A quick Google search for the hit television show, “The Good Wife wardrobe”, reveals countless websites and blogs that are devoted to chronicling, discussing, deconstructing and lauding the clothing worn by the characters on the show, often referred to as “the best-dressed cast on television”. For that, credit must be given to the show’s Emmy-nominated costume designer Daniel Lawson.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Mr. Lawson, thanks to the wonderful people at Dryel. (EB readers will recall that I was chosen by Dryel to be a blog ambassador for the company. For that, I receive product and monetary compensation – and awesome opportunities, such as the chance to interview Mr. Lawson.) And, many thanks to Daniel Lawson for taking the time to answer my questions.
Daniel Lawson, in addition to designing the costumes for The Good Wife, has his own clothing line for 35DL. It features classic, flattering and ageless business attire. Mr. Lawson is also known for his work on TV shows such as Lipstick Jungle, Third Watch, OZ and One Life to Live, where he got his start in designing costumes for TV as well as two Emmy nominations. Here, our interview …
EverBeautiful: How does one become a TV costume designer?
Daniel Lawson: It’s very much a matter of luck and timing and talent and who you know. Most designers start as production assistants and work their way up to assistant and then designer. That can take a long time. But hard work and enthusiasm are key for being a costume designer in television. Staying ahead of the game is also key. Episodic TV is a huge machine and as long as you are in front of it, you’re good. But once you fall behind, like when you are in the weeds when waiting tables, it’s hard to catch back up and get on top of it. If you’re able to stay ahead of it, then you’re half way to winning the battle and producers start to recognize that quality and start to see you as a problem solver.
EB: I loved Lipstick Jungle. It was a beautiful show with beautiful characters in beautiful clothing. I was sorry to see it go off the air. Lipstick Jungle and The Good Wife are, obviously, so different. When you dress an actor for a TV show, does the actor have input into the designs or is it all about the character?
DL: It always starts with character and then when you’re in the fitting room the actor’s input becomes key. There is nothing like working with an intelligent actor who is aware of the character’s requirements for a look as well as what works best on their body and what looks good and doesn’t look good. Sometimes, you don’t want the clothes to look good on an actor because that is what is required to tell the story. Telling the story is what it is all about. But the actor is the one up there on the screen wearing the clothes, so their input is very important to me. What I do has to support what they do.
EB: Can you dish? Have there been any strange requests, difficult personalities? Have any of the actors absolutely hated some of the designs you chose – and how do you address that? Was anyone difficult to work with? (I won’t ask you to name names. But how did you deal with that, if that was the case?)
DL: I have really had a pretty drama-free fitting room. Since I work with the actor and am very collaborative, I don’t have a lot of battles in the fitting room. I find one of the biggest challenges is to get the actor to relax in the fitting room and to drop their defense mechanisms. Once they realize that I am there to help them and that I don’t have an agenda other than to tell the story, we usually have a great time.
I would say one of the more difficult situations is when you have an actor who just doesn’t want to be doing a fitting and therefore doesn’t want to give me the time I need to “design” during the fitting. That’s where I really have to start tap dancing and get their minds off the actual process of trying on clothes and on to other topics so they don’t realize we are working our way through a rack of clothes.
EB: Who would you really like to dress?
DL: Any actor who takes the process seriously and is appreciative of what the costume designer does and is eager to collaborate.
EB: EverBeautiful.com caters to ageless women. Many designers overlook them, despite that the baby boomers are a huge segment of the buying public. What’s your style advice for women of a certain age?
DL: Dress to your age! That doesn’t mean you look out of date, taste-free. It just means you shouldn’t try every trend that comes around just because it’s what the kids are doing. In my opinion, elegant and classic wins out over tasteless and desperate every time. Please skip the current trend of belly cutouts and sheer blouses. My friend’s 70-year old mother came down to breakfast one day in a white sheer blouse exposing her bra and tummy for the world to see. It was just completely inappropriate and made her look kind of desparate.
Another tip is to use proper undergarments. I find that sometimes my guest stars of a certain age on the show often come into the fitting room with stretched out, not very supportive bras. Just switching the bra makes a huge difference and makes the clothing fit beautifully.
Skirt length is important. Hovering around the knee – just above, at or below depending on your proportions is good. Super short is no good.
