Chicago Style: 'Good Wife' Costume Designer Daniel Lawson Opens His Closet

After researching attorney attire for The Good Wife, Daniel Lawson found the wardrobe boring. 

“That was when I decided that I wanted our lawyers to seem realistic, but with a heightened sense of style,” he says.

Lawson, a 2010 Primetime Emmy nominee, wanted the female leads — attorneys 'Alicia Florrick' (Julianna Margulies) and 'Diane Lockhart' (Christine Baranski) and in-house private investigator 'Kalinda Sharma' (Archie Panjabi) — “to be feminine in a man’s world, unashamedly feminine. They are women, but that doesn’t mean they are less powerful and less smart.”

As Alicia has come into her own, her wardrobe has evolved from conservative classic to modern classic, notes Lawson, whose credits include Third Watch and Lipstick Jungle. Among the character’s brands: Armani, Akris, Lanvin and two English labels, Number 35 and L.K. Bennett.

Diane’s sophistication is reflected by designs from Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Prada.

Archie’s enigmatic toughness is expressed through layers and ever-changing garb — from leather to ruffles — gleaned from the garment district as well as high-end boutiques and department stores: Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Saks.

Lawson, who received the prestigious TDF Irene Sharaff Young Master Award for excellence in costume design earlier this year, goes to labels such as Isaia, Corneliani, Brooks Brothers and Zegna for the men of The Good Wife.

Jewelry often comes from online site Hamsa.com, some of it costume and others made with precious stones. This mix matches Lawson’s overall design philosophy: “It doesn’t matter to me — high end, low end.”

What matters, says the Northwestern University graduate, is: “Does it fit the character?”

Story adapted from an article originally published in Emmy® magazine issue no. 5, June 2013.