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Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Costume Secrets from the Upcoming Seasons of 'Reign,' 'The Good Wife' and More

Costume Secrets from the Upcoming Seasons of 'Reign,' 'The Good Wife' and More:

Queen Mary and her 16th century #squad on Reign. Toby Regbo as King Francis II, Adelaide Kane as Mary, Queen of Scotland and France, Celina Sinden as Greer, Anna Popplewell as Lola and Torrance Coombs as Bash. Photo: Sven Frenzel/The CW
Queen Mary and her 16th century #squad on Reign. Toby Regbo as King Francis II, Adelaide Kane as Mary, Queen of Scotland and France, Celina Sinden as Greer, Anna Popplewell as Lola and Torrance Coombs as Bash. Photo: Sven Frenzel/The CW
You're already up to date on all of the costume details from your favorite shows that returned or premiered in September — right? (Plus, "Empire" and "Scream Queens," of course.) Now it's time for the October TV lineup: when "Reign" brings back French court intrigue and beautiful anachronistic gowns, "Jane the Virgin" welcomes a new baby and Britney Spears, "The Flash" and "Arrow" return to save their respective cities in updated superhero suits and Alicia Florrick adjusts her professional wardrobe for yet another career milestone on "The Good Wife." But costume designers behind these hit shows are the ones with the inside scoop, so read on for behind-the-scenes details straight from the source. Spoiler alert: there's more Victoria Beckham ahead.

ARROW

In season four, Oliver Queen debuts a brand new Arrow suit, which fans might appreciate for showcasing Steven Amell's sculpted guns. Interestingly, costume — or supersuit — designer Maya Mani had already finished the Arrow 2.0 costume before the season three finale and it had full sleeves (it's cold shooting in Vancouver). But Executive Producer Greg Berlanti and Amell convinced her to try a bicep-baring look more reflective of the Green Arrow comic. "I wanted it to be tactical, so the shoulders are a little tougher," she explained. "I also wanted him to be able to remove a layer or be in the layer and still be the Arrow, but not have the full fig on."

In the meantime, Arrow's now-official girlfriend Felicity Smoak will be upgrading to CEO outfits since Ray Palmer literally jetted on over to "Legends of Tomorrow." But don't expect to see her in Brooks Brothers or anything. "We still want to maintain that sense of fun," said Mani of elevating Felicity's look, but avoiding a "hard-edged suit." She will continue to wear a high-low mix of H&M, Topshop, Sandro and Victoria Beckham. We'll also get a peek at Felicity's personal style outside of the corner office (and the Arrow lair). "Now that we see her in her home, we have more opportunity to show a casual side of her, which in the past we haven't had a chance to do," said Mani.

"Arrow" premieres at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7 on the CW.

THE FLASH

Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) goes for a run in his new "The Flash" suit. Photo: Nino Munoz/The CW
Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) goes for a run in his new "The Flash" suit. Photo: Nino Munoz/The CW
Maya Mani is the mastermind behind all of the superhero outfits for the shows in the CWTV DC Universe: "Arrow," "The Flash" and the upcoming "Legends of Tomorrow." And "The Flash" suit — originally designed by Colleen Atwood along with the first "Arrow" iteration — will experience some enhancements, but subtle ones. "I added a little bit more to the arms, the chest has been curved out from the original design and the color of his crest has changed," Mani explained. Fans have noted that the now-white crest color (instead of yellow) is truer to the comic book version of "The Flash." Her design superpowers also extend to the dark side, namely, the "iconic" costumed villains. Mani is sworn to NSA levels of secrecy about the bad guys' ensembles, but she would say this: "I look at the iconic comic book character and then what I try and do is extrapolate from that and bring it into a more grounded universe." So a metallic onesie over tights and high tops?

"The Flash" premieres at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 on the CW.

