“Imperfect Women” costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne approached the series’ central trio with an aim to distinctly define each woman’s wardrobe, while also tracing the threads that bind them together. The bond between the three—Eleanor (Kerry Washington), a polished nonprofit CEO, Mary (Elisabeth Moss), a stay-at-home mother, and Nancy (Kate Mara), a socialite shaped by more modest beginnings—is shattered when Nancy is found murdered. As Eleanor and Mary search for answers, they uncover buried secrets and widening differences while reminding themselves of what held the college friends together—a dynamic also reflected in their carefully designed wardrobes.

“I wanted to address them in their individuality, but make it so that when you saw the three of them together, they really belonged together,” says Hasbourne. “Everything with the ladies is some sort of wink or tip to the influence of who they were and what they're involved in.”

Eleanor’s Jet-Setting Aesthetic

Eleanor is a frequent flyer thanks to her high-ranking role at a non-profit, which her rakish brother Donovan (Leslie Odom, Jr.) reminds her is funded by himself and their mother. Nevertheless, her “life is a little bit more on the go,” Hasbourne says, and this is reflected in her sartorial choices. “She travels the world. She's from the East Coast. She has her own business. She lives in Downtown LA as opposed to the other women who live in Pasadena,” Hasbourne reflects, and that's why she is given a functional, but impossibly chic wardrobe.

At her gleaming, sun-drenched office, Eleanor addresses her eager staff in a draped Vivienne Westwood skirt with a painterly print and a neutral Aritzia bodysuit. Before heading to what would be the final dinner with Nancy and Mary, she swaps her Alaïa studded ballet flats for Fendi stilettos and throws on a black Enfants Riches Déprimé blazer. “We wanted to target what LA is like. If you move around LA, you may not have time to go home and change,” says Hasbourne. “She’s so versatile in who she is. And being the friend in the group who doesn’t have kids, that makes her cool and a little more grounded than the other ladies.”

Eleanor’s international relief work efforts also come through in her eclectic, sculptural pieces, like a puff-sleeve denim patchwork jacket by Fashion Junkiee with Sacai navy trousers—and white Bottega Veneta booties, of course—worn for an illuminating talk with Mary. “Eleanor goes from high-end to private collectors' wardrobe,” says Hasbourne. “We just wanted to support the indie designer because we thought she did cool stuff, and it's supposed to show Eleanor's influence of being around the country and the world, seeing things, and wanting to support local businesses.” 

Eleanor is also surprisingly sentimental, and that’s reflected in some of her wardrobe: her beloved vintage Mercedes-Benz 450SL convertible belonged to her late father, Charles, and her “C” pendant pays homage to him. The layered necklaces she always wears are similarly packed with meaning—for the character, and for Washington herself. “One is a Buddha, which reflects Eleanor’s constant urge to keep the peace, because she doesn’t always have peace within her own family,” says Hasbourne. “On certain days, [Washington] would be like, ‘I took them off, and I have to put them back on!’—like they’d become part of who her character was.”

Nancy’s Armor-Like, Ballet-Inspired Wardrobe

The society wife of a legacy financier and doyenne of a palatial Pasadena estate, Nancy embodies the roles in her designer wardrobe, stacked with Balmain, Aquazurra, and her trusty Dior Diana bag, in white, of course. “She is always a little bit more sophisticated in terms of how she presents herself,” says Hasbourne. “She always does the best of the best because she sits on all these boards.”

Nancy’s pristine, luxury outfits—down to her intimidatingly high stilettos—also serve as armor as she reckons with her traumatic, working-class childhood in Bakersfield and her thwarted ballet ambitions. Sitting on the board of the prestigious Los Angeles ballet also serves as a constant reminder of her past. “There’s a part of her wardrobe that lives in her head as an ex-ballerina,” says Hasbourne. Case in point is the low-back, leotard-like silhouette of a pastel blue and pink Zimmermann gown seen in a flashback. “She’s never given that up, and it stays with her in her choices and how she dresses, like the length of her skirts and the pieces that show her arms.”

Nancy’s soft, rarified pastel color palette nods toward her unrequited love of ballet, but also masks her challenging earlier life that may have come back to haunt her. “Nancy didn’t wear black. She has such a dark past, and she works so hard to get this future,” says Hasbourne. “She only does pastels now as a representation of her having a softer life.” 

Mary’s Deceptively Simple Down-to-Earth Style

Meanwhile, as the one of them who has become a stay-at-home mother rather than a career woman, Mary's looks are decidedly down-to-earth. However, she does opt for elevated pieces for special occasions, like the V-neck puff-sleeve City Chic dress she wears for a fateful rooftop dinner with her best friends. In a flashback, she dances with her besties in a sheer and silver-beaded custom look and Jimmy Choo heels. “We do see her get dressed up on a few occasions. But for the most part, this is a choice,” says Hasbourne. “Because she's chosen her family.”

Talented and creative, Mary paused her writing dreams to raise her children and support her husband and former professor Howard (Corey Stoll), a middling academic. Her easy, flowing, floral dresses keep her active with drop-offs and chasing her two young daughters around the house—as opposed to rushing to business or board meetings like Eleanor and Nancy. “Mary's character is the safe one out of them. She's the grounded mother. She is the one whose feet are planted on the ground at all times,” says Hasbourne. “You don't have to worry about hugging Mary because her clothes are inviting.”

Mary’s emphasis on her friends and family is reflected in her wardrobe—and in Moss’s input. “The irony that is Lizzie really helped me figure out what was best for the character,” says Hasbourne. “There would be times where I would want to push it, and she would be like, ‘No, it's okay here.’” Mary’s less trend-focused outfits also help her stay observant and read situations more quickly than the others. “Instead of thinking about Mary as not as stylish as the other two, I thought of it as she's the one who basically taps in and starts getting answers the fastest,” says Hasbourne. “So again, Mary's clothes very much ground her.”

In episode two, a determined Mary makes headway into her investigation into Nancy’s mysterious death—but needs Eleanor’s help after stepping on some toes. Eleanor both supports and challenges her as the two connect and counter each other through floral details in their signature outfits. Nature-inspired embroidery softens Mary’s green shacket and the neckline of her maxi-dress (both by The Great), while Eleanor’s neoprene pink top—by Runway Marc Jacobs—features an exaggerated floral appliqué at the neckline. Her long Zomer shorts, adorned with oversized bows at the pockets, coordinate with the military gray of Mary’s jacket. (Eleanor, in chunky Chloé wedges, however, towers over Mary in her Mia slides.)

“I love an Easter egg,” says Hasbourne. “If you're lucky enough to have friends in life, you can find something to relate to in each of these characters,” she continues. “At the root of each character, it was important for me to give them something that was theirs—but that still kept them connected.”