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Tonight marked the season finale of Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, bringing the fictionalized retelling of the real-life cold war between Truman Capote and his high-flying society birds to an end. While there’s been no shortage of talent in the miniseries’ eight-episode run (Naomi Watts! Calista Flockhart! Diane Lane! Chloë Sevigny! Demi Moore! Molly Ringwald!), I’m trumpeting its swan song with an homage to its brightest leading lady of all: the fashion.
With costume designer Lou Eyrich at the helm, the show has successfully reimagined the style of women like Vogue editor Babe Paley (Watts), once hailed as one of the best-dressed women in the world, and Lee Radziwill (Flockhart), a.k.a. Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s little sister,
Sans for Capote’s famed black-and-white ball, for which his frenemies brought out the style big guns, the show’s looks weren’t particularly ostentatious. They also weren’t particularly trendy—Babe herself once declared within the glossy pages of Vogue that “tradition” was her taste. They were, however, a nod to a bygone era of classic elegance from which we could all learn a thing or two.
Below, the five fashion notes I’m taking from Babe, Lee, Nancy “Slim” Keith (Lane), Lucy Douglas “C.Z.” Guest (Sevigny) and Ann Woodward (Moore).
1. Statement Earrings Are a Must
The biggest thing that struck me about these ladies’ style, particularly when it came to Babe, wasn’t their exquisite gowns, their luxurious coats (which were very fine, indeed) or even their ultra-high coifs—it was their jewels. More specifically? Their statement earrings. Ear baubles stole the show in nearly every scene, from Babe’’s oversized studs and dangling stunners to Lee’s ultra-chunky hoops. Based on the show, not one of the swans favored the wimpy little pieces we call jewelry today: These things had weight. And they were absolutely fabulous.
2. Unique Necklines Add Intrigue
I quickly noticed Babe’s penchant for an intriguing neckline—something that was very much in line with her real-life fashion ethos. As she wrote in Vogue, “In clothes, I look not only for line and movement, but also for delicate seams, pretty linings, integrity of detail.” That attention to detail is evident in almost all of Babe’s garments, starting first and foremost with her unique collars—just. check out the the high split neck of her cream Zac Posen ball gown!
3. Buttons Aren’t Just for Function
Buttons aren’t just for fastening, girls—oh, no. In the world of the swans, they also serve as a stunning accessories. Not just any old button will do, however. The ones seen on Babe & co’s outerwear, dresses and the like are hefty, oversized and super shiny—all the better to make them really pop against Lee’s black pinafore dress and Babe’s pastel pink cardigan.
4. Pearls Go with Everything
The character of C.Z. Guest can often be seen with a strand of pearls around her neck, proving once and for all just how versatile the gems really are. While I tend to think of them for special occasions, C.Z.’s character thinks nothing of throwing them on with a simple button-down—and she looks all the smarter for it. The socialite’s pearls were undoubtedly real, but you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get the look—I found quite a few fakes that look just as posh below.
5. Special Occasions Call for *Drama*
Hands down, the show’s fashion pièce de résistance is Truman’s black-and-white ball. Zac Posen custom made each of the ladies’ ensembles for the fictionalized event, hand-beading Lee’s metallic gown, adding a silk floral appliqué to the back of C.Z.’s Duchesse satin corset and embroidering a crystal and feather show-stopper for Capote’s mother (Jessica Lange). As for Babe, she’s a vision in a swan-like feather cape dipped in silver. The one thing all their looks have in common? Drama, drama and more drama. These ladies know how to dress to impress, and it all starts with a bit of theater. Maybe it comes in the form of a sweeping chiffon sleeve, like that of Ann Woodward’s, or maybe it’s a jaw-dropping black-and-white balloon cape, à la Slim Keith. Whatever it is, if it’s not performative, it’s not gonna fly with the swans—period.
What style lessons are you taking from the show? Let me know in the comments below!
Xo, Nicole
