Plenty of Insta gifts both holiday themed and general behind the scenes delights including many happy memories, magazine covers, newcomers and style inspiration.
I’ve fallen behind on The Mindy Project, but what I’ve heard about the most recent episodes has got me intrigued. And of course there is always the pattern clashing joy from Mindy’s costuming as an added bonus.
Things did not end well for Lady on Game of Thrones, but luckily life does not imitate life and Sophie Turner adopted Zunni when Lady’s part came to an end. Someone seems pretty happy to see Santa.
As “Out of the Box” is going to be an end of year Best Of for the next two weeks I didn’t want to miss out on this Broad City fashion mag cover joy, so thank you Broad City Insta for posting their Flare shot.
Now entering the Jane the Virgin portion this week and this cast continues to be one of the most active on Instagram. First up Brett Dier sharing a festive message/picture.
Kirsten Dunst posted this to Twitter and it not only perfectly showcases everything that I love about Peggy’s costuming, but it also looks like it could be from 1979. Got to love a filter.
Welcome to TV Ate My Wardrobe’s “Best of 2015” 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.
Now is the turn of a huge range of shows we have been watching this year from network, cable and streaming with comedy, drama and all those other hard to categorize scripted offerings. There has been so many fantastic individual moments that we have had to split this post into two otherwise the scrolling would be endless.
Here is Part 1 of the standout costuming moments in 2015.
Most On Point Accessorizing
What better way to appease the dragon that has done a runner than wear a necklace bearing a very familiar image and this comes in particularly handy for Daenerys in “The Dance of Dragons” when Drogon makes a very timely entrance. The influence of Daenerys’ heritage has been visible throughout the texture of her costuming which at times has been scaly in appearance. Yunus & Eliza designed this stunning piece (click here for a closer look) and it really is fit for a queen.
The Leather Jacket Award
As with last year there have been a whole slew of leather jacket wearing stunners, but there is one lady who takes wearing this garment to every outfit level and that is Jessica Jones. Not pictured are the very 90s looking jeans that are also glued to her body pretty much all of the time and this signature look makes sense when the show takes a deep dive into her backstory.
Who Rocks a Lot of Polka Dots
Cookie Lyon has gone through a style evolution since she was released from prison going from matching animal prints to high end garments as she has caught up with trends and got accustomed to her wealth. One of my favorites is this Dolce & Gabbana polka dot blouse; perfect for a dramatic exit and a fun take on the tablecloth party trick. Cookie’s always going to eat.
Best Mustache – 1980s Edition
Not only did Oscar Isaac take dancing in dad jeans to Bruce Springsteen to new levels, but he also worked this mustache in ways I did not think possible in Show Me a Hero. The mini-series from David Simon is terrific and devastating and not just for the 80s fashion. And even several months after watching it still makes my heart ache when I think about Oscar Isaac’s performance.
Best Mustache – 1970s Edition
Of all the Mad Men characters who would embrace a new decade with some additional facial hair it really makes sense that it would be Roger Sterling. It could easily be kinda skeezy (and of course Roger has entered this territory on more than one occasion), but there’s also something elder statesmen about it and that’s what he is. And I would happily watch an endless loop of Roger and Peggy hanging out in their now deserted office.
Top Hat Placement and Male Nudity on Cable
Alleviating the awkward of the first time with cute top hat parlor tricks is Bertie on The Knick and it is all around adorable. While this is the most of Michael Angarano that we get to see, cable has embraced male nudity this season on a level we haven’t previously seen with both The Leftovers and The Affair showing far more dudes naked than women this year. Game of Thrones you have some catching up to do.
#LadySuitWatch2015 Shorts Winner
My response to seeing Abbi as Val for the first time is pretty much the same as Ilana’s jaw on the floor expression:
Ladysuits of the shorts variety are classic cabaret attire and I am so here for this Judy Garland/Liza Minnelli style and singing mashup inspiration.
#LadySuitWatch2015 Patterned Shirt Winner
Denise is not only stylish as hell as demonstrated by her movie premiere ladysuit wearing ways, but she is also one of the best things about Aziz Ansari’s excellent Master of None helping make a citizen’s arrest in the stellar “Ladies and Gentleman” and offering up sound dating advice (even if she ends up ignoring it).
