If you’ve been a fan of Olivia Pope and Scandal over the past five years, then you know that one of the head Gladiator’s staples have been her amazing wardrobe. Since the beginning, Olivia has lived in black, white and neutral colors. She’s worn her dark clothes like armor throughout her tumultuous affair with President Fitzgerald Grant III, her insane back and forth with Papa Pope,and of course during all of the fixing she had to do in between. However, after returning from the mid-season finale this past February, Olivia started showing up in scenes wearing bright oranges, reds, and yellows. Upon greeting her father in the first episode back, Rowan asks, “What’s with the clothes?” If you’ve been wondering about the super bold change in Liv’s wardrobe, we have the answer for you.
Now free from her “loyalty” to Fitz, Olivia is free to make her own decisions without letting her emotions get in the way of what’s best for her, her team, and her clients. Scandal costume designer Lyn Paolo chatted with Entertainment Weekly about Olivia’s new color saturated wardrobe. She said, “She’s always been powerful, and she’s always been able to express her power in very subtle ways … and when they see these bright colors people should know: this is a new human. She is even more driven, even more determined, and she is going to do whatever it takes for Olivia Pope to survive.” As we wrap up the fifth season of the series, it looks like the one person that Ms. Pope is looking out for is herself.
Though Paolo obviously couldn’t reveal too much about what’s going to happen for the rest of the season, she did say, “I just want our Gladiators to know that Olivia is blossoming. They should keep watching to see that. It’s amazing. The rest of this season is so crazy, I don’t even know where to start.” Have you been feeling Liv’s new look?
Scandal airs Thursdays at 9PM ET on ABC.
