Yes, the drama-filled story line of Scandal is the reason you tune in. But, let’s be real Olivia Pope is handling much more, that which includes her coveted wardrobe. And you gladiators know, Liv’s got a major handle on style. We caught up with actress Kerry Washington to talk about her new Scandal-inspired collection for The Limited that’s in-stores now, and how she was able to sift through all of Pope’s pieces to include in the line.
ESSENCE.com: Out of all of the pieces in the collection, if you had to pick a few that would be the quintessential Olivia Pope wardrobe for your Gladiators, what would they be?
KERRY WASHINGTON: The cape is stunning. The cocoon coat is ridiculous. I would get one of each of the pants because they’re so versatile, so with one of each you can mix and match so much. I would do one of the dresses, maybe the black and white dress…and if that’s a few, I would go with those.
ESSENCE.com: Could you talk to me a little bit about the design process? Did you have to go back and watch episodes to look through everything?
WASHINGTON: No, we don’t have to do that because it all lives in our head. I mean, Lyn and I can literally tell you exactly what episode I was wearing such and such piece, but we did do most of our original meetings in the Olivia Pope closet, which is just this extraordinarily large room on the Sunset Gallery Lot where you’re just surrounded by racks and racks of clothes that I’ve worn in the past three seasons, so we do most of our initial meetings in there so we could really be surrounded by the looks.
ESSENCE.com: Liv is wearing most of her pieces to work. Where do you envision your customer wearing the pieces?
WASHINGTON: Anywhere, what’s really fun about the collection is that a lot it is great for professional, like to update your professional wardrobe. A lot of it is great day-to-evening wear. I would say job interviews, you know, family functions, important events like graduations and christenings but also important business meetings. And a lot of it is also transitional; like that cape is gorgeous with jeans and booties also. You can really do a lot with the collection.
ESSENCE.com: Are there any pieces in this collection that hint into the upcoming Scandal season’s wardrobe?
WASHINGTON: You know, I have to say no, because we don’t have any knowledge of what’s happening in season’s ahead. When we’re designing, we’re really just focusing on the now and the character because we get the scripts week to week. So there are no clues in the collection.
For more Olivia Pope style, tune into Scandal Thursday 9/8c and check out the full lookbook of The Limited Scandal-inspired collection above.