Being a Gladiator on Scandal requires a few things - gut, fearlessness, and a killer wardrobe. Friday night I had the pleasure of hearing how Lyn Paolo, costume designer for Scandal, tells each character's story through their wardrobe.
Paolo's first career was teaching, but after moving to LA in the 1980's she started working with friends on music video sets. She would do anything on set that was needed, including getting the coffee. After spending enough time in the business and getting to know enough people, one day someone said "You have great style, you should work in the costume department." Paolo went on to win major accolades for her costume designs for The West Wing, ER, as well as many films.
The lecture Friday evening was put on by the Smithsonian Associates and the discussion was moderated by Robin Givhan, Fashion Critic from the Washington Post. This was the second costume design lecture by the Smithsonian Associates I have attended, and it was as fabulous as the first! I am consistently fascinated by the amount of work and attention to detail that goes into dressing these characters. Below are a few highlights from the evening, enjoy Gladiators!
Working with a Budget {and Kerry Washington}
You would never think the words 'Scandal', 'Costume', and 'Budget' would go together in a single sentence, but they absolutely do. In fact, budget was as huge concern for Paolo when dressing Kerry Washington's character Olivia Pope. Olivia is not the typical DC career politician, who has to be cognizant of how expensive her clothes look. Olivia is outside the White House and Capitol Hill, she can wear Prada and Tory Burch all she wants without being viewed in a negative light.
When Paolo expressed her concerns regarding the costume budget, Washington went on a mission to fix the problem. She found enough money in production dollars to pay for her and Paolo to travel to New York for a day. While there, Washington set up appointments for her and Paolo at every designer she could think of. They discussed the show and the character, and by the end of the day they had donated pieces from every designer they visited, including an entire rack from Donna Karen. There you have it ladies, even Olivia Pope has to get creative on affording those luxury labels!
It's All About the Shoes
As if we didn't know that already! Paolo insists that every character begins from the ground up - literally. When designing a character costume, she begins with selecting a shoe first and then builds the outfit around it. Paolo explains that your choice of footwear completely effects your posture, mood, and presence. For example, when first starting Scandal, they had Olivia in a stiletto heel. Washington wanted to embrace Olivia's ferocity with a strong walk; however, that stiletto heel was not doing the job. Paolo next put her in a chunky Prada heel, and Washington found Olivia's signature stomp - that fierce walk as she blows through the door and into the office. When Washington put on that shoe, she said, "I feel like her!" Ladies, the power of the right shoe. Need we say more?
Her Favorite Looks
A simple question, with a complicated answer. We all know Kerry Washington would look spectacular even in a paper sack, so it has to be difficult to narrow down Paolo's favorite looks into just two. Surprisingly, they were not the two I would have expected. The first is the Jean Fares gown from Season 2. That gorgeous strapless beaded number that Paolo says kills her, because Fitz never saw Olivia in it (this is from Episode Defiance, where Fitz is shot getting out of his limo).
The second favorite look is the Michael Kors Black and White Lace Sheath Dress, worn in episode "Happy Birthday, Mr. President", also in Season 2. Paolo loves this dress because it was worn in a flashback scene where we begin to understand the beginnings of Olivia and Fitz's relationship. Paolo says these backstory scenes are where she really fell in love with the show.
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| Left: Jean Fares Gown, Right: Michael Kors Sheath Dress |
The LuLu Top We Will Never Forget
You know exactly the look I'm talking about. Remember that perfect white running jacket from lululemon Olivia wears in the last scene of the last episode from Season 2?
Paolo leans forward in her seat and sets the scene for us. Olivia is supposed to be completely at peace in this moment. Happy, secure, strong - headed out for a run to embrace her sense of calm. Her hair is back in the most perfect bun ever seen before a run, and her signature black and white ensemble shines through. White ear buds, white tennis shoes (which Paolo painted completely white herself on set), and that amazing lululemon running jacket that was (literally) perfectly tailored to fit Washington's figure.
But as we Gladiators know, Olivia exits her building to find a swarm of reporters harassing her about being leaked as the President's mistress. If you go back and watch the scene, you will notice every single person is in all black - except for Olivia. Paolo says they doubled the amount of extras that day for impact in the shot, and the costume design crew had a hard time finding enough black pieces for each extra to wear. See what I mean? It's these little details that make an already impactful moment have that much more meaning.
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| The Perfect Pre-Run Look in lululemon |
The costume design tells a story just as much as the dialogue. Pay close attention as you watch the new Season of Scandal, airing Thursdays at 9pm EST on ABC. All I want to know is, who's bringing the wine and popcorn?
