TV Ate My Wardrobe

The fall season is upon us and there’s time for one more fantasy costuming entry. At New York Fashion Week the stunning Tracy Reese Spring 2014 collection was unveiled and the press release describes it as “Sensuality, energy and optimism with an array of bold, spirited styles infused with Afro-Cuban influences to create an aesthetic full of texture and movement.” Bold patterns are something of a favorite here at TV Ate My Wardrobe and the blend of gingham, floral, polka dots and stripes alongside vibrant colors makes this a NYFW highlight.

Instead of picking one show or character we will be following the Burberry Prorsum model and opt for multiple shows and characters. These designs will appeal to a variety of demographics and narrowing the selection down to this amount was a challenge. Reese has used the vibrancy of Havana as an inspiration point and she told The Huffington Post that “The classicism that harks back to the 50’s and even the street culture today is melded and merged — young and old, black and white, everything in between. And everybody’s just enjoying the rhythm.”

The first fantasy costuming piece we did was for Jess from New Girl and we tried to mix up Jess’ wardrobe by opting for a more monochromatic look. This colorful polka dot dress is quintessentially Jess; it’s super cute and the cut is incredibly feminine (if you click on the photo you can see the detail). The patterned neckerchief is a beautiful addition and this is my favorite look from the new Tracy Reese collection.

I love everything about this; the bright orange hue, the contrasting gingham blue pajama like pants, another great scarf and the bonus backpack with textured looking straps- I’m definitely having a backpack phase at the moment. This is something I can see Mindy wearing on The Mindy Project when she wants to look a bit more casual but also super stylish. Mindy doesn’t tend to wear pants all that often (when she’s not in scrubs or sweats) but I could definitely envision her in something like this.

While the henna tattoo is probably not something you would see on The Good Wife’s Alicia Florrick (unless she drank all the wine) this form fitting stripped dress is more her style. Alicia tends to color block her clothes and patterns don’t tend to feature, but as she is now setting up her own firm we might see Alicia switching out some of her standard suits and dresses for something a little more adventurous.

I dipped in and out of Revenge last season as the conspiracy grew into a giant mess; the cliffhanger in the finale is enough to bring me back for now and this white floral dress embodies the picture of innocence that Emily tries to project while she is plotting her REEEEEEEEEVENGE.

The full bodied skirt is one trend that I will definitely be embracing this season and while I’m not really a crop top fan, I can totally see Carrie from The Carrie Diaries rocking both of these looks. Yes the show is set in the 1980s, but the costuming has a tendency to pay homage to that time period without worrying about accuracy. This isn’t as bright as some of the other pieces but it is definitely as bold with the big floral print.

Olivia Pope would probably not opt for the black and red striped top – though I’d love to see a flash of color in her wardrobe even if it goes against her ‘uniform’ – but those white pants with the black trim detail are perfect Olivia Pope lounge wear. This is where she eats popcorn and somehow doesn’t manage to spill red wine down herself, a feat I am constantly impressed with.

On Parks and Recreation, April Ludgate is off to veterinary school and while we’ve already picked out some costuming for her next season this is another back to school look for April. This is probably a slightly more girly look than we are used to seeing, but it doesn’t stray into the bolder palette of this collection and more muted tones are an April staple. The bonus backpack features one of April’s favorite colors – mustard – and will be ideal for all those books she’s soon going to be carrying.

On Arrow the Oliver, Diggle, Felicity team is the most fun aspect and while this dress might be outside of Felicity’s usual floral jersey dress comfort zone; it would be perfect for an undercover mission that gets Felicity out from behind the computer and into the field again. It’s super sexy and the embellished detail on this dress is stunning.

On New Girl Cece’s wardrobe tends to swing between form fitting bodycon when they go out and far less constricting baggy pants and vest when they are lounging around the loft. The above Tracy Reese combination is maybe a little out there for Cece but it would look stunning on her regardless and the two very different types of floral embellishment is power clashing at its finest. She could also donate the gingham strapped backpack to Jess for the new school year.

For more in this fantasy costuming series head here.

Tags: Arrow, New Girl, New York Fashion Week, Parks and Recreation, Revenge, Scandal, The Carrie Diaries, The Mindy Project, Tracy Reese