The Outwear and Boots Crime Fighting Title
Season 3 of The Bridge (Broen/Bron) lost one of its main stars, but didn’t lose any of its quality introducing a new partner for Saga who turned out to be just as compelling (if not even more so than his predecessor – sorry Martin). Style wise the pair complement each other rather well favoring classic coats and boots for their crime fighting attire; Saga is still all about the olive leather pants and Henrik also tucks his trousers into his boots because who wants those flapping in the wind while running after a suspect.
Best Reason to Invest in a Big Warm Coat
Fortitude is part X-Files like mystery, part exploration of the human condition in an extreme and isolated environment. It is also a very good advert for furry hoods and big coats; yes I even invested in my own.
Red Lipstick Queen
There is plenty to love about Peggy Carter and season 2 is just a couple of weeks away! Agent Carter also gets added to the How TV Ate My Wardrobe list in the makeup department as I invested in Peggy’s Besame 1946 lipstick and there is also the bonus of beautiful packaging along with fantastic red lips.
Denim Dream
1981 was a great year for denim and there is a residual 70s influence on fashion in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp with high waisted flares and dungaree delights. Also pairing anything with short shorts is fair game.
Best Future April Ludgate
2015 saw the end of Parks and Recreationprompting plenty of finale tears. This also means saying goodbye to one of TV Ate My Wardrobe’s biggest style influences and I am happy to report that future April Ludgate is still very much in our sartorial good graces.
What to Wear on Your European Vacation
Traveling across Europe with Hannibal Lecter means packing your finest threads and Bedelia is up for that challenge with this blue 1940s spy looking ensemble even if this is the opposite of staying incognito.
Sunglasses I Need in my Life
Yes I am still highly coveting Gretchen’s round opal yellow Wayfarer sunglasses for the second year in a row.
Most On Point Accessorizing Part 2
Gina is not just the TV Ate My Wardrobe Sweater Queen (her turtleneck game has been strong all season), but she’s also the reason why I yell “Wolfie” at the screen whenever any of the direwolves pop up on Game of Thrones. So when Gina appeared on screen in the episode “Beach House,” which kicked off the new year for Brooklyn Nine-Nine in this hat/scarf/glove combo it also caused me to yell “Wolfie” on this occasion too.
Festive Relationship Goals
Looking is almost over (*sob*) and before its one final outing in the form of a TV movie next year, let us bask in Eddie’s Santa outfit and how Agustín went from loathsome narcissist to the dude (and ship) I was heavily invested in by the end of season 2. Good character development, show.
December is here and a few things are getting kicked up a notch 1) end of year awards, 2) film awards, 3) best of lists and 4) Christmas shopping (okay this last one isn’t all that blog related). Full on awards red carpet season doesn’t start until the new year and this is more of a pre-game kind of showcase as these events don’t call on everyone to be in their fanciest fancy pants. It is also a good time to get some festive party inspiration; I am a fan of the ‘if in doubt where something sparkly’ approach at this time of year.
Getting the December ball rolling is the 25th Gotham Independent Film Awards last night (okay so that was technically still November) hosted in New York City. Spotlight took home two awards for best feature and best screenplay, but it wasn’t just film receiving accolades as Mr Robot (which I still need to watch) won the longform breakthrough series award beating out Jane the Virgin, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and UnREAL. For the full list of winners head here.
Let’s see who impressed us on the red carpet.
Julianne Moore is serving up the perfect amount of gold sequin and smoky eyes for all things end of year events and while a Saint Laurent frock is way beyond my budget this is definitely the kind of look I will be going for. Plus it has the floaty dress benefit of being able to tuck into any amazing party snacks on offer; in my case this means anything with cheese, jalapeno poppers, sausage rolls and all the mince pies.
#LadySuitWatch2015! Dascha Polanco goes for gold in this white ensemble with glitzy flourishes and it works like a charm. Outfits like this require a steady hand or a ban of any dark liquids coming within the vicinity of it.
Same with Ilana Glazer’s spectacular double-breasted jacket dress because I would end up like her character Ilana when she wore something similar on Broad City. Abbi’s dress is simple and chic; the only thing I would switch up is their shoes with each other and red lipstick for both.
