If you’re a fan of Netflix drama “House of Cards,” you know that Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) are the most calculated power couple in politics. More so than any other character on the show, Claire’s style is particularly indicative of her story. TheWrap spoke to Kemal Harris, Robin Wright’s stylist and the costume designer for Claire on the popular series. Harris keyed us in to Claire’s style evolution and where she has landed on the power spectrum in Season 5. (Beware, some spoilers ensue.)
Season 1
“Claire has always dressed for the position she’s wanted in life,” Harris told TheWrap. Even in the early seasons, Claire is ready for anything. “She is always literally dressed and ready to go,” added the costume designer.
Season 1
Part of Claire’s signature look is form-fitting, yet understated dresses and high heels. She’s also usually dressed in neutral colors. “The interesting thing I’ve learned over the years of working on this show is that the aesthetic — established during Season 1 — prevails throughout the entire five seasons,” Harris said. “And that means a dark, monochromatic set design, lighting, everything is quite muted — so you’ll never see any bright florals or primary colors. It’s very muted,” she added.
Season 2
“I think it’s refreshing and interesting and fascinating to watch how someone in her position — Claire — achieves such high status. And she’s done it being very feminine and wearing skirts and heels, because that’s her choice. That’s her power suit,” Harris told TheWrap.
Season 2
“There’s a thing that I’ve really been proud of is everyone says, ‘My god, Claire is — she’s so sexy, she’s so vicious’… But you never see her cleavage, never a mini skirt. We’re not flashing the body in a really blatant way, but we’re tailoring everything so that you’re seeing the shape and you’re getting the impressions but we’ve never had to play that sexuality card,” said the “House of Cards” costume designer.
Season 3
Harris is also Robin Wright’s personal stylist for red carpet event, and the actress brought her on in Season 3. “It was a really fun season for me to join because I got to work with Claire in her role as first lady,” Harris told TheWrap. “She’d never had that position before. Obviously for she and Francis, that had been their ultimate goal. You know, in Season 1 and 2, they’d been clawing their way to the top and so by Season 3 they have kind of quote-unquote ‘arrived.’ It was sort of the first chance for Claire to have some playfulness in her wardrobe.”
Season 3
That playfulness meant Harris could play around with shapes and colors a little more freely. “I put in a bit more color in the presidential portrait photo, I made a custom lilac colored dress, we’d never seen her in that color before,” Harris told TheWrap. “I did some deep greens, made a custom two-piece burgundy outfit — just sort of played with some teals and maroons. All these colors we’d never really seen her dabble in because she’s really known for her neutrals, in Season 1 and 2.”
Season 4
“There was a huge change, too, in Season 4, where I contrasted piping and contrasting trim, because while she was going through this personal journey, she was also sort of understanding her strengths and her true alliances,” Harris told TheWrap. “I wouldn’t say she was drawing a line in the sand, but there was definitely this linear boundary feeling that I was getting from the script — so I incorporated some contrast trims and some linear patterns that we hadn’t used before.”
Season 4
“Season 4 was a much more emotionally raw season for Claire Underwood,” said Harris. “She had to peel back the layers and be introspective and look at her life. I went a little more in like the camels and the beiges, earthy tones… She spends a lot of time on the family ranch, so brought in tweeds and herringbones and all different kinds of textures that we hadn’t used so much.”
Season 5
The most iconic outfit from Season 5 for Harris was “that blue dress that I made with the gold buttons, just because you know that’s the ultimate Claire. It fit like a glove. It had strong tailoring. The gold buttons were actually a little more snazzy than we’ve ever seen her wear, but that was her sort of falling into her militaristic dictatorship role, even though it was very short lived. In her mind, it was what the perfect thing for a female president to wear.”
Season 5
In the latest season, Claire “was definitely buttoned up, ready for work. That was a concerted effort — some discussions between Robin and I about what would her silhouette be for Season 5. We thought tough, militaristic, buttoned up, long sleeves, more pants. We’re still evolving Claire into bringing more pants into her wardrobe,” Harris told TheWrap.
Season 5
“Claire uses her clothing and her… feminine power as a way to intimidate. There are different ways you can present yourself to the world and people will judge you based on your appearance,” Harris told TheWrap. “She’s always ready to step into that role as president.”
