The Good Wife and Diane Lockhart’s Wardrobe

The Good Wife has a huge episode coming up this Sunday and the tension that has been building is going to explode (the title of the episode is the not so subtle, but still brilliant “Hitting the Fan”). Season 5 has already unleashed one civil war in the halls of Lockhart/Gardner as Diane and Will effectively split up and it felt like watching your formally happy parents getting a divorce. Will’s quiet rage at Diane is nothing in comparison to what the next episode promises and it is Diane that I want to talk about as Christine Baranski delivered another incredible performance as a woman weighing up her past, present and future. Diane also gets to play detective as she puts together the clues that point to Alicia’s exit plan and huge betrayal.

The Good Wife’s costume designer Daniel Lawson has created a strong look for Diane and this episode showcased Diane’s impeccable style with a variety of outfits.

We start off “Outside the Bubble” with Diane relaxing with her fiance Kurt McVeigh and by relaxing I mean letting off steam by shooting some guns. Diane’s leisure wear is just as tailored as her work attire, but it has a softer edge. The red of her suede jacket isn’t as intense as the reds that normally feature on The Good Wife as it nearing the orange end of the scale. This also includes wearing jeans and this is probably the closest Diane and Kurt will get to matching outfits. Diane’s hair is still coiffed to perfection and despite her recent work drama she is happy in her personal life; this is a much needed distraction.

When Diane is pulled back into her old firm thanks to a lawsuit she comes in wearing the most incredible embellished emerald green dress that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern retelling of The Wizard of Oz. It is simply stunning and this might be my favorite Diane outfit of all time (bold statement ahoy). Of course she is also wearing a strong statement necklace because Diane Lockhart has all the best jewelry and the red lipstick compliments the green of the dress.

Here is a better look at the full length of this dress and in this scene Diane has just confronted Alicia; it is at this point that Diane gets the first hint that Alicia is doing something underhand. The purple that Alicia is wearing is just as strong as Diane’s green and both women stand out in the (not quite decorated) office that is full of muted browns and oranges. Alicia’s jacket is bold in color but simple in design with no embellishments or frills and this adds to the contrasting elements beyond just color as Diane’s dress looks like it has been made out of crystals. As with many scenes in this episode Diane is the one who holds the power, even if she is the one who no longer works in this office.

Diane changes into something more like her traditional work wear and continues to look pensive; not because of the lawsuit or her exit from Lockhart/Gardner but because something doesn’t sit right with her. This brown shirt is chic and elegant like pretty much everything Diane wears and it mirrors the Lockhart/Gardner color scheme; showing she is still very invested in the future of the firm despite her fallout with Will.

And yes she is wearing yet another amazing statement necklace.

So many of these shots are of Diane with her best serious face and so I wanted to include one of her smiling, even if this is the scene where she is perhaps the most nervous as she is just about to meet Kurt’s friends for the first time. Missing is the usual statement necklace, broach or pin but her top does have a beautiful embellished neckline and it’s impossible for Diane not to shine. Ok so this evening doesn’t go too well because Kurt’s friends are all young women and Diane questions whether they should be together.

Before Diane’s big Kurt decision she digs a little further into what Alicia is up to and this includes a visit from Sonja Sohn (Kima from The Wire) who we last saw back in season 1 and she inadvertently reveals all to Diane. Diane is using her best Kalinda like investigative skills but before she drops some epic truth bombs on Will she needs to get changed out of this soft nurturing attire into something more badass.

Diane dresses all in black for her all important appointment with Kurt and of course Diane was never going to wear white for her wedding. This episode involved a lot of Diane walking with purpose and watching intently and her late arrival is several shades of perfect. This is the kind of outfit you wear for huge life events when your name is Diane Lockhart.

The dragonfly pin is something I discussed last week and this is very much part of the Diane look; to take a simple elegant outfit and add something unique.

This Diane’s stone cold stare and she doesn’t utter a single word to a very nervous sounding Alicia. I’m surprised Alicia’s blood didn’t turn to ice. This look is beyond bitch face.

I’m writing a lot about this outfit because while the green dress is the flamboyant show piece, this is the pivotal scene and turning point as Diane makes the decision to tell Will what Alicia is planning. I’ve seen this sequence about 10 times now and it is still giving me chills. The framing of the shot above is slightly off kilter which makes this feel horror movie-esque and yesterday during a discussion on Twitter I compared the tension building of this season to Jaws and in this moment Diane is the very scary predator that is about to reveal itself.

An excellent performance from Christine Baranski and this could easily be her Emmy submission episode even if I suspect that next week’s “Hitting the Fan” is going to provide A+ material for all involved.

Tags: Christine Baranski, costume design, Daniel Lawson, Diane Lockhart, The Good Wife