Opening in paradise Scandal took a brief respite from the chaos of Washington DC for some brief beach time and in doing so we get to see a whole new Olivia Pope style. Well, not entirely as Olivia’s beachwear is very much in line with her work attire; a neutral palette.

Grey is where Olivia spent most of her time tone wise in the season 4 premiere; straying into darker territory as she gets involved with a new case and at the funeral that pulled her out of her beach dream location. Olivia doesn’t mess with standard funeral protocol and is dressed all in black. It’s the final outfit choice that is the most symbolical as she’s once again dressed all in white and ready for work. Washington doesn’t have to mean shadows and to use Jake’s overused metaphor ‘standing in the sun’ can mean many things. What I hope this suggests is that Scandal can return to the break neck pace of season 2 that got muddied by convoluted B613 conspiracies and parental meddling.

Our Scandal coverage is constantly evolving with the show and this week the focus is going to be on the costumes; what they signify and where you can get them from.

Starting on the beach and with Olivia in a super sleek La Perla Mare ‘Kosmos’ one-piece swimsuit that is both stylish and functional looking; a swimsuit you sunbathe and actually swim in. The episode is bookended with white attire of very different kinds and I don’t think Olivia will be hanging out on a beach anytime soon. She can probably get away with throwing on those Dior sunglasses in DC so this new wardrobe isn’t a total waste.

It’s too warm for a wine cardigan during the daytime on the beach and Olivia has wisely swapped out the knitwear for a super comfy looking beach cover-up in the form of this Roberta Freymann ‘Nicola Dress Magik.’ Wine is an Olivia dietary staple and also the way Quinn tracks her down, alerting Olivia to the news of Harrison’s murder.

Olivia isn’t the only one dressing in a more casual manner, but Olivia’s befits the location and with Mellie her grieving process means not getting dressed up in her usually First Lady attire. If I was First Lady and my home was also a work place I’d also want to dress like this and yet it is unnerving seeing a woman who is usually so polished wearing Uggs out and about. As Fitz mentions at least she is washing her hair, which may I say looks fantastic in a less voluminous style. Mellie is generally a block color kinda woman and this multi-patterned zebra and floral ‘Xianado’ Natori silk robe is unlike anything we have seen Mellie in before; showing her inner turmoil in an overt and dramatic fashion.

As soon as Olivia is back in DC she unleashes a torrent of amazing coats including this beautiful belted and gold zipped Gucci Fall 2012 offering (here is a similar Gucci coat swapping out zips for buckle detail). Gone are the beach curls and Olivia is giving Huck her best attempt at reaching out. These guys all have trust issues so it’s not that easy.

See also appealing to Abby (Quinn is at first the only person who is back on Team OPA, which is initially surprising as she was on the outs for most of last season) and there is a lot of hurt on both sides here. Both Quinn and Abby haven’t strayed far from their style comfort zones with Quinn in a Free People leather jacket and Abby sticks to her Donna Karan burgundy coat tradition. I am sticking to my tradition of coveting Abby’s outfit.

This isn’t the wine cardigan that Olivia wears while she is actually drinking wine in this episode, however this Ralph Lauren Black Label cashmere delight could double up as one. It also performs the role of making Olivia seem approachable allowing her to see through the BS she is being dishing served up on this new case; that famous gut feeling still works. I’ve missed the glass window of investigation to be honest so I was thrilled when she was asked for her expertise and help.

After delivering a searing statement at a press conference on the steps it is clear Olivia Pope is really back and her all white Escada pant suit coupled with a power walk of defiance is a striking image. Cyrus snarks at Fitz about the repetitive nature of his relationship with Olivia, however in the moment where it appeared they would touch there was initially nothing; a connection is made in their shared flicker of a smile after they have passed each other. Their story is far from over.

At the moment I want to see what both Olivia and Fitz can achieve without the other at their side and even though I lean towards Jake, I am so over him using his sexual prowess as a trump card. We get it. I’m still hoping we’ll get a prolonged period of Olivia opting for the “I choose me” option and as OPA is what needs the most attention from Olivia at this present moment it is the perfect time to explore Olivia outside of romantic entanglements.

Tags: costume design, Kerry Washington, Lyn Paolo, Olivia Pope, Scandal