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I love the costume work in the X Files. I love how detailed and intentional it all is despite it being technically an “unimportant” part of a low budget sci fi show. Like Scully always has the perfect balance of feminine style, professionalism, and practicality that feels so true to her character, Mulder’s character is perfectly captured in the impeccably fitting suits with the eccentric ties (and I’m pretty sure you’re meant to read him as a little vain about his clothes?). Generally they don’t Match but the colors in their clothes are complimentary and their accent colors often are the same so that they look perfectly natural in shots together. Scully’s shoes are always the perfect height to even an otherwise pretty dramatic, challenging to film height gap without being unrealistic for having to wear them all day, sometimes in very demanding circumstances. They’re of their time but not trendy, stylish but not Cool. It’s just so obvious every detail is so well thought out, like I was watching the Roland episode and was really upset that Scully was wearing a patterned blouse bc she’d never done it before and it didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of her wardrobe but then it ended up being used as a prop with the dialogue. Like you don’t make a decision like that unless you’re already paying attention to these things. It’s just all so perfect. And these days tv costumes look like they were ordered from Shein. This is what we lost

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Iconic Season 1 Scully Looks

Baby Hepburn

Gay in Chambray

Community College Pottery Instructor

Your Hot Stepmom

Plucky Investigative Journalist

Pumpkin Spice Lawyer (with matching briefcase)

Secret Agent Woman

Seafood Restaurant Waitress

The Midterm is Tomorrow

The Jacket ™

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question is, did Mulder buy the shirt for her

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He sports the same look on the plane, though unlike Scully, he ditches the dress coat. Also, this shot makes the shape of his sideburns super visible. (And check out those seat patterns! Funky.)

His pants don't match his jacket, but this bothers me like when Scully does it; it's a bit less formal (like him) and they're far enough away from each other.

This look is decent, but not exceptional. It's still the first episode, so the tie trustworthiness scale does not apply yet. This is a bit more interesting than the last one, but I don't like the colour combo as much.

Also, sorry for the awkward picture, but he has a funky little watch going on.

Pilot (1x01) — Neck Tie #2

An olive and navy striped necktie, with a pronounced stripes of gold piping in between, worn with a grey blue dress shirt and charcoal herringbone sportscoat. 

In a nice bit of continuity, where Mulder sometimes wears multiple suit (and tie) combinations for an episode, this sportscoat is paired with different shirt and tie throughout — which would be realistic for someone packing a limited number of dress items for travel.   

Fox Mulder Tie Index Rating: 8/10

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How r u cool 😎???

thank you very much mysterious anon totally not sitting next to me

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I agree that the blazer is too big! I do love the lapel shapes, though. The shades are nice on her though; her hair really pops. And I want to note that her necklace is visible even over the shirt; I'm a big buttondown wearer and a fan of putting a necklace under the collar. It's also a pretty formal look for the airplane, at least today.

Also hey, these pants look to match! Huzzah!

Outfit 2 from the pilot. It’s takes everything I liked from the first outfit and threw it out the window. I feel like my major dislike for this stems from the blazer. In my opinion, a blazer can make or break a look. And this blazer is just all wrong. Way too many buttons, shoulder pads so bulky it looks like a football uniform, and baggy in weird places. Yes, it was a piece of the time but not a fan.

Also wanted to note how her shirt is buttoned. Definitely an unusual choice to have the buttons done all the way up, but this is consistent throughout a lot of the early episodes. I feel this is more a reflection on the character than a fashion choice. She doesn’t have a choice in this assignment, she feels she needs to maintain stark professionalism to impress. As she opens up, perhaps so will the buttons.

Pro, her pants do fit her well at the least. Hard to see from this angle but she is wearing the same healed loafers from her previous outfit. Probably not the best choice for a trip to the cemetery, but it’s not like she traipsing through the woods right?

Also, say hello to the glasses. Personal bias, I love the glasses and I will praise every time she puts them on.

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aaaand here's the other half of our dynamic duo!

Like I noted earlier with Blevins, the X Files was still finding its feet with the tie trustworthiness scale. Mulder in stripes??

I do like his shirt, though. From farther away it looks like a series of stripes of differing widths, but closer in it's actually pinstripes grouped differently!

There's another key difference between him and the folks upstairs. This is the FBI basement! We go crazy and slightly loosen our tie and don't button the top button! Anarchy reigns!