THE GOOD WIFE

In season seven, after the State's Attorney win/loss, Alicia Florrick (Juliana Margulies) will open her own firm — from her kitchen table. She won't be reviewing briefs in her PJs, however. Her wardrobe will be "much more streamlined than it has been," says costume designer Dan Lawson. "Very clean. Still very elegant, though a slight nod to more comfort since her office will be out of her home." Think: Escada, Akris, Armani, Lafayette 148 and custom pieces from Lawson's own chic professional woman line, 35DL. Plus, "a dash of Dior" and pieces from Narciso Rodriguez's fall 2015 collection, which "pairs so beautifully with what we're doing with Alicia."

Since Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) walked off the series in her thigh-high boots, "The Good Wife" is down an office dress code violator. But a new young lawyer played by Cush Jumbo will change up the sartorial scene. "Her look is very opposite of Alicia and yet it doesn't look like Kalinda, either," Lawson says. "It's a very unique look, very modern, youthful and fun. I think people are going to be really surprised about how we dress her." Also, expect some CGI magic that is not Alicia and Kalinda's goodbye scene when Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) runs against Hillary Clinton at the Iowa Caucus. "If my people don't look realistic, suddenly you're going to get pulled out of the reality of the show and the stories that we're creating," Lawson says about keeping up his game for the real-life parallel. "So I have to continue to be precise and accurate and create a world, clothing-wise, where it's all believable."

Follow Dan Lawson on Twitter @GoodWifeFashion. "The Good Wife" premieres at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4. 

JANE THE VIRGIN

Costume designer Rachel Sage Kunin is keeping Jane's (Gina Rodriguez) new mom responsibilities in mind for her wardrobe once little Mateo makes his way back home. She's minimizing Jane's signature dainty necklaces and dangly earrings that are hazardous around a grabby baby. "But this doesn't mean that her personality won't come out in what she wears still," promises Sage Kunin, who looked to affordable, cute and realistic-to-the-character brands like Bloomingdales's Aqua, Old Navy, Target's Xhilaration and Mink Pink.

Maybe season two guest star Britney Spears, who reportedly will play Rogelio's (Jaime Cahill) nemesis, can give Jane some parental advice. "I can't wait. It will be fabulous," Sage Kunin says about dressing Spears. Since the singer's actual storyline is top secret at this point, the costume designer can only brainstorm dream outfits for Spears. "Ideally, she would have a performance outfit and then a Britney outfit showing that juxtaposition," Sage Kunin muses. "The cool daytime Britney and then the extremely epic performer. That would be so much fun."

Follow Rachel Sage-Kunin on Twitter @RachelSageKunin and Instagram @RachelSageKunin. "Jane the Virgin" premieres at 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12.

REIGN

"There are a lot of big changes that are going to be happening," hints costume designer Meredith Markworth-Pollack about our favorite 16th century historical teen drama. "But with these big shifts within power, there are going to be new characters and definitely personal style will be changing — depending on what these titles are for people." Well, we know who does have a title: Mary Queen of Scots' nemesis, Elizabeth, Queen of England [Rachel Skarsten] and the members of her equally as stylized court. "We've definitely integrated a lot of collars and ruffs into English court, so we've kind of made our "Reign" version of them a little bit more whimsical, a little bit softer, a little bit more delicate," she says. Expect to see the fiery redhead in a regal and complementary gold palette.

Since Francis (Toby Regbo) and Mary (Adelaide Kane) have worked out their differences, expect the young Queen's wardrobe to brighten up a bit, too. "We're not seeing her in black all the time like we were last season. We've been playing around with some really beautiful palettes and colors for her," Markworth-Pollack says. "A lot of white, cream and green." Keep an eye out for pieces by Alexander McQueen, BHLDN and label-to-watch Vilshenko. Also, if you're worried that scheming Catherine de Medici's (Megan Follows) wardrobe will suffer after she got kicked out of French court, think again. "She's clever and she figures it all out pretty quickly," Markworth-Pollack says. "So lucky for us, we didn't have to put her in rags or anything like that."

Follow Meredith Markwork-Pollack on Twitter @Mere_Costumes and Instagram @Meredith_Costumes. "Reign" premieres at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9 on The CW.

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