Poor Hope: her parents are in town and her mother is driving her absolutely bonkers! It’s hard enough sharing a dilapidated home with a grown man and an infant, but try having an extra pair of adults around (with whom she must share one bathroom!) The natural reaction is to inadvertently revert to a rebellious teenage persona, which is clearly projected with her stonewashed denim get-up and defiant frown. A grown woman can wear overalls if and only if the neckline is designed to resemble two molehills. But really, Hope should know that adding a scrunchie to this look only infantilizes her in the face of Michael’s authoritative Dad Plaid.
Gary, per usual, has the sexy professor look down pat: shawl-neck cardigan, plaid button-down, feathered bangs, and a look of academic exasperation.
Ellyn’s presence in the Steadman household may seem like a nuisance sometimes, particularly when she props herself on her usual perch atop the kitchen counter, but today she’s providing two services: peeling potatoes and reminding Hope that one can add some glamour to a baggy men’s button-down shirt.
Fashion Tips from Gary:
When shopping for camping equipment, only wear items that resemble camping equipment.
While Hope seems intent on following her own personal maxim of “Wear your dirty laundry,” Nancy has entered the uncharted waters of TEXTURED KNITWEAR. Like a porcupine, that which looks cuddly on the page does not fare as well in three dimensions. Or does it? A textured knit like Nancy’s sweater allows us to use words like “nubby” to describe it - or maybe even “nippley.” It’s a cheese grater without the sharp edge or the cheese, a regular “fuck you” to you and your square cable knits.
In the pilot episode we’re introduced to the fast-paced world of Philadelphia-based advertising. This is not your kids’ Sterling Cooper, but rather Michael and Elliot’s burgeoning company (named, appropriately, the Michael & Elliot Company).
Michael’s look is a sensitive man’s interpretation of Michael Douglas a la Wall Street. The blush pink shirt and barely-there tie the color of chalk dust (for the kids! not cocaine!) signal a man you can bet will not close the deal, at least in this scene, anyway. The high waist on those trousers would seem to make the suspenders unnecessary, but here they signify a rigorous commitment to structure and stability. His world may fall apart around him, but his pants WILL STAY ON.
Elliot’s plaid shirt suggests an untidy ruggedness, one that matches his full beard. Elliot, unlike Michael and his clean-cut, rigid appearance, has a fiery persona that can’t be toned down. Elliot wears his personality on his sleeve; I think we can expect some fascinating pieces from Elliot this season, all of which will be as outspoken as he is!
Hope: Am I allowed to have a relationship with someone who wears polyester shirts?
Ellyn: They’re not even blends???