EB: Not everyone has a body like Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski or Brooke Shields. What’s your advice for women who would like to disguise parts of their body with which they’re unhappy? For example, what would you tell my readers is the best way to disguise a larger belly? A big bottom? Everyone wants to look their best. How do they achieve that if they are unhappy with their bodies?
DL: If someone is unhappy with their body they are never going to like what they look like in clothes. Clothing is psychological. It’s incredibly personal. You have to have some level of comfort with the way you look in order to like what you look like whether in clothes or not. That being said, there are many many ways of disguising or flattering your figure with clothes. Many books are dedicated to this very topic.
In general, it is important to be honest with yourself when looking in the mirror about how you look and what you want to “disguise”. “Disguising” is really just a matter of reworking proportions on yourself. For example, if you dress utilizing a solid color at your core (a solid colored dress or top and skirt) and then put a different colored layer over that, one starts to get a sense of a thinner, stronger core. Say, wear a black dress and put a light weight jacket that is the same length of the dress or just an inch shorter over the dress. You suddenly look slimmer. It’s a trick of the eye. Another example, is with a skirt. If a pencil skirt doesn’t flatter you and makes your thighs protrude, don’t do a pencil skirt. Instead wear an “A” line skirt. You’ll be surprised at how much better you look with a skirt that isn’t clinging to your thighs. I think people think wearing tighter clothes makes them look thinner. It doesn’t. It just makes them look like they are wearing tight clothes that don’t fit. An “A” line will also make your waist look smaller because of the circumference of the hemline of the skirt.
Your reader will need to do some at home or in the fitting room experiments and see what fools the eye with their bodies.
EB: Fashion has evolved since I’ve been following the industry. Hard and fast rules about color, silhouette, etc. have been relaxed and we no longer talk as much about the “color of the season” and that sort of thing. But, each season, there are trends that appear on many runways. How does that happen? Is it something editors spot (color blocking on the Derek Lam runway and on Maison Martin Margiela, for example. Color blocking becomes a trend in the major fashion magazines and blogs and fashion editors and writers proclaim its existence.) Or, do designers subscribe to services (color services, for example) that predict upcoming trends?
DL: I have always wondered that myself. It’s amazing how that happens. Designers definitely have trend spotters and trackers. There are companies whose sole purpose is to spot and track these trends. So it would make sense that if a lot of these design houses use trend tracking companies, there is going to be overlap in trends being used by the various houses within a given season. There are even magazines/books (very expensive to buy) that are available to the trade that list the trends from silhouette to color to fabric to pattern from season to season.
EB: When you dress a character, do you dress them top to bottom, including accessories like jewelry, shoes and handbags? And, if that’s the case, do you need an assistant? I adore accessories. (Ok, just kidding. But only sort of.)
DL: The costume designer is responsible for the look head to toe including accessories. Although, oddly enough, things like watches, glasses, rings, and bags are considered props. I usually do the rings on TGW though along with the bags and I consult with the props department on watches and glasses. On TGW I have two assistants, one who is more in house who helps deal with the day to day as well as fittings, on set, extras, etc. My other assistant is usually out shopping all day.
EB: Do you have any plans to expand your line for 35DL to include attire other than office wear? (The clothing is beautiful and versatile, but how about evening wear? And, thanks for the sleeves. In my opinion, we need more evening wear with sleeves.)
DL: At this point we are sticking with office wear. That is the niche that I found lacking in the market. So I think our plans are to excel at business wear for now.
EB: Is your brand, 35DL, available in the U.S.? If so, where can my readers buy it?
DL: We are available at Julia Farr in Washington, DC (http://www.juliafarrdc.com) and online at http://www.35dl.net. I am especially pleased with our current spring/summer line. Very colorful and appropriate for the office. I love it!
EB: I have a ton of questions but I will end with this one: For The Good Wife and Lipstick Jungle particularly, the designs are expensive and luxe. When the actors are shooting for days and getting their clothing that they need to wear until they get the take just right, sweaty and dirty, do you use Dryel on even the most expensive designs?
DL: Definitely! Dryel really is great to freshen things up from one day to the next on set, especially on the silk blouses that are right next to the skin. I have a $2000 Ferragamo blouse that we just threw in the dryer with Dryel. It came out beautifully.
