It’s been a month since TV Ate My Wardrobe launched and so before I get to the “Look of the Week” I just want to say thanks to everyone who has stopped by. To the “Look of the Week” and as always 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. I’m already missing the wigs and 80s styling on The Americans and the April Ludgate clothes I covet on Parks and Recreation (but so happy that Parks got picked up for season 6 yesterday). This week’s winner is slightly different than normal as it is a place rather than a person.
Winner: The Bathroom in Hannibal “Sorbet”
This is the first time that a location has been given “Look of the Week” and once again the costuming on Hannibal was exceptional (as was the discussion about Hannibal wearing a “person suit”) but it feels like a good time to shine a light on Hannibal’s fantastic sets. If you follow Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller on Twitter (and you really should) you will already know that the above image is a reference to Room Number 237 in The Shining. This isn’t the first set that is an homage to the Stanley Kubrick film as the pilot’s red bathroom was also a nod to the Overlook. Here is a confession; I have never seen The Shining the whole way through (I did read the book a few months ago) and this is something that I will rectify soon. Even without the knowledge of where the look of this set comes from I was still very drawn to the chaos of the tiles particularly when Will is sat in front of them; it feels like the chaos in his mind as Jack pushes him closer to the edge.
Hannibal is visually stunning from the costuming to the set design and if it doesn’t get renewed by NBC then we will be losing a show that is outstanding on every level.
Runner Up: Jess Day on New Girl “Winston’s Birthday”
This outfit in “Winston’s Birthday” is typically Jess; a pretty dress and cardigan combo. The reason why I have chosen it is thanks to the rising number of sites that tell us where you can buy something you have seen on a show (and because it’s something that I would wear). This started in 2000 when ASOS.com launched and was called As Seen on Screen and they sold clothes that featured in films and TV shows (or cheaper alternatives). Now instead of a site that sells the clothes there are blogs that tell you where you can buy these outfits from. InStyle also has a “Found It” column and often features clothing from New Girl that tells you what brand the clothing is. The combination of the mint green (Jessica Simpson) dress and yellow (Kate Spade) cardigan has a calming influence, something that Jess needs as she tries to juggle multiple things at once in this episode.
Runner Up: Megan Draper on Mad Men “For Immediate Release”
Megan is a divisive character on Mad Man but I am firmly on Team Zou Bisou Bisou. Initially this comes from her main introduction when she comforted Sally after she had fallen in the middle of the SCDP office in the season 4 episode “The Beautiful Girls.” The other reason is because Megan gets to wear all of the high end, really fashionable (for the 1960s) clothes because she is the most fashion forward character. Janie Bryant has done a terrific job of finding really stunning pieces and as the patterns get bolder so does Megan’s style. This is a different twist on last week which saw Megan in a dress that could have been inspired by I Dream of Jeannie; instead this metallic dress evokes the space travel obsession of this era. There are earlier complaints in the episode that rockets are all anyone wants in advertising but the same can also be said for fashion at this time. You can’t see it from the above photo but this is also the shortest hemline we have seen Megan in as she takes her mother’s advice and gets her husband to think about seeing her as more than just a wife.
Runner Up: Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak on Arrow “Darkness on the Edge of Town”
It’s the penultimate episode of Arrow and this first season has been a fun ride; “Darkness on the Edge of Town” featured a sequence that was so slick and enjoyable that I thought I was watching a White Collar heist. This is compliment as one thing White Collar excels at is getting Neal Caffrey in and out of dangerous situations. Back to Arrow and the Oliver, Diggle, Felicity team has been reunited and nothing says “Let’s celebrate” like messing with a computer in a highly guarded building. Costuming wise Oliver gets to look great in a suit (standard), Diggle plays security guard and Felicity is a delivery girl. The pairing of Oliver and Felicity exposes an Arrow weakness and that is the lack of chemistry between Oliver and Laurel, who are meant to be the central love story. Instead it is Oliver and Felicity that have a great rapport and this has me rooting against the couple I’m meant to be rooting for. Felicity is wonderfully awkward in the scene where she has to hang onto Oliver as when he tells her to “Hold on to me tight” she responds with “I imagined you saying that under different circumstances. Very platonic circumstances.”
Who would you choose as your look of the week?
Oliver and Felicity, hands down.
Definitely Oliver and Felicity. Love them so much.
felicity and oliver all the way
I choose Oliver and Felicity. Or Olicity as they are called. They have wonderful chemistry. And is painfully obvious Oliver and Laurel don’t. The big difference of chemistry between the two pairs makes me so irritated and annoyed when watching Oliver and Laurel. Especially in the recent episode. Their make-out/sex scene was like two ducks butting heads. It was terrible. Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy just don’t have chemistry.