I don’t always get to take my lunch break but I’m glad I took the time to drop by Ann Taylor on Connecticut Avenue today. Not because I was in dire need of some retail therapy but because the store played host to Tom Broecker and Jenny Gering, costume designers for DC-based dramas House of Cards (Tom) and The Americans (Jenny.) Both designers will headline “Dressing DC for the Small Screen,” a fashion conversation at the Smithsonian tonight but I’m glad I got a preview of their talk at Ann Taylor.
Moderated by Mikki Halpin, Editorial Director at Refinery29, the lunchtime chat centered around the show’s female leads, Claire Underwood and Elizabeth Jennings, though there was a quick question towards the end about Zoe’s style (or lack thereof) and the evolution of D.C. fashion. Things have changed since Rep. Charlotte T. Reid became the first woman to wear pants in congress back in 1969. The Americans takes place in Ronald Reagan’s Washington and ’80s suburban wardrobe is vastly different from the style that Tom Broecker seeks to achieve for the Claire Underwood, who runs her own non-profit in Washington, D.C. In addition to talking about their style inspiration for their characters, both designers emphasized how important it is for women to dress in clothes that makes them feel confident and that are appropriate for the situation or stage in their life that they are in. Both mentioned that, with an increasing number of women in high-power position in Washington, D.C., professional women have a more options and no longer have to try and dress like men. Men, on the other, have a uniform, especially in DC. And I must agree, I’d much rather hear from the stylish for Claire Underwood than Frank Underwood.
Do you like Claire Underwood’s fashion style?
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