Last week, I binged-through Imperfect Women, a new psychological thriller on Apple TV starring Kerry Washington, Kate Mara, Elisabeth Moss and Joel Kinnaman, and based on a 2021 novel of the same by Araminta Hall.
The story is about three friends, Eleanor (Washington), Nancy (Mara) and Mary (Moss) who met in college and have, “a kinship from deep within their souls.” When their three-decade long friendship is shattered by a murder, the cracks and fissures in their seemingly perfect lives come through. Like every propulsive watch, the show hits all the boxes—high stakes, tension, glamour, secrets, lies, and drama.
There are so many talking points that you could dissect here—the definition of ambition for women, the complexities of friendship as adults, maintaining a cultivated social image versus living authentically. But as a long-time fashion writer (and I notch it up to occupational hazard), it’s the styling that I always keep an eye out for, especially in a show like this that’s set in Los Angeles, a city where wealth and glamour are mainstays.
It’s clear from the opening credits that costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne is establishing the differences in the women's personalities and circumstances through fashion. Over e-mail, Hasbourne, who is currently moving across the US to work on a new show, she told me that for Nancy, the blonde, pert, former ballet dancer wife of a billionaire running from a traumatic past, she opted for ballet-inspired looks and pastel shades from Balmain, Zimmerman and Dior. For the exhausted, pill-popping mother Mary who has put her writing career on hold for her family, it’s printed dresses, denim and military shackets from Doen and The Great.
It’s for the third member of this trio—a woman from a wealthy family, running a much-respected non-profit, Eleanor Bouchet—where the fashion gets really interesting. Hasbourne outfits her in Alaïa, Chanel, Vivienne Westwood, Schiaparelli, Mugler and Khaite to name just a few of the most stand-out pieces and labels. But what stood out for me during my binge watch the most were Eleanor’s layered necklaces that appear right in the first scene and which she continues to wear on repeat. “My mood board for Eleanor consisted of edgy looks that could play for her going from a daytime office aesthetic into a nighttime look without a full change. Eleanor’s layered necklaces, in particular, each meant something and was specifically picked to tell a story,” said Hasbourne.
There are three individual pieces that the costume designer breaks down. “The black star was a symbol of a gift given to her by her father to show who she was to him. Eleanor never needed to have attention on her and he understood that, so I chose black diamonds. Her ‘c’ was for both her parents Charles and Constance and the Buddha was to remind her of her travels. In the final episode we added a new coloured Buddha to symbolise her new evolution.” The first two layers are from XIV Karat, a celebrity-favourite jewellery store in Los Angeles (A$AP Rocky is a fan of the boutique as well). The Buddha meanwhile was purchased from a stall at the LACC Swap Meet.
This jewellery styling came out of both Washington’s request as well as Hasbourne’s off-script research. “Kerry and I have worked together before Imperfect Women and at the camera test she looked at my assortment of necklaces and decided the one chain I picked for the character wasn’t enough. So I started to ask questions that weren’t in the script to help me find her and the chains helped do just that.”
Hasbourne also had conversations with writer/producer Kay Oyegun, about Eleanor’s late father. His influence is seen and mentioned on the show multiple times and is reflected in the vintage Mercedes she drives and the presence of his fishing rod over her bed. “However as the story goes on you see the complicated history with her mother. So layered chains seemed right for a layered family dynamic. These chains became Eleanor’s staple and, in the scene like at the ballet, when she had to remove them, Kerry, as Eleanor, would start to feel naked.”
How does Hasbourne see this translating off-screen? “My layered necklaces are a forever thing for me. I would love for people to embrace what’s thoughtful in a stylish way that they can keep with them daily. I can see it now being something more intentional.”
