Castle's Costumes

Okay guys, it's being sort of strangely difficult to get ahold of official Couture Fashion Week photos so far, so you may need to wait another week for the synopsis. SO SORRY. Maybe someday I'll have my very own photographer to tag along with me--or at least front-row seats to take good ones on my own (I was only second-tier this time, I'm afraid). In the meantime, this week we get to talk about how characters dress on TV!

I've just started watching Castle this weekend from the beginning of the series, and so far I've seen episodes 1-5 of Season One, as well as Episode 12 randomly because a file was mislabeled. I noticed that the costumer for the show decided to give Kate Beckett, the lead female detective, a wardrobe "thing." Like when they decided Fresh Prince's Carlton needed to wear bow ties or the titular Blossom needed to always wear a hat. Sometimes these choices work and can help reflect a character's personality on the exterior--and sometimes it's just not okay.

In Castle, Beckett seems to constantly be wearing some kind of stretchy, synthetic, high-cut blouse or a very, very long scarf. Sometimes, she wears both at once. While I know people's style tends to reflect some pattern of taste and preference (on Dexter, sister Debra is often caught in 3/4 length sleeves to minimize her gangly frame), it is the rare bird indeed who goes into stores and just keeps repeatedly buying the same exact thing in different colors. Here are a few random shots from the first 5 episodes; trust me, I'm showing about a third of the evidence but I'm a pretty lazy screencapper:

From Episode 5, a prime example of the kind of shirt I'm describing. Either with a slight boatneck or a turtleneck, but always very unflattering to the bust. Sometimes with a bit of sheen. Here are a few more examples:

Actually, I'm fairly positive the green and purple shirts are the same, as are the red and blue shirts (sorry not all the shots are that great). From Episode 4, the same red shirt, now paired with a super-long red scarf:

Ready for more scarves? Here:

And then of course, sometimes you get the double whammy, shirt and scarf, like in Episode 5:

All in all, I feel like this sort of wardrobing is only okay if you are purposefully trying to drive home a point, or if you are dressing a cartoon character. I also feel like Castle's Costumes would make a wonderful drinking game. And, I have concluded that this procedural is not meant to be watched back to back, it does weird things to your brain. Thankfully, I am assured by a friend that Beckett begins dressing better in later seasons.