The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

While the General Lee is certainly the universal symbol for The Dukes of Hazzard, close behind are the microscopic Daisy Dukes shorts worn by Catherine Bach in the original television series. Taking on a life of their own, “Daisy Dukes” have become part of mainstream fashion culture – they’re definitely the only pair of shorts with their own multi-platinum hit single.

In updating the classic style, costume designer Genevieve Tyrell gave the 2005 version worn by Jessica Simpson a more contemporary look. “These are not just any pair of shorts,” says Tyrell. “They’re famous. The television series gave me a great template to work from, but for the film, we wanted to update them a bit because Catherine wore them a lot higher on her true waist, which definitely captured that late ‘70s feel. For the look of the wardrobe in this film I went for a modern version that was inspired by the colors and styles of the original series.”

“When I was growing up those shorts drove me bananas,” says director Jay Chandrasekhar. “I remember picking out the style of Daisy Dukes I wanted Jessica to wear, and when she first came on set wearing them, I was speechless because she looked phenomenal. Jessica’s Daisy Dukes are even shorter than Catherine Bach’s, which I honestly didn’t think was possible.”

The 23 pairs of Daisy Dukes that Simpson wears so very well span a mere ten inches from the top of the waistband to the bottom of the upper thigh. “That’s not a lot of fabric,” emphasizes Tyrell, “so I did a lot of fittings with Jessica to find the cut of jeans that looked best on her svelte figure. We did a lot tweaking, which included reducing the size, washing and then carefully distressing the fabric to get the fraying on them just right.” “Genevieve modernized Daisy’s country-wear outfits and I was very happy with the look,” says Simpson. “I wouldn’t really wear her clothes around town, but being raised in the South, it was a lot of fun to slip back into all of the different outfits that Daisy wears and uses to her advantage in the film.”

While Jessica filled out her Daisy Dukes with flying colors, the same couldn’t be said of Chandrasekhar, who donned his very own version of the shorts in a tribute to his star’s fortitude.

“Those Daisy Dukes were so short and there were some really cold days where I had to be outside in them all day,” says Jessica. “The first day I wore the shorts, Jay promised me when I shot my last scene he would wear a pair!”

“I was kind of hoping she had forgotten about it,” laughs the director, “but a promise is a promise.”

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