Best of TV Costuming 2016: Best of the Rest Part 1

Welcome to TV Ate My Wardrobe’s “Best of 2016” costuming series and rather than doing a straightforward countdown we’re going to do a variety of posts that look at which costumes and shows have made a huge impact this year. From items we want in our own wardrobe to pieces that got everyone talking; we want to celebrate the work of television’s best costume designers.

This week we kicked off our end of year coverage with a deep dive into the Jennifer disguise on The Americans and how it encapsulates the vulnerability that is creeping in.

Today we’re going to switch things up and take a broad look at some of the individual costume standout moments with entries from Game of Thrones, Preacher, Broad City, Good Girls Revolt and more.

Stay tuned for part 2 next week.Most on Point Family Accessorizing 

Sansa and Jon Snow did not appear on screen in conversation with each other before season 6 and yet when these two Stark children (cousins not siblings) were reunited the room got very misty all of a sudden. Starks finding each other has been a long time coming as there have been so many near misses over the seasons. To show loyalty Sansa gifted Jon with a fur just like their dad/uncle wore and made herself a fetching new dress complete with wolf sigil. The Starks are back and their little sister/cousin is also hopefully on her way home too.

Okay so things got a little messy with Sansa withholding important information, but in this moment at Castle Black they were at one with each other and their family heritage. For more on this Game of Thrones season 6 moment check out my essay at The Observer.

The Most Ilana Wexler Use for a Dog Hoodie

I remember seeing this dog hoodie in American Apparel about two weeks before this Broad City season 3 trailer came out and also initially thought it was for an adult (I put the small size down to it being American Apparel). This sight gag was perfect; right down to Ilana thinking the ear holes were for her hair and this sums up Ilana’s carefree (and cropped top loving) attitude toward fashion.

Best ’90s

The big ’90s fashion resurgence continued with gusto this year and Halt and Catch Fire delivered on a very time specific ensemble that wouldn’t look out of place in a current Topshop display. Ah, the cyclical nature of style.

Also this shot is great as it shows that costume designer Kathryn Morrison linked Cam and Joe together in black and white, but put distance between them as their outfits are the negative image of each other. The Felicity ‘Queen of Sweaters’ Award

There is no doubt that Felicity Porter is the Queen of Sweaters and Keri Russell takes this title once again on The Americans. As this is a winter set show the knitwear levels are high and when I spoke to costume designer Katie Irish she explained that cable knits were one bump concealing solution. And for when the Jennings family go bowling, Elizabeth looks like she borrowed this one straight from Felicity’s closet.Bringing the Black Turtleneck Drama

Everyone needs a black turtleneck and Queen Judith Light (official title) delivers on the drama in this black turtleneck in front of a black backdrop on this season of Transparent. Yes I would buy tickets to her one-woman show (both IRL and Shelly Pfefferman’s).Cape Most Coveted

I love a cape. I love late ’60s fashion. I love knitwear. It is not surprising then that as soon as I saw Cindy’s green number in the second episode of Good Girls Revolt I wished for knitting skills. Amazon sadly hasn’t renewed this show and I’m hoping it will find a new home elsewhere; it still feels like there is a lot of story to tell and it was only just getting going. Plus I need my fashion fix from this era (especially as Masters of Sex has now also come to an end).Sunglasses I Need in My Life: The 2016 Edition

This year I picked up some very Gretchen sunglasses and there is another shades wearer to look to; Tulip from Preacher joined my list of TV style icons and Ruth Negga is also high up on the IRL style icons list after a run of red carpet and Vogue sartorial highs. Part of Tulip’s cool as fuck look is down to her choice of frames and her mix of feminine florals, cropped tops, cute formal wear and edgy leather makes her a costume standout in 2016.

Teen Bedroom Photo Accuracy 

N.B. This is more an interior/production design award, but definitely worthy of a mention here.

There are a couple of reasons this very small moment in Stranger Things stood out to me; in part it is down to the very teen bedroom photo collage thing that always hits those nostalgia points and the other is because they took photos and didn’t just rely on stilted promo shots. There is nothing that takes me out of something quicker than awful photoshop on a picture (see Spectre for a recent offender) or if they have just taken a still from the promotional department; it really doesn’t take long to get results like this. Although I am now wondering why Nancy has two identical sets of the same photo booth shots. Oh hey, Barb those orange framed sunglasses are cute.

Tags: Broad City, Felicity, Game of Thrones, Good Girls Revolt, Halt and Catch Fire, Preacher, Stranger Things, The Americans, Transparent