Spotlight : (Not so desperate) Business Wives

These days, the 7th art is really disappointing : I didn't see Black Swan because I don't like those kind of movies which are so stressful you exit the auditorium with an uncontrollable need of chocolate, sweets and teddy bears to comfort you after this dreadful experience. I don't want sordid plots where the woman is led to madness and angst, I want to watch something to make me feel good, to entertain me with a strong heroine who has got the sense of humour, and who win over her difficulties. And in movies and literature, these days, it is quite impossible to find that ( at least in the examples I've seen lately ). So, I've turned myself toward what seems to become a shoot of the Cinema's tree : TV series. No more telenovelas, now series are treated like real movies, with renowned directors and actors, and brilliant plots. Everyone talked a lot about Boardwalk Empire, a bit less about a serie I consider one of the best I've ever seen so far : The Good Wife. The plot itself isn't very exciting : the wife of a politician, charged with corruption and sexual affairs with prostitutes, is forced to come back into the cruel world of work, in a lawyers office. But the writers are clever and the directing staff efficient, as the episodes are all dynamic with interesting subjects, with excellent wits, intense acting and crafty humour. For the persons who hated the judicial series ( it was the case for me ), you will forget your a priori.

Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick in The Good Wife ( not the best examples but internet is a bit poor in series pictures )

If the character of Alicia ( played by Julianna Margulies, former E.R. star ) is a bit fragile and dominated by her husband and her situation in the beginning on the season one, she finally wins her independance thanks to the company of women who already have to show their guts in this world of men. Talking of fashion, Alicia is suscribed to high collars and strict suits, but the wardrobe assistant emphasizes her character with a lot of stretch dark red and blue. The red means at the same times that she is looking for her independance, at the same time in her career, her family life and sexuality, but also that she is still stained by the sin of her husband.
A character in a subdued style who fight her habit to give in toward men, played with nuances by Julianna Margulies, but who, more than anything, is a foil for secondary feminine characters.

Left : Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart

Alicia is a little thing compared to the female associate of the office, flamboyant Diane Lockhart, a woman with claws and mischievous eyes and lines. If we can regret the Botox, Christine Baranski offers us a show of elegant outfits and sexy dresses which proves that women over 40 can look great without playing the lolitas. It is also good to see the discreet complicity of the two women, very welcome after the creepy relationship between Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) and Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) in the anxiogenic Damages. I was in love with the wardrobe of Ellen, and Patty looked stunning, but the serie was really too disturbing. The outfits of Damages should be injected in The Good Wife, for the pleasure of our eyes and for this poor Alicia.

Rose Byrne and Glenn Close in Damages

But the most interesting female character is definitely those of Kalinda ( played by Brit Archie Penjabi ) an admirable young private who knows how to manipulate men with a lot of cunning, style and humour. If her make-up is a bit too outré and her hairdo too strict, her outfits are always great, with a lot of leather, mini skirts and nice colours, such as her purple coat ( not pictured ). It is great to see an actress, from what Holywood calls a "minority", being offered such an enhancive role. Archie is definitely the revelation of The Good Wife and I hope that Hollywood would learn the lesson.

Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife

I was not excited that much by the wardrobes of heroines of trendy series such as Sex and the City or Ugly Betty. The outfits used in the world of Fashion are sometimes very excessive and are not in phase with the real lives of real women ( with normal morphologies ! ). So, I am much more touched by the series which show working girls. We can put ourselves in their skins, and more importantly, in their clothes. Because few are the women who can wear Alexander McQueen or Dior in real life. You have to be a bit wiser and to admit that we, normal women, have to wear clothes suited to our lives. But of course, we want to be elegant and beautiful in each aspect of them. I suggest that we stop dreaming about the fashionistas of Gossip Girl, with their unlimited budget, and that we start admiring true role models with true wardrobes. You can dress soberly, even with some gorgeous pieces, as Kelli Williams, who plays the psychologist Dr Gillian Foster in Lie to Me, proves it perfectly ...

Kelli Williams in Lie to Me

Yes, the magazines show us great styles, and we can dream to own extravagant luxury goods, but a superheroine usually wears something that fit the work she has to do. A leotard to save the world, a Marchesa dress to walk the carpet at the Oscars, and office dresses to go to work and take the public transportation ... Frustrated, unsatisfied, rebellious ? If you want to change your wardrobe, then change your life. Too hard ? Then, there is only one option : being magnificent in a suit ... I'm sure you can ! And after an hard day at work, if you are tired of trying to be perfect, just collapse in your sofa and watch The Good Wife ...