she was feeling.”

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However, Mindy can’t stay pining in her dorm room the entire episode—she is in Palo Alto, Calif., to work, after all. “She’s seeing patients now, so it was nice to dress her in a work chic look,” Perez explains. For the scene he dressed her in an Issa top, DKNY blazer, and a C. Wonder skirt (below):

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RELATED: Mindy Kaling Looks Comfy and Chic on This Week’s The Mindy Project

But that doesn’t mean Perez didn’t include another awesome casual pullover! A girl’s got to have some chic study clothes, and the Michael Kors sweater he dressed Mindy was perfect (below). “It was made for her!” says Perez. “We love houndstooth print and we love sequin. It was the perfect combo for a casual Mindy look.”

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In need of a study break, she readies herself for a night out in San Francisco. “Mindy wants to go out and have some fun while at college, so keeping with her more youthful feeling, I put her in collegiate party clothes," says Perez who dressed her in a Moschino Cheap & Chic top, a Diane von Furstenberg skirt, and a Joie jacket (lead). “To me it was still fashion-y, but it gave you the ‘I’m still in college’ vibe.”

RELATED: Mindy Kaling Gets Festive On This Week’s Holiday Episode of The Mindy Project

However, no college vibe would complete without an old school flame! After running into Alex Eakin (Lee Price), she has a flashback complete with flared jeans (below). “This was a flashback to the early '90s, so we immediately thought belted cowl neck sweater and flared jeans with Chunky shoes!” Too perfect.

We’ll be chatting with Perez every week about our favorite looks from The Mindy Project, so be sure to check back in next week!

PHOTOS: See All of Mindy’s Outfits from Season 3 of The Mindy Project

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Season 3, Episode 13: Argyle Moschino Sweater

Credit: Beth Dubber/FOX

“Mindy wants to go out and have some fun while at college, so keeping with her more youthful feeling, I put her in collegiate party clothes," says Perez who dressed her in a Moschino Cheap amp Chic top, a Diane von Furstenberg skirt, and a Joie jacket.

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Credit: Beth Dubber/FOX

While out in San Francisco, Mindy runs into an old fame, and we're treated to a flashback complete with flared jeans. “This was a flashback to the early 90's, so we immediately thought belted cowl neck sweater and flared jeans with Chunky shoes!" says Perez.

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Season 3, Episode 12: Mindy's Elle Woods Outfit

Credit: John P. Fleenor/FOX

"We were inspired by Elle Woods, so lots of pink and a girly clothes," Perez reveals. Besides a red velvet mini skirt with sequin lipsticks from House of Holland and charcoal tights, Perez kept the outfit pink.

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Season 3, Episode 12: BCBG Cocktail Dress

Credit: Jordin Althaus/FOX

For the scene, Perez dresses her up in a BCBG dress (above). “It was appropriate that she was overdressed for a casual dinner because New Yorkers dress up for dinner,” he says. To make it a little less “fussy,” he paired it with a Bebe leather jacket.

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Season 3, Episode 11: Green Holiday Dress

Credit: FOX

Perez designed the deep green dress specifically for the party scene. Wanting to make sure it sparkled, Perez commissioned for the dress to be beaded by hand. “I didn’t want embellishment,” he explains. “I wanted it to be like she had wings behind her like an angel.”

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Season 3, Episode 1: Color blocking and Camel

Credit: Courtesy

For this scene, Perez jazzed up a classic camel blazer with a bright red-orange top and a turquoise skirt. “Normally we would never use a dull camel coat, but over a color block look it made sense,” he explains.

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Season 3, Episode 11: Plaid Karen Millen Dress

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To make this classic black-and-white Karen Millen dress festive, Perez made sure to add a splash of color. “We added the touches of red to make it seem more Christmassy,” Perez says.

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Season 3, Episode 11: Festive Red Look

Credit: fox

The Christmas theme got a little more literal later on when Perez dressed Mindy in a red Tapestry skirt, a Theory shirt, and a red vest (below). But it was the black belt that pulled it all together. “The little black bow on the belt made her look like she was gift!”

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Season 3, Episode 10: Mix-Match Casual Look

Credit: FOX

To break up Peter's party, Perez dressed Mindy in a Trina Turk sweatshirt, Zoe Karssen leggings, and Stella McCartney for Adidas sneakers. “The mix-match patterns work when you keep it tonal,” he explains.

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Season 3, Episode 10: Gray Sweatshirt and Black Leggings

Credit: FOX

“She was feeling hurt by Danny, so I wanted her to be gray and neutral,” Perez says of her gray sweatshirt and black leggings. However, the look wasn’t devoid of all color. “The yellow made it more flattering and more Mindy. She lives in color!”

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Season 3, Episode 9: Jonathan Saunders Top and DKNY Pencil Skirt

Credit: FOX

"This is a classic mixed prints look for Mindy," Perez says. "The tonal quality of these two pieces worked so beautifully together, and the graphic pumps added something extra."

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Season 3, Episode 9: Plaid Equipment Sweatshirt

Credit: FOX

In this scene, Mindy dresses Danny's mom in a snazzy date outfit from her closet that includes Baublebar earrings Mindy has actually worn on the show before. As for Dr. Lahiri? "This is Mindy's version of a casual afterwork look. She's a big fan of plaid. Anytime I can put her in plaid, she loves it," Perez shares.

