Chicago Tribune: How clothes make the character: Designers talk about shaping key roles on Elementary, Younger and Claws
Elementary/Joan Watson’s suits
Costume designer Rebecca Hofherr discusses the look she’s created for actress Lucy Liu.
Q: What is Joan’s look?
A: We have her in this tailored, suited look that’s a more business, more serious side of Joan. When we first met her in Season 1, she’s Sherlock’s sober companion and her clothing was more casual in the beginning. As the show evolved, she’s become a consultant for the NYPD so her outfits reflect that. She’s more confident and really finding her way in this male-dominated world of New York detectives and this season especially that’s coming out in her wardrobe. So it’s menswear — because she is now Sherlock’s equal as far as everyone in the NYPD is concerned. Her outfits are starting to reflect that; she’s an equal to all these men.
Q: Why Joan wears not just pantsuits but suits and ties …
A: That was from a conversation between Lucy and myself that we came up with that look. Sometimes Watson doesn’t say that much in the interrogation room or the conference room, but she and I wanted it to feel like she was now part of this club and participating as an equal. And the way that she wears it is important. If she had her collar undone or if she pushed her sleeves up, which is how you often see women wear suits, that would actually be too relaxed for her character. The buttoned-up look with the tie, sleeves down, when she enters a room, people take notice: That is a woman who is here to work.
The idea of women wearing suits and ties has come back into fashion. “Annie Hall” and the ’70s, it had its moment with YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) then, and more recently we’ve seen Janelle Monae, Sarah Paulson and Blake Lively on the red carpet with suits and ties. I know Janelle Monae’s stylist really well, and we’ve talked about this and we’re both so excited that it’s not only on television, but also in pop culture. This look is seeping its way in.
Q: Where do you source Liu’s costumes?
A: Seventy-five percent of them are made for her. Suits off the rack for women do take a bit of tailoring, and we don’t always have a lot of time from when we get the script to when we shoot. So in the beginning, during prep before we shot any episodes, I was able to pick out a bunch of fabrics and a bunch of linings and talked to Lucy about it. We have a really great tailor, and he made us a healthy amount to get us through the season.
For her ties, if we put her in a man’s tie, it would probably look like a clown tie, even the skinniest men’s ties are way too big for a woman of Lucy’s stature. So a lot of her ties are made. And a lot of her ties are kids’ ties from J. Crew or school uniform shops around the city!
Because the subject matter on the show is pretty dark, I don’t want her to have a giant purple polka-dotted tie on while she’s trying to talk to someone whose child has just died. So we purposefully, for the entire cast, try to stay with that gritty crime feel, colorwise.
It’s a pretty good replication of a men’s three-piece business suit — but when you put a men’s business suit on a woman, you kind of lose some of her shape so that’s why I made them so tailored. If we’re going to cover her up so much, l wanted a silhouette that you could still make out it was her even if we’re shooting from farther away or from behind. So I tried to keep all the lines of a man’s suit — like a slightly higher rise on the pant and just a regular slim-leg trouser — but give Lucy a waist and a nice heel as well. She’s still sexy and single and all those things, so I didn’t want to lose that with all the suiting.
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