From Jessica Pearson (Suits) to Molly (Insecure) and Olivia Pope (Scandal), we take a look at legal fashion in pop culture and some iconic outfits to take inspiration from as you power dress for your legal career.
Now, whilst legal dressing in reality is a lot different to what is considered appropriate legal fashion in TV and Films, it doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate and incorporate parts of it into our capsule wardrobes. After all, being a Lawyer doesn’t mean you can’t look good.
Olivia Pope ‘Scandal’
First up we have Olivia Pope from Scandal. She is undoubtedly one of the most obvious examples when it comes to iconic legal fashion. Throughout the show Olivia wears some memorable outfits. She’s known for her full ensemble pieces like the stunning all white coat suit and matching bag. The colourful jackets and monochromatic outfits also feature in her looks and she mixes bright colours with more subdued tones.
She’s playful with patterns but keeps the full look ultimately polished. Her more casual looks are still formal but paired down to make them relaxed. Her evening dresses are of courses elevated and dramatic. We can especially appreciate the styling and I am especially envious of her coat collection which would be perfect for autumn! But the key thing with Olivia’s outfits are they show exactly where she is in her life, when she feels her most powerful and defeated. She keeps the style but we see the difference.
Jessica Pearson ‘Suits’
Next there’s Jessica Pearson from Suits. This is probably the one show every person in law has been asked about. If you haven’t then you’ve had a lucky escape! Throughout the show, Jessica’s style remains very much the same: strong suits and dresses. Again, she doesn’t shy away from bright colours, I especially like the gorgeous all red outfit.
We see her still have fun with fashion, she plays around with texture on the trims and dresses with asymmetrical neckline. Her outfits also include subtle mixes of prints and patterns throughout the show. However, where in Scandal there’s a focus on showing Olivia as separate from everyone else, with Jessica it’s done through establishing her experience, she is in charge of her firm ultimately and so her stye is very much traditional.
Molly ‘Insecure’
For a more modern inspiration, we look no further than Molly from Insecure. Her style is very much more on the youthful side. In the show she is still trying to establish herself and not be too separate from her colleagues. As result, she opts for more subdued outfits. She leans more into the darker colours and more classic styles with a modern twist. She also doesn’t stray away from colours and definitely still keeps her style sleek.
One great outfit is the mixed tones deep burgundy pantsuit in the earlier seasons. Her more casual outfits also mix comfort and business perfectly with well-fitting jumpers and tailored jackets. I can take inspiration from Molly at the start of the show and how her style continues to evolve the more she progresses in her career.
Fashion empowers women
One thing that is abundantly clear in all these shows is how they use fashion to empower the women. They all own show their individuality throughout, with accessories and their use of colours. Whilst we can appreciate that of course reality is far from what we see on TV, we can still take some things away from the iconic legal fashion found in these shows. Ultimately, fashion is meant to make you feel good. Legal style and fashion has its limitations but we can still have fun with it.
For more style inspiration check out Chic Legal Geek!
Disclaimer:
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