Eagle-eyed readers will recognize this dress as the same Cynthia Rowley off the shoulder floral frock that Alex Morgan wore to the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, but Teyonah Parris also looks stunning in it and I’ve never had a problem with repeats. I’m not too sure about the cut out Marchesa booties with this dress; however they make a change from the strappy sandal approach.
A knockout monochrome gown for Laura Prepon and while I am generally all about reds and berry lip color for this season the coral lipstick is a really great choice here.
And on the mini-frock end of the scale is Emmy Rossum wearing a black and brown jacquard Simone Rocha affair, which wouldn’t look out of place as wallpaper in Benedict Cumberbatch’s 221b Baker Street Sherlock home. This doesn’t necessarily sound like a good thing, but I can assure you it is. Plus those all important pockets.
Glenn Close forever slaying and delivering caped arrival excellence.
Appearing just as suave as their Mad Men characters, but with far less furs, facial hair and daughter drama are John Slattery and Talia Balsam.
Mark Ruffalo’s doing the run of the mill black suit dude wear, but it is his wife Sunrise Coigney who really makes an impact in an unusual and striking burnt orange dress with sheer sleeves I can get on board with.
Transitioning to a bigger firm was always going to be harder for some on Mad Men which is why they did everything they could to stop this from becoming a thing with no success in last week’s terrific outing. We’ve seen how seriously Joan and Peggy were taken in one of their meetings a few weeks ago and Joan’s desire to burn the place to the ground comes back in full force after she propositioned and treated like garbage.
Don has never been one for being tied down and the whole point of starting their own firm at the end of season 3 was to embrace a semblance of freedom. That has long gone and staring out of the window is far more satisfying than listening to another version of himself wax lyrical about dudes and beer. If these words were coming out of Jon Hamm’s mouth it might be different, but through this other guy the spell is broken.
Hell, Peggy gets mistaken for a secretary and her new office is not ready so instead she is offered a place in the pool; a compromise she is not willing to take. All this is done via her secretary Marsha and she’s not even worth a phone call from anyone at McCann. Peggy gets the best deal of the episode in that she gets to hangout in the old office with a surprise companion. The moment where Peggy calls out asking out if anyone is there accompanied by creepy organ music is made all the funnier thanks to the person playing said music. It’s not just a soundtrack choice, but Roger putting off going over to his new office for as long as possible.
Peggy notes how this is the most Roger has ever paid attention to her and while she nails the reasons he wants her to stay there – so she can be his audience – these scenes are so much fun that I can only be thankful that they fucked up Peggy’s move. Roger talks in big terms when it comes to how much he feels for the company and while Peggy points out how miserable it was (let’s not forget one partner killed himself not all that far from where they sit) it was far from all bad. Roger has been the one in the past to tell Peggy how it is and that she should ask for things including not going over to McCann at 4 o’clock when she is drunk as they have already made her wait. Instead she stays drinking and now I have a new life goal:
My track record with roller skates means I wouldn’t be able to secure my other life goal which is Peggy’s incredible McCann entrance.
This outfit, those sunglasses, that look; everything is perfection and it’s probably all going to go to shit in an instant. But at least we have this. Without Joan, Peggy’s accounts are going to get picked over and I just hope that Peggy’s career dreams won’t be left in the wreckage.
Peggy has been gifted with Bert Cooper’s ‘octopus pleasuring a woman’ painting by Roger and she proudly clutches it under her arm when making her big entrance. Bert Cooper makes an appearance in Don’s car as a sleep deprived hallucination and I’m glad to see him act as Don’s almost voice of reason while also pointing out that of course he did not read On the Road (I tried to read this book once, but it was very much not for me). Bert is the man who died watching the moon landing and spoke one of the lines of Mad Men – “she was an astronaut” – so it is fitting that he is in an episode that closes out with David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
Don has his own mission which is to find Diana and while I have no investment in this relationship in the slightest, there is another interaction that warms my heart. When Don’s attempt to take Sally back to school is unsuccessful because she got a ride with someone else he does get to share a genuinely warm moment with Betty. He gives her a shoulder rub which looks like it could lead to more, but doesn’t and there is no antagonism here.
Betty has followed her dream of enrolling in college to get a Masters in Psychology – repeating my dream of ‘Mad Woman: Therapist Betty Draper’ as a spinoff please – and she’s already started on the reading list. Don calls her Birdie and whenever he uses this affectionate nickname I melt and forget all the shit that has come between them.