Dan Lawson also fielded questions from the people at Dryel. Here’s what he had to say about fashion in general, personal style and more …
“You need to build a strong closet of staples that support your look. These staples will be the workhorses in your closet: the perfect skirt that goes with everything; that blouse that is the perfect compliment to your suit; a good pair of pumps that are comfortable and have a heel that give you a little extra stature and good posture; a well maintained bag that carries your important papers and personal items without looking stuffed or like a backpack.
Remember, these good pieces will probably cost you more in the initial purchase because you want them to last. They need to be cared for properly and stored properly, i.e., don’t put a knit on a hanger. Things like that.
You need to set aside part of your clothing purchase budget for alterations. I’ve said it a million times. The most expensive garment will just look so-so or worse if it doesn’t fit and an inexpensive garment will look a million times more expensive if it fits you well. Find a good tailor and make him or her your best friend. Once they get to know your body, alterations will be a snap and you’ll look great.
I also would like to say that it is important to not go head to toe trendy with your looks. Certainly, current trendy pieces are great and can become useful pieces in your closet, but you should avoid making a full outfit out of them because it will end up just looking thrown together and, oddly enough, not relevant.”
Clothing is expensive so it’s a great idea to take good care for it. How does Dan Lawson care for the clothing on The Good Wife? Here’s what he had to say …
“Our actors at TGW wear a lot of clothes as well as wearing the same outfit for days. Quite often they will have to wear a costume until the end of the day one day and then the first thing again in the morning. Everything gets steamed or ironed daily. We always run a lint roller over the clothing. We check for any small repairs that might need to happen. We check the buttons to make sure they are tight and perky – nothing worse than a drooping button on a suit, blouse or coat. Using the proper hanger is also very important. I usually like to have pants hang long rather than folded over a hanger to avoid creases right at the knee. We will also turn garments inside out to allow them to get air to the inside which helps freshen them up. We depill the knits. We also dry-clean but try to dry-clean as little as possible since the process can be quite wearing to clothing. We use Dryel a lot in the dryer to remove daily grime from all day wearing or stains. We also use it for freshening up blouses, dress shirts, skirts. It’s a great product too for rejuvenating vintage pieces or already worn pieces we pick up from the second-hand stores.”
When Mr. Lawson was asked, “Are there any alternatives when it comes to garments that are dry-clean only,” here’s what he had to say …
“As I said above, Dryel is actually an excellent alternative to dry-cleaning. Besides the terrific smell you are left with when you are done, it removes stains and body oils as well as freshens up the garment while letting the garment maintain it’s shape and color. Financially, we find that using Dryel decreases our cleaning budget and allows us to keep pieces “in-house” more which is great since our shooting schedule changes regularly and my department looks amazing when there’s a change and we’re asked if we can provide wardrobe for a scene not originally scheduled for the day and we can! Keeping the day rolling is key for any set – much like at your home. You have to keep the day moving along and not going to the dry-cleaner all the time really saves time and makes you the master of your own schedule rather than the dry-cleaner’s schedule.”
When asked, “How do you keep the various fabrics you use from fading, shrinking or stretching,” Mr. Lawson said …
“Certainly proper hanging/storing/folding are key. Keep the knits off the hanger! And remember, the less cleaning you do helps keep away “the evil three” – fading, shrinking and stretching! Whether dry-cleaning or washing, your clothes suffer the consequences of regular cleaning. A product like Dryel keeps your clothes from suffering the effects of “the evil three” while saving you time and money.”
Finally, Mr. Lawson was asked, “If you could only pack 5 items in your fashion survival kit, what would they be?” Here’s his response …
“Female: the perfect skirt (pencil or “A”); a versatile blouse; a well-heeled pump that is comfortable (not an easy thing to find, but well worth the effort of looking!); a nicely maintained bag – not a backpack; a simple, elegant earring that goes with everything.
Male: a well fitting suit; a white dress shirt with a nice crisp collar; a good leather belt; a classic dress shoe that is comfortable; and, like the ladies, a nicely maintained bag – not a backpack.
Thank you, Daniel Lawson!
Want to try Dryel yourself? Get it here …
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