(Also, have to say! Love the glasses!)

Pilot (1x01) — Neck Tie #1

The original necktie design to launch a series of increasing 90s styles — most of which were convoluted paisleys. A simple burgundy and navy striped necktie with a striped grey dress shirt.

Fox Mulder Tie Index Rating: 8/10

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Division/Section Chief Blevins is unfortunately already breaking my rule of thumb that the sillier an x-files character's tie is, the more trustworthy they are. However, I will note how the pattern looks a bit like eyes rotated sideways. Maybe this is a nod to how 1. they're sending Scully to spy on Mulder, and 2. there's gonna be a big theme of watching and spying by the government in this show. (Also, gotta love those glasses.)

And hey, it's everybody's old least favorite, Cigarette Smoking Man! He is wearing an Extremely Nondescript Suit of a rather hard to determine color-- I think it's either dark blue or dark grey, and looks different in different caps. Ah, X Files Lighting. Nonetheless, very standard business colors. He's also got a plain white shirt and what looks to be a plain black tie (suspicious!) It's easy to forget that before he was an unnamed main antagonist, he was an unnamed background character. He's menacing in his background-ness and in his, well, outward average-ness.

And then, of course, we can't forget Third Man.

This is about all we see of him. He is also wearing standard dark business clothes. He's mostly there to add to the Menace tm.

The shot-reverse shot shooting of this scene keeps contrasting these three darkly dressed old guys with our very own Doctor Agent Scully, in her light grey plaid. This provides a visual difference between The Government and Scully. She's in the room with them, but she isn't the same as them.

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Shoutout to this lady at the FBI check in desk (?) for her super patterned, super textured blouse, cute hairstyle, and what looks to be braided gold earrings.

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Plaid is probably my number one pattern, and I always love it when Scully plaidifies! I also love how it's double-breasted, and has cute peaked lapels. The cut is boxy, but not as ballooning as some of her later looks. Another interesting feature is the two-tone buttons-- not a super common feature on her suits, I think! This suit is definitely iconic.

That said, the rest of the outfit is a bit of a wash. Given Scully's neat aesthetique, it's odd that her jacket and slacks don't match, and the grey ribbed shirt is a bit off from any of the greys in the plaid. I agree with the Lookbook in that it would be forgettable without the jacket; but with the jacket, it's simply iconique.

I also agree that it was a good idea to change up her hairstyle to differentiate her; and anyways I just adore her fluffier hairstyles later in the season!

I also want to take note of her earrings. Scully tends to wear simple, clean pearls, but the styles shift a bit!

Simple, clean pearl drop earrings to start off the show.

What. An. Iconic. Look.

This grey plaid blazer only shows up in the pilot, but it is skyrocketed into legendary status. In typical early 90s fashion, it is oversized (oh you wait, it gets worse), but this jacket at the very least fits her properly. I actually found a very similar jacket in an early 1993 Sears Catalog in doing research, so this was probably also very on-trend at the time.

Other than being a trendy look, I feel like now is the best time to mention the inspiration for Scully’s look as a whole. It’s pretty common knowledge that Scully in many ways was inspired by Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs. Looking at the two characters side by side, it is rather uncanny, down to the way her hair is parted. It makes sense that they decided to change her hair after the pilot to allow Scully to stand on her own.

Overall this is a great look for her, pairing different neutrals together. Plain grey shirt, khaki slacks, small healed loafers, that purse one purse she carries in the early days, altogether, the ensemble is very forgettable without that blazer. Oh but that blazer is such a fantastic choice! Off-topic, but his screenshot is giving me The Fall vibes like yep that’s her, and she is off on her way to become half of the FBI’s Most Unwanted.

First impressions are important, and they nailed it with this look. Iconic. Also bonus points for the ever-present cross necklace being here from day one, excellent continuity.

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Scully + glasses 2/?

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Welcome!

I've been watching the X Files and have loved reading wardrobe reviews from @danascullyslookbook and @muldertieindex, but now that I've gotten to season 4, I can't check their reviews while I'm watching anymore. Also, I happen to love costume design. Making a blog about costumes I love on a show I love just seemed natural!

I'll be filling out this blog mostly with Mulder and Scully looks, because they're the true fashion icons, but also with other costuming aspects I notice! See you then!

(run by @gloomth-and-wanderings; my similar star trek costume blog is @holodecks-and-hennins)