Two more episodes to go! Here is Roger to play us out this week.
Mad Men returned this week and one of its stars joined Instagram; so far Elisabeth Moss is killing it with the set photos, costume peaks and cat pictures. Plus moreMasters of Sex season 3 costume hints and a new furry addition to the Girls set.
One of my favorite Peggy costumes (from “The Flood”) and a break from the dreaded pantyhose. I have definitely worn a variation of this outfit. Probably not with those shoes.
Random Mad Men hookup reveal. Or rather a preview of their appearance on Watch What Happens Live. Elisabeth Moss prepared for this interview in the best way she could – by watchingReal Housewives. Have I mentioned how much I adore her?!
January Jones is still the undisputed Instagram hashtag queen and her co-star has far to go to reach these heights. This includes Jones’ Easter post in a very on point Betty frock from her Coca-Cola audition back in season 1.
Carrie Bradshaw wasn’t too hot on technology particularly phones and SJP has similar feelings; getting lightly teased by an off camera Kerry Washington as part of their Glamour cover behind the scenes.
As with Peggy, I love seeing Virginia in pants on Masters of Sex and as there’s going to be a time jump I’m really looking forward to seeing how this impacts Virginia’s costuming. These sneak peeks are fantastic.
My first question when I saw this photo was whether this is a new addition to the Girls cast as a puppy would sure be a step up from Desi for Marni. It turns out this is Moxie, Allison Williams’ new pup and so sadly I don’t think we will be seeing this cutie onscreen.
The second season of Orange is the New Black was released on Netflix two months ago and it is still dominating discourse; this week’s “Out of the Box” includes creator Jenji Kohan as a cover star and the cast at a panel event- also check out this conversation with Laverne Cox. Plus we have other magazine covers to discuss, a Mad Men pair working on another project and effortless street style. All in all this is a very colorful edition of “Out of the Box” from H to T (head to toe for those non-America’s Next Top Model viewers).
The Hollywood Reporter produced two covers for their “New Disrupters” feature and while one provided jokes aplenty on Twitter thanks to Nic Pizzolatto’s critic ire and self-serious posing (Emily Yoshida’s Preserve model comment is spot on), it is Jenji Kohan’s stunning head shot and super colorful hair that really stands out. The studio shot photos are equally delightful as the leather jacket isn’t trying to portray ‘bad boy realness’ like this one and the print wrap dress paired with polka dot strappy heels are as fun as this shoot is. This isn’t to say that Kohan’s interview is fluff, far from it and it is one of the most honest I’ve read from someone in her position as she discusses gender inequality, how hard she has worked to get to where she is, issues on the set of Weeds and her current show Orange is the New Black.
This outfit is so perfect and simple; the violet Roland Mouret ‘Timarcha’ dress paired with red pumps is a straight up style victory for Taylor Schilling at a panel discussion for Orange is the New Black this week.
Also going for bold pumps and a purple hue is co-star Uzo Aduba. Instead of going for two block colors for footwear and frock the woven material includes an array of pinks, oranges and greens. It is a super adorable summery frock and while Schilling is killing it, I know which one I would rather wear for a sit down discussion panel.
The man of the hour and while the internet might be reaching peak Chris Pratt due to the success of Guardians of the Galaxy (which I loved) and how everything he does is treated with J-Law levels of adoration (pre-backlash) I am still here for all of this including the September issue of Esquire.
Mad Men co-stars Christina Hendricks and John Slattery were in London this week promoting the Slattery directed/Hendricks starring God’s Pocket and it’s always fun to catch up on the Mad Men cast in non-1960s threads. John Slattery has relaxed handsome silver fox dude down and I love Hendricks in this bold striped Vivienne Westwood dress (slightly related – there is a boutique I visit often just to peruse their Vivienne Westwood collection and look longingly at the fantastic necklines/colors). Hendricks gets extra points for the pop of lip color and Joan-esque updo.
Swapping the red carpet for a pair who is the epitome of cool summer in the city chic with Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger. Kruger is a sartorial queen both in couture and regular day wear like this floral strapless dress and sandals. Jackson’s rocking a not too deep-V, the perfect amount of beardy goodness and classic red Ray-Ban wayfarers.