It’s another costuming focused “Out of the Box” as more shows returned and debuted this week. There’s also a show from long ago in the mix as Felicity is now on my viewing schedule and the opening credits are too good to not include in this feature. This is a snapshot of the week on TV and costuming that has caught our attention. We haven’t forgotten Scandal as there is a whole post here dedicated to the season 3 premiere.
Masters of Sex started this week and it’s already my favorite new show of the fall (Sleepy Hollow takes number 2 slot which I would not have predicted a few weeks ago). One issue with the pilot is it did that thing where it over emphasized the 1950s setting and mentioned on several occasions the historical impact this study will have. As this is the first episode I’m not going to quibble too much about that, especially when Lizzy Caplan gets to play a character that is confident with her sexuality in this setting and Virginia Johnson is ahead of her time without feeling out of place in this time. Caplan is an actress who I have wanted to see more of since her performance as Janis Ian in Mean Girls, Party Down provided an excellent TV role for Caplan but alas that only lasted 2 seasons – where is that movie they keep teasing us?
The costuming on Masters of Sex is giving me a lot of coat and short sleeve sweater envy and as with most period costume dramas there is wistfulness about seeing clothing styles from the past. A show like Mad Men has influenced fashion and while I don’t see Masters of Sex having the same huge impact it’s probably going to give me some ideas, especially as we are now in coat season. I got a short sleeve sweater this week and on Twitter I mentioned that it had a Megan Draper quality, it also looks like the costuming on Masters of Sex might have been an influence.
It isn’t all office wear and with the loss of Gossip Girl we don’t have a guaranteed big soiree every week, but luckily there’s a big fancy party and this means Virginia Johnson wearing a sleeveless prom style dress. If you were in any doubt who was the most in control of their sexuality then the above photo with Master’s wife Libby reinforces their roles. Libby is probably the weakest aspect of the pilot playing the downtrodden but supportive wife and I hope they expand her character beyond this.
Moving onto the present and The Good Wife returned on Sunday with an excellent episode that set up what should hopefully be an explosive season 5. Cary and Alicia’s big move hasn’t been revealed to the rest of Lockhart/Gardner but there are rumblings that something’s afoot and it probably wasn’t a coincidence that Diane was wearing the color of danger in the scene where they asked Alicia if she had heard anything. Red is generally Alicia’s go to power color so I think it’s significant that Diane is wearing it. Costume designer Daniel Lawson does such a great job on this show as he doesn’t lose the femininity of these characters and still giving them an incredibly commanding look. 
Now let’s flashback to the past with Felicity as I am watching the show for the first time for This Was TV. I’ve never seen the Felicity opening credits prior to this week and I was struck by how simple but effective they are as we see Felicity and her friends in various settings around New York. It’s half laughing, half pensive looks and by using black and white it also gives the impression of what someone who had just started college would deem cool as their opening credits sequence. This shot of Keri Russell is stunning and I’ve already been warned that this credit sequence will get a terrible makeover which I am already mad about and should be filed with Alias and Veronica Mars as ways to mess up your awesome opening credits. On display here is the 90s baggy realness that the three episodes I have watched so far has in abundance.
TV Ate My Wardrobe 