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Season 3, Episode 8: Jumpsuit and Plaid Shirt

Credit: FOX

To teach the hospital interns, costume designer Salvador Perez dressed Dr. Mindy Lahiri in an intentionally inappropriate look. “Mindy wanted to look youthful because she thinks she’s too young to be teaching,” says Perez, which explains her ultra-casual jumpsuit and plaid shirt.

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Season 3, Episode 7: Yellow and Cobalt Color-Block Look

Credit: FOX

For Mindy and Annette Castellano's shopping expedition, Perez dressed her bold look. “The trick to making this look work was that we kept the long sleeve blouse buttoned up to the top,” explains Perez. “So even though the skirt was short, we were able to show some skin without being sexual.”

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Season 3, Episode 7: Black Dress

Credit: FOX

To make ammends for accusing Danny's mom of shoplifting, she wears black. While the color choice was uncharacteristic, Perez wanted to make sure that the audience would believe it could come from her closet.

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Season 3, Episode 7: Caramel Jacket and Bright Blouse

Credit: FOX

To make sure the look didn't feel to blah, Perez jazzed up the caramel coat with a pop of color. "In order to make it work it had to be a big contrast," he says.

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Season 3, Episode 6: Sass & Bide Dress

Credit: FOX

For this scene, costume designer dresses her in a gorgeous Sass amp Bide dress and sparkling Rachel Roy earrings. “What was great about that dress was the peplum was not too poofy,” Perez tells InStyle.

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Season 3, Episode 6: Blue Kate Spade Dress

Credit: FOX

“We knew the dress was going to be used when hailing a cab,” explains Perez, who chose to dress her in a cobalt Kate Spade dress and matching Prada bag (above). “We wanted something that contrasted the yellow.”

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Season 3, Episode 6: Bright Red Ensemble

Credit: FOX

For a casual day of running errands with Danny's mom, Perez dressed Mindy in coordinating bright red pieces. "It could've just been a jeans and a sweater, but I just thought that Mindy in a red coat and red dress with that hair would be hysterical, and it was!"

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Season 3, Episode 5: Custom Pink Blazer

Credit: FOX

“For the scene, we wanted to show their contrasting personalities,” costume designer Salvador Perez tells InStyle.com. To achieve this, Perez dressed Mindy in a Halebob bejeweled sweater, a metallic floral Kate Spade skirt, and a hot pink blazer he designed himself. “We couldn’t find a blazer bright enough, so I made it,” he explains.

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Season 3, Episode 5: Fitted Flannel Shirt

Credit: FOX

Steering away from her typical hues, Perez chose to dress Mindy in more neutral tones in an attempt to make her seem less girly. "Mindy still wanted to look cute, so we found the most fabulous fitted flannel shirt from Urban Outfitters," he says.

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Season 3, Episode 4: Mindy's Masterfully Mixed Outfit

Credit: FOX

For the scene, costume designer Salvador Perez dressed Mindy in a houndstooth Theory jacket, a paisley Equipment blouse, and a plaid skirt from Alice + Olivia, which he finished off with brightly colored BaubleBar earrings and Karen Millen pumps. “It was a quintessential Mindy outfit,” he tells InStyle.com.

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Season 3, Episode 4: Mindy's Hospital Gown

Credit: FOX

You may not think much of Mindy's hospital gown, but it actually takes a lot of work! "Regular hospital gown are so unflattering," says Perez. "In fact, we spend days making the hospital gowns." Talk about a fun fact!

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Season 3, Episode 3: Ladylike Blue Dress

Credit: FOX

For her faux dinner date with Cliff (Glenn Howerton), costume designer Salvador Perez outfitted her in a more conservative and ladylike dress. "There was a fine line between dressing her up for the date, but not being too sexy because she wasn’t trying to seduce him,” he explains.

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Season 3, Episode 3: Neon Ensemble

Credit: FOX

This bright look was one of our favorites of the night. "You couldn’t take your eyes off of her!” says costume designer Salvador Perez, who outfitted her in a Bailey 44 top, Karen Millen skirt, and a Topshop blazer.

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Season 3, Episode 3: Plaid Shirt and Polka Dot Skirt

Credit: FOX

Once again, Mindy proved that she's a pattern mixing master! For this scene, Perez paired a plaid top with a polka dot skirt, and it worked perfectly thanks to the underlying black and white hues in both pieces. "By taking a basic silhouette and mixing it up with a printed shirt and some bold color, the look goes from being ordinary to extraordinary," says Perez.

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Season 3, Episode 3: Floral Dress

Credit: courtesy

For the scene in the elevator with Danny (Chris Messina), Cliff, and Brendan Deslaurier (Mark Duplass), Perez chose a bright, pretty floral dress with the intention to make her look sweet and innocent. “Here she was in a elevator with three men she slept with, she had to look pretty!”

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Season 3, Episode 2: Double-Breasted Coatdress

Credit: FOX

Dr. Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) was ready to impress Danny's (Chris Messina) mom Annette (Rhea Perlman) in a tailored double-breasted coatdress designed by costume designer Salvador Perez.

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Season 3, Episode 2: Tailored Plaid Vest and Skirt

Credit: FOX

For the final scene, Perez put Mindy in another tailored ensemble, but this time he mixed up textures and patterns, pairing a structured vest and skirt with a floral Equipment blouse and a Joie leather jacket.

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Season 3, Episode 1: Geometric Misook Dress

Credit: Courtesy

Costume designer Salvador Perez kicked off the season with a bold geometric dress by Misook. However, what caught our eye the most about the ensemble were the statement BaubleBar earrings from his upcoming collection (available October 7) that Perez paired with the look.

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