It’s “Look of the Week” time! Once again there has been a rich amount of different costumes across various shows this week. This is a snapshot of what I have been watching and each pick is for a variety of reasons including; what it adds to the storyline, what it tells us about the characters involved or simply because it looks good. This week we take a look at a couple of season finales and it is an all female edition. Near misses include the many flashback looks of New Girl and the return of Bert Macklin on Parks and Recreation.
Winner: Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife “What’s in the Box?”
The costume design on The Good Wife is flawless; from Diane’s epic statement jewellery to the tailored perfection of Alicia’s courtroom suits. Daniel Lawson who is the man behind these pieces writes an episode-by-episode column for InStyle and explains how he alters certain outfits and discusses the reasons behind his costume choices. Color is really important on The Good Wife and we have seen red used on multiple occasions to express how Alicia is feeling and this can impact the mood of the scene. Lawson explains that this Antonio Berardi dress was chosen because “Julianna and I didn’t want her to look like the typical candidate’s wife.” It’s a simple black dress with a twist and this is indicative of this final moment where it looks like Alicia is meeting Will, but instead she is making a huge move in regards to her career. Bonus points go to the bold lip color (which I now really want – no surprise there). This was an excellent way to end the season and I cannot wait to see what the costume department brings us with all the change that is coming in season 5.
Runner Up: Megan Draper and Peggy Olson on Mad Men “The Flood”
Every week I could simply write Janie Bryant is a genius as she continues to work her costume magic on Mad Men. In this scene Megan and Peggy are at an awards ceremony and both are in bold patterns that the late 60s is famous for. This isn’t a period for a wallflower when it comes to fashion and even Peggy is embracing the trend. Peggy’s dress is not as fashion forward as Megan’s and she is still playing it safe with bows and flowers. Megan is an actress after all (even though she is up for an advertising award) and so she is wearing the most flamboyant dress of all the female characters we see. It has an I Dream of Jeannie feel and even though these two women clash in both pattern and color there is warmth to this scene and between these two characters. I would love to see more interaction between Peggy and Megan as they could both benefit from a close friendship. The costuming in this moment contrasts with the rest of the episode after the news of Martin Luther King, Jr’s death is announced and the far away place the Megan’s dress evokes is just a fantasy.
Runner Up: Elizabeth Jennings on The Americans “The Colonel”
This is the third week in a row that Elizabeth Jennings from The Americans has featured on the list, but as it is the season 1 finale it felt appropriate for the show with the best wigs and disguises on TV to appear once again. This look is pretty similar to how Elizabeth usually appears, her hair is blonder and those aviators are not something Elizabeth would wear but other than that it’s not an elaborate disguise. It’s on this occasion that Elizabeth is closest to being caught by the FBI and if she had been apprehended it wouldn’t have taken Stan very long to ID her. It’s also fun to see how quick Elizabeth and Philip can shed their disguises and hopefully in season 2 they will show the process of how they become someone else. The Americans is so much more than wigs and costumes, but these aspects add a layer of fun to this spy drama.
Who would you choose as your look of the week?
TV Ate My Wardrobe 
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